Advanced
Computed from every play, garbage time excluded. FBS rank among players with enough volume
| Defense | Value | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Havoc plays | 2 | 1455th / 2758 |
| Tackles for loss | 1 | 1269th / 2112 |
| Run stops | 13 | 503rd / 3422 |
| Sacks | 0 | — |
| Pass breakups | 1 | — |
| Interceptions | 0 | — |
| Forced fumbles | 0 | — |
| Tackles | 18 | — |
Charting
Where Saez'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 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 |  UConn#80 · 4-4 | 8 | 43% | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 2025 |  Oregon State#118 · 2-10 | 7 | 30% | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 2024 | Oregon State#99 · 5-7 | 9 | 44% | 24 | 2.5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
Past seasons are summed from ESPN box scores; success rates and snap shares come from the play-by-play. Zakaih Saez's team rank is that season's final TDC rank. A dash means the stat wasn't recorded.
Game Log
Zakaih Saez'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 |  Lafayette | W 56–7 | 5.9 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | · | · |
| 2 |  Maryland | L 14–38 | 4.5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 3 | @ Southern Miss | W 48–20 | 5.3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 4 | @ Miami (OH) | L 21–24 | 5.9 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 5 |  Syracuse | L 41–42 | 6.0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 6 | @ Temple | W 34–20 | 7.9 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | · | · |
| 8 |  Massachusetts | W 35–16 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | · | · |
| 9 | @ Air Force | L 26–35 | 6.5 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 2026 · 8 games | 6.0 | 20 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | · | · | ||
2026 Season Stats
FBS rank among qualifying players
| Defense | 2026 | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Tackles | 20 | 1311th / 5664 |
| Solo | 13 | — |
| Tackles for loss | 1 | 1566th / 2634 |
| Sacks | 0 | — |
| QB hurries | 2 | 418th / 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 | Snap share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 · Lafayette | — | 71 | ~31 (12–49) | 2 | 44% |
| Wk 2 · Maryland | — | 78 | ~22 (9–35) | 1 | 28% |
| Wk 3 · Southern Miss | ✓ DL | 78 | ~29 (11–46) | 2 | 37% |
| Wk 4 · Miami (OH) | ✓ DL | 61 | ~33 (13–52) | 3 | 54% |
| Wk 5 · Syracuse | ✓ DL | 85 | ~43 (21–54) | 4 | 51% |
| Wk 6 · Temple | ✓ DL | 60 | ~40 (20–50) | 5 | 67% |
| Wk 8 · Massachusetts | ✓ DL | 66 | ~16 (6–25) | 1 | 24% |
| Wk 9 · Air Force | ✓ DL | 77 | ~33 (13–52) | 4 | 43% |
| Season | 6 GS | 576 | 247 (158–317) | 22 | 43% |
Position Room
18 DLs on the UConn roster, ordered by tkl
| # | Player | Pos | Class | Tkl | TFL | Sacks | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Tahjae Mullix | DL | SR | 31 | 2 | 0.5 | — | 1 |
| 15 | Anas Luqman | DL | SR | 22 | 4.5 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 9 | Zakaih Saez | DL | SO | 20 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 |
| 52 | Joshua Mickens | DE | SR | 16 | 3.5 | 3 | — | 2 |
| 3 | Esean Carter | DT | SR | 15 | 1.5 | 0 | — | 2 |
| 95 | Melvin Hills III | DL | JR | 15 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 |
| 14 | Desmond Aladuge | DT | SR | 11 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 |
| 17 | Shamar Riser-Pressley | DL | JR | 8 | 1 | 1 | — | 0 |
| 55 | Andrew Laurich | DL | SR | 6 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 94 | Matt Hoffman | DL | SR | 6 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 25 | Odera Orizu | DE | JR | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 97 | Chamberlain Campbell | DE | JR | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 11 | Avery Dunn | DL | SR | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 91 | Mateo Kipke | DL | FR | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 59 | Eddie Dresch | DL | JR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 93 | DJ Pouncy | DT | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 96 | Makijah Latiker | DL | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
| Rodarion Tellez | DL | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
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. UConn depth chart →