Advanced
Computed from every play, garbage time excluded. FBS rank among players with enough volume
| Defense | Value | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Havoc plays | 3 | 803rd / 2575 |
| Tackles for loss | 1 | 1083rd / 1913 |
| Run stops | 4 | 1624th / 3263 |
| Sacks | 1 | — |
| Pass breakups | 2 | — |
| Interceptions | 0 | — |
| Forced fumbles | 0 | — |
| Tackles | 11 | — |
Charting
Where Flakes'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 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 |  Northwestern#26 · 5-1 | 6 | 49% | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 2025 | Northwestern#59 · 7-6 | 7 | 21% | 18 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2024 | Northwestern#91 · 4-8 | 7 | 19% | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2023 | Northwestern#70 · 8-5 | 8 | 23% | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Past seasons are summed from ESPN box scores; success rates and snap shares come from the play-by-play. Brendan Flakes's team rank is that season's final TDC rank. A dash means the stat wasn't recorded.
Game Log
Brendan Flakes'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 |  South Dakota State | W 34–18 | 8.5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | · | · |
| 3 |  Colorado | W 41–7 | 5.5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 4 | @ Indiana | L 23–29 | 3.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 5 |  Penn State | W 34–13 | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | · | · |
| 6 |  Ball State | W 45–14 | 3.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 7 | @ Michigan State | W 24–21 | — | no stats recorded | |||||||
| 2026 · 5 games | 5.5 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | · | · | ||
2026 Season Stats
FBS rank among qualifying players
| Defense | 2026 | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Tackles | 13 | 1630th / 5410 |
| Solo | 3 | — |
| Tackles for loss | 1 | 1348th / 2452 |
| Sacks | 1 | 489th / 1213 |
| QB hurries | 0 | — |
| Passes defended | 2 | 337th / 1591 |
| 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 · South Dakota State | ✓ DL | 88 | ~59 (29–74) | 5 | 67% |
| Wk 3 · Colorado | ✓ DL | 62 | ~34 (13–54) | 2 | 55% |
| Wk 4 · Indiana | ✓ DL | 69 | ~32 (12–50) | 1 | 46% |
| Wk 5 · Penn State | ✓ DL | 63 | ~42 (21–53) | 5 | 67% |
| Wk 6 · Ball State | — | 78 | ~37 (14–58) | 1 | 47% |
| Wk 7 · Michigan State | ✓ DL | 71 | · | · | — |
| Season | 5 GS | 417 | 204 (195–258) | 14 | 49% |
Position Room
21 DLs on the Northwestern roster, ordered by tkl
| # | Player | Pos | Class | Tkl | TFL | Sacks | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 47 | Michael Kilbane | DL | SR | 20 | 3.5 | 1.5 | — | 0 |
| 15 | Brendan Flakes | DL | SR | 13 | 1 | 1 | — | 2 |
| 54 | Tyler Gant | DL | JR | 12 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 24 | Jamaal Johnson | DL | SR | 10 | 1 | 1 | — | 2 |
| 5 | Dominic Kirks | DL | SO | 7 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 91 | Caden O'Rourke | DL | FR | 7 | 0.5 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 95 | Mason Mayne | DL | FR | 5 | 0.5 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 55 | Dylan Roberts | DL | JR | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| Jack Trautmann | DL | 4 | 2.5 | 1 | — | 0 | ||
| 88 | Migo Jackson | DL | SR | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 44 | Callen Campbell | DL | SO | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 53 | Tanner Jumpp | DL | FR | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 99 | Troy Regovich | DL | SO | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 52 | Calvin Lorek | DL | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 56 | Tre Hoskins | DL | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 57 | Nick Costa | DL | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 58 | Ronald Derrick III | DL | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 92 | Mason Green | DL | JR | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 94 | Gage LaDere | DL | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 96 | Jonah Hayes | DL | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 98 | Landon Lauter | DL | 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. Northwestern depth chart →