Elijah Brooks, VMI DL: the 2026 season story
Elijah Brooks is a junior defensive lineman for VMI (Southern). He ranks 1653rd of 1,709 defensive linemen in Division I by the Player Index, which judges every defensive lineman on the measures that matter at the position, adjusted for the opponents he faced.
Scouting report
Why it matters. Knowing the one or two things a player does best, and where he is ordinary, says more than any single total. Elijah Brooks's strongest measure is QB hurries per game at 0.07, 654th of 892 (the average is 0.26). His weakest is passes defended per game at 0.00, 372nd of 892 (the average is 0.08).
Season production
Why it matters. Totals reward staying healthy and getting the ball; per-game numbers show how much he really carries each week. His tackles per game, 1.7, ranks 728th among 892 ranked defensive linemen.
Against every defensive lineman
Why it matters. Splitting the measures into how much, how well and how many big plays shows what kind of defensive lineman he is. Among ranked defensive linemen he sits, on average, in the 19th percentile for volume and 7th for impact.
The season, game by game
Why it matters. A season average can hide a player who is great one week and absent the next; game by game shows how dependable he is. Over 10 games, Elijah Brooks's best came in week 9 at Chattanooga and his quietest in week 3 at Davidson.
Where he does his damage
Why it matters. Where and how a player makes his plays shows how his team uses him and what a defense has to take away.
National and conference
Why it matters. A national rank shows how a player stacks up beyond his own league, where the competition can be very different. Elijah Brooks is 777th of 817 FCS defensive linemen and 69th of 72 in the Southern. Next up nationally is Chris Brown of Austin Peay, 0.01 ahead on the index.
Defensive linemen like him
Why it matters. Comparing a player with his closest statistical matches puts his season in context beyond the rankings. His closest match this season is Nico Guerra of Texas Southern.
