Advanced
Computed from every play, garbage time excluded. FBS rank among players with enough volume
| Defense | Value | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Havoc plays | 6 | 324th / 2758 |
| Tackles for loss | 5 | 204th / 2112 |
| Run stops | 24 | 103rd / 3422 |
| Sacks | 0 | — |
| Pass breakups | 1 | — |
| Interceptions | 0 | — |
| Forced fumbles | 0 | — |
| Tackles | 48 | — |
Charting
Where Kante's plays went: throw and catch spots, air yards and yards after the catch, read from the play-by-play
The play-by-play names the defender on breakups, interceptions and tackles, but not the man in coverage on every throw, so true times-targeted isn't in the text. Coverage plays is the closest stand-in; exact targets come from hand charting.
Career
2 seasons since 2014 · box-score totals, snap share estimated from play-by-play
| Season | Team | G | Snaps | Tkl | TFL | Sacks | INT | PD | Havoc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 so far |  Illinois#42 · 5-3 | 8 | 86% | 48 | 3.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| 2025 | Illinois#27 · 9-4 | 5 | 10% | 8 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Past seasons are summed from ESPN box scores; success rates and snap shares come from the play-by-play. Ismael Kante's team rank is that season's final TDC rank. A dash means the stat wasn't recorded.
Game Log
Ismael Kante's box score, game by game, from ESPN, with a 0–10 game score for each (hover it for how it works). Click a result for the full game
| Defense | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk | Opponent | Result | Game score | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | Hur | PD | INT | TD |
| 1 |  UAB | W 42–23 | 10.0 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 2 |  Duke | L 27–31 | 5.9 | 4 | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 3 |  Southern Illinois | W 48–10 | 6.4 | 5 | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | · | · |
| 4 | @ Ohio State | L 19–42 | 5.6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 5 |  Purdue | L 17–24 | 7.9 | 10 | 7 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 6 | @ Michigan State | W 38–37 | 6.8 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 8 |  Oregon | W 21–10 | 6.5 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | · | · |
| 9 | @ Maryland | W 20–17 | 5.6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 2026 · 8 games | 6.8 | 48 | 22 | 3.5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
2026 Season Stats
FBS rank among qualifying players
| Defense | 2026 | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Tackles | 48 | 221st / 5664 |
| Solo | 22 | — |
| Tackles for loss | 3.5 | 470th / 2634 |
| Sacks | 0 | — |
| QB hurries | 2 | 418th / 1549 |
| Passes defended | 0 | — |
| Defensive TD | 1 | — |
| Interceptions | 2026 | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Interceptions | 1 | 145th / 627 |
| Return yards | 59 | — |
| Pick-sixes | 1 | — |
Snaps by Game
Estimated snaps from a model trained on real NFL snap counts. Ranges in brackets are where the real number lands 80% of the time: wide for a single game, tighter over the season. How it works
| Game | Start | Opp. plays | Est. snaps | Plays made | Special teams | Penalties | Snap share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 · UAB | ✓ LB | 77 | ~66 (34–77) | 7 | 1 | · | 86% |
| Wk 2 · Duke | ✓ LB | 56 | ~37 (4–56) | 4 | · | · | 66% |
| Wk 3 · Southern Illinois | ✓ LB | 69 | ~55 (28–65) | 5 | · | 1 | 80% |
| Wk 4 · Ohio State | ✓ LB | 68 | ~60 (30–68) | 4 | · | · | 88% |
| Wk 5 · Purdue | ✓ LB | 60 | ~60 (30–60) | 10 | · | · | 100% |
| Wk 6 · Michigan State | — | 55 | ~48 (24–55) | 8 | · | · | 87% |
| Wk 8 · Oregon | ✓ LB | 73 | ~66 (34–73) | 7 | · | 1 | 90% |
| Wk 9 · Maryland | — | 58 | ~50 (25–58) | 4 | · | · | 86% |
| Season | 6 GS | 516 | 442 (371–516) | 49 | 1 | 2 | 86% |
Position Room
13 LBs on the Illinois roster, ordered by tkl
| # | Player | Pos | Class | Tkl | TFL | Sacks | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | James Kreutz | LB | SR | 50 | 3.5 | 1 | — | 1 |
| 26 | Ismael Kante | LB | SR | 48 | 3.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 33 | Grant Beerman | LB | SO | 13 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 |
| 40 | Ean Rhea | LB | SR | 13 | 3 | 2 | — | 0 |
| 18 | Mason Muragin | LB | SR | 11 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 45 | Robert Edmonson | LB | SR | 9 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 4 | Daniel Brown | LB | SR | 8 | 2 | 1.5 | — | 0 |
| 38 | Jack Paris | LB | SO | 7 | 0.5 | 0 | — | 0 |
| Cameron Thomas | LB | 5 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | ||
| 28 | Kayden Bennett | LB | FR | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 |
| 11 | Jacob Alexander | LB | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 23 | Jaylen Stewart | LB | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 34 | Erik Gayle | LB | SO | — | — | — | — | — |
Stats, EPA and usage come from CollegeFootballData.com and refresh daily. FBS ranks only count players with enough volume for the stat to mean something. Qualifying for EPA takes —+ plays per team game. Illinois depth chart →