NC State · 2026

Da'Kaari Nelson

LBSenior6' 3", 241 lbsLivingston, AL

NC State Wolfpack3-3 · TDC #64

Snap share

23%

2 of 2 started · likely 16–26%

Tackles

2690th of 5408 in FBS

Solo

Tackles for loss

1347th of 2450 in FBS

Sacks

Interceptions

Advanced

Computed from every play, garbage time excluded. FBS rank among players with enough volume

Defense	Value	FBS rank
Havoc plays	3	802nd / 2573
Tackles for loss	1	1083rd / 1911
Run stops	4	1619th / 3263
Sacks	0	—
Pass breakups	2	—
Interceptions	0	—
Forced fumbles	0	—
Tackles	6	—

Charting

Where Nelson's plays went: throw and catch spots, air yards and yards after the catch, read from the play-by-play

Passes defended

2 broken up · 0 intercepted

QB hurries

as the play text names the rusher

Tackles after a catch

8 yds per catch on those

YAC on those catches

2.0

yds after the catch before his tackle

Coverage plays

PBUs + INTs + tackles after a catch

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	PD	Havoc
2026 so far	NC State#64 · 3-3	2	23%	6	1	2	3
2025	Penn State#18 · 7-6	4	5%	5	0	0	—
2024	Penn State#4 · 13-3	4	6%	5	0	0	0

Past seasons are summed from ESPN box scores; success rates and snap shares come from the play-by-play. Da'Kaari Nelson's team rank is that season's final TDC rank. A dash means the stat wasn't recorded.

Game Log

Da'Kaari Nelson'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

6.7 avg. game scoreBest: 7.2 vs App State (Week 4)0 of 2 games at 8.0+

				Defense
Wk	Opponent	Result	Game score	Tkl	Solo	TFL	Sacks	Hur	PD	INT	TD
1	@Virginia	L 8–34	—	no stats recorded
2	Richmond	W 73–0	—	no stats recorded
3	@Vanderbilt	L 31–35	—	no stats recorded
4	App State	W 41–31	7.2	3	3	1	0	1	1	·	·
5	Louisville	W 31–28	6.2	3	1	0	0	0	1	·	·
6	Wake Forest	L 14–38	—	no stats recorded
2026 · 2 games			6.7	6	4	1	0	1	2	·	·

2026 Season Stats

FBS rank among qualifying players

Defense	2026	FBS rank
Tackles	6	2690th / 5408
Solo	4	—
Tackles for loss	1	1347th / 2450
Sacks	0	—
QB hurries	1	629th / 1380
Passes defended	2	337th / 1589
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 4 · App State	✓ LB	61	~49 (25–58)	4	80%
Wk 5 · Louisville	✓ LB	56	~33 (3–56)	4	59%
Season	2 GS	362	82 (58–95)	8	23%

Position Room

23 LBs on the NC State roster, ordered by tkl

#	Player	Pos	Class	Tkl	TFL	Sacks	INT	PD
0	Popo Aguirre	LB	SR	55	2	0	—	0
5	Harvey Dyson III	LB	SR	14	2.5	1.5	—	2
33	Ziggy Moore	LB	FR	12	0	0	—	1
58	Elijah Satchell	LB	FR	10	4	3	—	1
35	LaCorian Hodge	LB	SO	9	0.5	0.5	—	1
42	Ke'Von Carter	LB	SO	9	1	1	—	0
44	Jordan Moreta	LB	FR	7	0.5	0	—	0
8	Da'Kaari Nelson	LB	SR	6	1	0	—	2
31	Bailey Benson	LB	SO	6	0	0	—	1
15	AJ Richardson	LB	SR	4	0	0	—	0
	Zane Williams	LB		4	0	0	—	0
25	Sterling Dixon	LB	JR	3	0	0	—	0
38	Logan Foust	LB	JR	3	0	0	—	0
	Josh Warren Jr.	LB		3	1	0	—	0
32	Caleb Gordon	LB	FR	—	—	—	—	—
33	Nathan Huffman	LB	SO	—	—	—	—	—
37	Lawrence Brown Jr.	LB	FR	—	—	—	—	—
43	Koby Sarkodie	LB	FR	—	—	—	—	—
45	Isaac Peters	LB	SR	—	—	—	—	—
46	Ryan Klimp	LB	SR	—	—	—	—	—
47	Jackson Mastor	LB	JR	—	—	—	—	—
48	Hunter Jackson	LB	SO	—	—	—	—	—
52	David Collins	LB	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. NC State depth chart →