Computed from every play, garbage time excluded. FBS rank among players with enough volume
| Defense | Value | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Havoc plays | 3 | 800th / 2573 |
| Tackles for loss | 1 | 1082nd / 1909 |
| Run stops | 2 | 2224th / 3262 |
| Sacks | 0 | — |
| Pass breakups | 2 | — |
| Interceptions | 0 | — |
| Forced fumbles | 0 | — |
| Tackles | 19 | — |
Where Nestor'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.
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 | Minnesota#66 · 4-2 | 6 | 68% | 20 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 2025 | Minnesota#63 · 8-5 | 11 | 80% | 50 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| 2024 | Iowa#21 · 8-5 | 7 | 24% | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | Iowa#51 · 10-4 | 1 | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Past seasons are summed from ESPN box scores; success rates and snap shares come from the play-by-play. John Nestor's team rank is that season's final TDC rank. A dash means the stat wasn't recorded.
John Nestor'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
FBS rank among qualifying players
| Defense | 2026 | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Tackles | 20 | 955th / 5406 |
| Solo | 14 | — |
| Tackles for loss | 4 | 238th / 2447 |
| Sacks | 0 | — |
| QB hurries | 1 | 628th / 1377 |
| Passes defended | 2 | 336th / 1588 |
| Defensive TD | 0 | — |
| Interceptions | 2026 | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Interceptions | 1 | 109th / 526 |
| Return yards | 0 | — |
| Pick-sixes | 0 | — |
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 · Eastern Illinois | ✓ DB | 43 | ~13 (0–40) | 1 | 30% |
| Wk 2 · Mississippi State | ✓ DB | 68 | ~17 (0–28) | 2 | 25% |
| Wk 3 · Akron | ✓ DB | 60 | ~60 (24–60) | 9 | 100% |
| Wk 4 · Washington | ✓ DB | 54 | ~41 (17–43) | 2 | 76% |
| Wk 5 · Michigan | — | 49 | ~47 (19–49) | 3 | 96% |
| Wk 6 · Purdue | ✓ DB | 71 | ~55 (22–58) | 4 | 77% |
| Season | 5 GS | 345 | 233 (103–254) | 21 | 68% |
19 DBs on the Minnesota roster, ordered by tkl
| # | Player | Pos | Class | Tkl | TFL | Sacks | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | Kerry Brown | DB | SR | 34 | 2 | 0 | — | 1 |
| 4 | Zack Harden | DB | SO | 30 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Aydan West | DB | 21 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 17 | John Nestor | DB | SR | 20 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 22 | Mekhai Smith | DB | JR | 19 | 0.5 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 9 | Garrison Monroe | DB | SR | 7 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 7 | Aidan Gousby | DB | SR | 6 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 21 | Naiim Parrish | DB | SO | 6 | 1 | 0 | — | 2 |
| 28 | Trason Richardson | DB | FR | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 8 | Mike Gerald | DB | JR | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 18 | Rhyland Kelly | DB | SR | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 13 | Zahir Rainer | DB | JR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 15 | Samuel Madu | DB | JR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 20 | Parker Knutson | DB | SR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 23 | Lamont Hamilton | DB | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 24 | Chance Payne | DB | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 25 | Justin Hopkins | DB | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 27 | Simon Seidl | DB | JR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 31 | Jordan Lampkins | 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. Minnesota depth chart →