Advanced
Computed from every play, garbage time excluded. FBS rank among players with enough volume
| Defense | Value | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Havoc plays | 3 | 1078th / 2758 |
| Tackles for loss | 0 | — |
| Run stops | 6 | 1448th / 3422 |
| Sacks | 0 | — |
| Pass breakups | 3 | — |
| Interceptions | 0 | — |
| Forced fumbles | 0 | — |
| Tackles | 32 | — |
Charting
Where Yates'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
3 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 |  Ball State#131 · 3-5 | 8 | 77% | 32 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 2025 | Ball State#132 · 4-8 | 10 | 52% | 34 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 5 |
| 2024 | Ball State#125 · 3-9 | 6 | 18% | 17 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Past seasons are summed from ESPN box scores; success rates and snap shares come from the play-by-play. Willizhuan Yates's team rank is that season's final TDC rank. A dash means the stat wasn't recorded.
Game Log
Willizhuan Yates'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 | @ Ohio State | L 3–56 | 5.4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 2 |  Stony Brook | W 41–17 | 5.9 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | · | · |
| 3 | @ Liberty | L 15–51 | 6.1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 4 | @ Kent State | L 13–26 | 6.1 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 5 |  Toledo | L 24–39 | 5.3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 6 | @ Northwestern | L 14–45 | 6.1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 7 | @ Bowling Green | W 32–31 | 7.8 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | · |
| 8 |  Sacramento State | W 34–17 | 6.4 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | · | · |
| 2026 · 8 games | 6.1 | 32 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | · | ||
2026 Season Stats
FBS rank among qualifying players
| Defense | 2026 | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Tackles | 32 | 601st / 5664 |
| Solo | 22 | — |
| Tackles for loss | 0 | — |
| Sacks | 0 | — |
| QB hurries | 0 | — |
| Passes defended | 2 | 471st / 1772 |
| Defensive TD | 0 | — |
| Interceptions | 2026 | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Interceptions | 1 | 145th / 627 |
| Return yards | 9 | — |
| Pick-sixes | 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 | Special teams | Penalties | Snap share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 · Ohio State | ✓ DB | 72 | ~47 (19–50) | 3 | · | · | 65% |
| Wk 2 · Stony Brook | ✓ DB | 64 | ~26 (0–43) | 3 | · | · | 41% |
| Wk 3 · Liberty | ✓ DB | 64 | ~62 (25–64) | 5 | · | · | 97% |
| Wk 4 · Kent State | ✓ DB | 66 | ~65 (26–66) | 7 | · | · | 98% |
| Wk 5 · Toledo | — | 86 | ~65 (26–69) | 4 | · | · | 76% |
| Wk 6 · Northwestern | — | 55 | ~53 (21–55) | 5 | · | · | 96% |
| Wk 7 · Bowling Green | ✓ DB | 58 | ~26 (0–43) | 3 | 1 | · | 45% |
| Wk 8 · Sacramento State | — | 57 | ~56 (23–57) | 5 | · | 1 | 98% |
| Season | 5 GS | 522 | 400 (303–445) | 35 | 1 | 1 | 77% |
Position Room
23 DBs on the Ball State roster, ordered by tkl
| # | Player | Pos | Class | Tkl | TFL | Sacks | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sterling Smith | DB | SR | 37 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 |
| 2 | Quentavius Scandrett | DB | SR | 32 | 1.5 | 0 | — | 1 |
| 14 | Anthony Pinnace | DB | SR | 32 | 4.5 | 1 | — | 3 |
| Willizhuan Yates | DB | 32 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 5 | Chris Jackson | DB | SR | 18 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 |
| 12 | Deondre Shepherd | DB | JR | 14 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 13 | Kamron Chamble | DB | SO | 13 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 28 | Stone Perkins | DB | FR | 13 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 |
| 18 | Cedric Franklin II | DB | JR | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 0 | Derek Fields | DB | SR | 9 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 21 | Gabe Aramboles | DB | SO | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| Kamari Williams | DB | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | ||
| 20 | Cole Earlewine | DB | SR | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 23 | Jordan Suggs | DB | JR | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 2 | Tobi Adewoyin | DB | SO | — | — | — | — | — |
| 8 | Avery Stuart | DB | SR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 19 | Zyon Hill | DB | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 24 | Dianté Griffin | DB | SR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 29 | Micah Lillard | DB | JR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 30 | Donovan Lanier | DB | SO | — | — | — | — | — |
| 35 | Drew Bostic | DB | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 38 | Jayden Bernavil | DB | SR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 45 | Sebastian Moore | DB | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
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. Ball State depth chart →