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Computed from every play, garbage time excluded. FBS rank among players with enough volume
| Defense | Value | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Havoc plays | 6 | 163rd / 2577 |
| Tackles for loss | 3 | 380th / 1914 |
| Run stops | 16 | 194th / 3269 |
| Sacks | 1 | — |
| Pass breakups | 3 | — |
| Interceptions | 0 | — |
| Forced fumbles | 0 | — |
| Tackles | 21 | — |
Charting
Where Jr.'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 at 3 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 |  Michigan State#64 · 2-5 | 6 | 47% | 22 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| 2025 |  NC State#42 · 8-5 | 13 | 60% | 80 | 4 | 0.5 | 0 | 2 | 7 |
| 2024 |  Northwestern#91 · 4-8 | 11 | 42% | 20 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2023 | Northwestern#70 · 8-5 | 12 | 48% | 26 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Past seasons are summed from ESPN box scores; success rates and snap shares come from the play-by-play. Kenny Soares Jr.'s team rank is that season's final TDC rank. A dash means the stat wasn't recorded.
Game Log
Kenny Soares Jr.'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 |  Toledo | W 30–20 | 8.9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | · |
| 2 |  Eastern Michigan | W 35–7 | 8.2 | 5 | 2 | 1.5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 3 | @ Notre Dame | L 10–27 | — | no stats recorded | |||||||
| 4 |  Nebraska | L 13–31 | 5.9 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 5 | @ Wisconsin | L 3–31 | 7.9 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | · | · |
| 6 |  Illinois | L 37–38 | 7.3 | 6 | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | · | · |
| 7 | Northwestern | L 21–24 | 6.5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | · | · |
| 2026 · 6 games | 7.4 | 22 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | · | ||
2026 Season Stats
FBS rank among qualifying players
| Defense | 2026 | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Tackles | 22 | 823rd / 5416 |
| Solo | 9 | — |
| Tackles for loss | 3 | 422nd / 2453 |
| Sacks | 1 | 491st / 1213 |
| QB hurries | 4 | 73rd / 1387 |
| Passes defended | 2 | 340th / 1595 |
| Defensive TD | 0 | — |
| Interceptions | 2026 | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Interceptions | 1 | 111th / 531 |
| Return yards | 0 | — |
| 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 | Snap share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 · Toledo | ✓ EDGE | 41 | ~24 (9–38) | 3 | 1 | 59% |
| Wk 2 · Eastern Michigan | ✓ EDGE | 52 | ~30 (12–47) | 4 | · | 58% |
| Wk 4 · Nebraska | ✓ EDGE | 67 | ~34 (13–54) | 3 | · | 51% |
| Wk 5 · Wisconsin | — | 62 | ~42 (21–53) | 4 | · | 68% |
| Wk 6 · Illinois | — | 69 | ~42 (21–53) | 6 | · | 61% |
| Wk 7 · Northwestern | ✓ EDGE | 71 | ~31 (12–49) | 4 | · | 44% |
| Season | 4 GS | 429 | 203 (130–261) | 24 | 1 | 47% |
Position Room
19 DLs on the Michigan State roster, ordered by tkl
| # | Player | Pos | Class | Tkl | TFL | Sacks | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 | Ben Roberts | DL | SR | 26 | 5 | 2 | — | 0 |
| 1 | Kenny Soares Jr. | EDGE | SR | 22 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 96 | Eli Coenen | DL | JR | 16 | 4.5 | 3.5 | — | 2 |
| 9 | Keahnist Thompson | EDGE | SR | 15 | 2.5 | 1 | — | 0 |
| 11 | Anelu Lafaele | EDGE | SO | 11 | 2.5 | 2.5 | — | 0 |
| 13 | Isaac Smith | EDGE | SR | 10 | 1 | 1 | — | 0 |
| 52 | Mikeshun Beeler | DL | SO | 8 | 0.5 | 0 | — | 1 |
| 98 | Derrick Simmons | DL | FR | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 |
| 8 | Trey Lisle | EDGE | SO | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 97 | Cal Thrush | DL | FR | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| Jaxson Wilson | EDGE | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | ||
| 6 | Leonard Ah You | EDGE | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 25 | Carlos Hazelwood | DL | SO | — | — | — | — | — |
| 33 | Cory House Jr. | EDGE | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 51 | Kekai Burnett | EDGE | SO | — | — | — | — | — |
| 56 | Chris Piwowarczyk | EDGE | SO | — | — | — | — | — |
| 57 | Hudson Aultman | DL | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 91 | Jackson Pahl | DL | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 94 | Aidan Boehle | EDGE | JR | — | — | — | — | — |
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. Michigan State depth chart →