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 | 10 | 794th / 3422 |
| Sacks | 3 | — |
| Pass breakups | 1 | — |
| Interceptions | 0 | — |
| Forced fumbles | 0 | — |
| Tackles | 16 | — |
Charting
Where Whitson'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
4 seasons at 2 schools 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 |  Mississippi State#45 · 4-4 | 8 | 45% | 18 | 4.5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 2025 | Mississippi State#71 · 5-8 | 2 | 10% | 8 | 4.5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2024 |  Coastal Carolina#101 · 6-7 | 4 | 19% | 20 | 3.5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2023 | Coastal Carolina#64 · 8-5 | 11 | 39% | 36 | 4.5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Past seasons are summed from ESPN box scores; success rates and snap shares come from the play-by-play. Will Whitson's team rank is that season's final TDC rank. A dash means the stat wasn't recorded.
Game Log
Will Whitson'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 |  UL Monroe | W 62–13 | 7.2 | 6 | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | · | · |
| 2 | @ Minnesota | W 38–13 | 6.8 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 3 | @ South Carolina | W 41–34 | 7.9 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | · | · |
| 4 |  Missouri | W 31–24 | 6.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | · | · |
| 5 |  Alabama | L 23–56 | 7.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 7 | @ LSU | L 0–31 | 5.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 8 |  Oklahoma | L 15–23 | 5.8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | · | · |
| 9 | @ Texas | L 3–31 | 7.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 2026 · 8 games | 6.6 | 18 | 8 | 4.5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | · | · | ||
2026 Season Stats
FBS rank among qualifying players
| Defense | 2026 | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Tackles | 18 | 1481st / 5664 |
| Solo | 8 | — |
| Tackles for loss | 4.5 | 295th / 2634 |
| Sacks | 3 | 147th / 1383 |
| QB hurries | 3 | 231st / 1549 |
| Passes defended | 1 | 898th / 1772 |
| Defensive TD | 0 | — |
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 | Penalties | Snap share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 · UL Monroe | ✓ DL | 68 | ~45 (22–57) | 6 | · | 66% |
| Wk 2 · Minnesota | ✓ DL | 63 | ~38 (15–60) | 3 | · | 60% |
| Wk 3 · South Carolina | ✓ DL | 79 | ~45 (22–57) | 3 | · | 57% |
| Wk 4 · Missouri | ✓ DL | 75 | ~20 (8–32) | 1 | · | 27% |
| Wk 5 · Alabama | — | 61 | ~19 (7–30) | 1 | · | 31% |
| Wk 7 · LSU | ✓ DL | 70 | ~32 (12–50) | 2 | 1 | 46% |
| Wk 8 · Oklahoma | — | 70 | ~30 (12–47) | 2 | · | 43% |
| Wk 9 · Texas | — | 53 | ~15 (6–24) | 1 | · | 28% |
| Season | 5 GS | 539 | 244 (156–314) | 19 | 1 | 45% |
Position Room
19 DLs on the Mississippi State roster, ordered by tkl
| # | Player | Pos | Class | Tkl | TFL | Sacks | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amaree Williams | EDGE | 41 | 4 | 2 | — | 3 | ||
| 9 | Jaray Bledsoe | DL | SR | 25 | 6.5 | 3.5 | — | 0 |
| 42 | DJ Reed | DL | JR | 22 | 3.5 | 0.5 | — | 1 |
| Will Whitson | DL | 18 | 4.5 | 3 | — | 1 | ||
| 35 | Kalvin Dinkins | DL | SR | 13 | 2.5 | 1 | — | 0 |
| 97 | Jayson Jenkins | DL | SR | 13 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 14 | Dealyn Evans | DL | SO | 8 | 2.5 | 2.5 | — | 1 |
| 93 | Eddie Kelly Jr. | DL | SR | 7 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| Trevion Williams | DL | 4 | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | ||
| Tyshun Willis | DL | 4 | 1 | 1 | — | 0 | ||
| 19 | Micah Nickerson | DL | FR | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 33 | Douglas Adams III | DL | JR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 40 | Gus Cordova | DL | SO | — | — | — | — | — |
| 49 | Shawn Gee | DE | SO | — | — | — | — | — |
| 55 | Colin Coates | DL | JR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 88 | Tico Crittendon | DL | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 91 | Lorenz Cammon | DL | JR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 92 | Kaleb Morris | DL | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 99 | Jamarcus Moye | DL | SR | — | — | — | — | — |
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. Mississippi State depth chart →