University of Nebraska - Kearney Athletics

CAREER NOTES
School-record 604 tackles (276 solo) ... second most in NCAA history (all divisions) ... second player to reach 600 career tackles ... 13.7 tackles per game ... started all 44 games in his career ... 51.0 TFL, including 11.5 sacks ... 16 PBU's ... 15 QB hurries ... seven forced fumbles ... six fumble recoveries ... five INT's for 96 yards and two TD;s ... three rushes for 32 yards on fake punts ... 4-time All-MIAA ... 4-time MIAA Scholar Athlete ... 3-time co-captain

AS A REDSHIRT SENIOR (2016)
Started all 11 games ... first-team All-American by (A.P. and Conference Commissioners Assoc.) ... second-team All-American (AFCA) ... honorable mention All-American (Don Hansen's Gazette) ... CoSIDA first-team Academic All-American and first-team Academic All-District ... UNK Male Senior Athlete of the Year ... also won UNK's Dr. Tom Kropp Award ... Ken B. Jones Award finalist (MIAA Athlete of the Year) ... MIAA Scholar Athlete ... MIAA Academic Honor Roll ... returned an INT 16 yards for a TD in the closing moments to secure a 47-32 win over Central Oklahoma ... 15 tackles (nine solo) in the win ... 174 (95 solo) for the season ... 14 TFL including 3.0 sacks ... two PBU's and QB hurries ... two forced and recovered fumbles ... 15.8 tacklers per game led D2 ... at least five solo stops in every game ... 19 tackles (13 solo) at NW Missouri and Northeastern State ... 17 (10 solo) at Missouri Western and vs. Ft. Hays ... 18 (eight solo) in 3 OT loss to Washburn ... also played on special teams. 

AS A REDSHIRT JUNIOR (2015)
Started all 11 games ... second-team All-MIAA ... third-team All-Region by Don Hansen's Gazette ... Cliff Harris Award nominee ... MIAA Scholar Athlete and MIAA Academic Honor Roll ... team co-captain ... named UNK's Defensive Player of the Year and Junior Lifter of the Year ... among NCAA (all divisions) tackle leaders with 176 ... became UNK's all-time tackle leader in September ... 98 assisted stops and 78 solo tackles ... 12.5 TFL for a loss of 45 yards ... four sacks for 24 yards ... four PBU's and four QB hurries ... averaged 16.0 tackles per game ... had 23 (eight solo), believed to be a school record, vs. Missouri Western ... 18 (12 solo) stops at Ft. Hays and 19 (six solo) vs. Pittsburg State ... 11 tackles in the 2016 spring game ... voted as a team co-captain for the 2016 season

AS A REDSHIRT SOPHOMORE (2014)
Again one of Division II's top tacklers ... team co-captain ... third-team All-MIAA ... MIAA Scholar Athlete and MIAA Academic Honor Roll ... broke his own single-season school record with 136 stops (54 solo) ... 16 TFL's, including 2.5 sacks ... seven PBU's, five QB hurries, three forced fumbles and two INT's ... had a double digit tackle total in all but one game ... 73 of his tackles came on running plays ... team-high four tackles on punt cover ... season-high 19 tackles (three solo) vs. Mo. Southern ... 16 (five solo) tackles in season-opener at NW Missouri ... six-yard rush in that game on a fake punt ... ran for 13 yards on another fake punt vs. Ft. Hays ... 14 tackles, including 4.0 TFL's, at Central Missouri ... had INT's in wins over Northeastern State and Emporia State ... 11 solo tackles at Pittsburg State

AS A REDSHIRT FRESHMAN (2013)
Honorable mention All-MIAA ... MIAA Scholar Athlete ... MIAA Academic Honor Roll ... set a new Loper single-season tackle record (118) ... 49 solo stops ... 8.5 TFL (2.0 sacks) ... four QB hurries, four fumble recoveries, three PBU's, two forced fumbles and two INT's for 80 return yards and one TD ... one rush for 13 yards on a fake punt that led to a first down ... seven games with 10 or more tackles, including the last four ... season-high 18 (eight solo) stops vs. Central Missouri ... three TFL's and a fumble recovery in that loss ... 13 tackles at Emporia State, Ft. Hays and Southwest Baptist and at home vs. S.D. Mines ... had a 74-yard INT return for a TD at NW Missouri ... in preseason testing, benched 365 lbs., squatted a team-best 597 lbs., had a 33 inch vertical and a 3.95 pro agility time

AS A FRESHMAN (2012)
Took a redshirt season

HIGH SCHOOL
Three-time Class D all-state, … part of a 13-0 Bulldog team that won that 2011 Class D-2 state title, ending Howells’ 34-game win streak … averaged eight tackles per game (119 total) and ran for 20 TD’s as a fullback … qualified for the 2011 state track meet in four events … helped the 4 x 1 relay team place first ... also a basketball letterwinner

PERSONAL
Son of Mike & Amy ... father is the football coach at Sargent and played at Chadron State ... married the former Jamie Kirwan in the summer of 2015