CJ Heard
Vanderbilt Commodores
79
Solid

CJ Heard

Vanderbilt CommodoresSolid
SSDefenseSolid
Projected Starter

Is CJ Heard starting?

CJ Heard is the projected starter at SS for Vanderbilt Commodores.

Junior · #8 · 5'11", 210 lbs

See full Vanderbilt Commodores depth chart ›
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Depth at SS · Vanderbilt Commodores

  1. 1879CJ HeardStarter
  2. 2964Jalen Gilbert

Vanderbilt Starting Lineup

Full Vanderbilt depth chart ›

Top defensive backs in the SEC

Zabien BrownAlabama · LCBPeyton BowenOklahoma · SSChris Graves Jr.Missouri · RCB

The Story

The Tackling Machine

A 3-star recruit out of Woodward Academy, ranked #705 nationally coming out of high school. In 2025: 71 tackles, 1 INT, 3 PBU. That's 8% of the team's production at his spot and 91th-percentile production nationally — good for a 79 overall (Solid tier).

Recruit3★ · #705 NatlTeam Share8%Percentile91th
Atlanta, GA
Jersey
#8
Class
JR/TR
Height
5'11"
Weight
210 lbs

2025 Stats

SeasonTklINTPD
20257113

Regular-season totals from public sources. Derived splits (completion %, yards per carry, catch rate) aren't available in our current dataset.

Recruiting Profile

Stars
★★★☆☆3-star
Composite
0.8778
National Rank
#705
High School
Woodward Academy
Hometown
Atlanta, GA

Why this rating?

On a 75-rated defense; 91th-percentile production (×0.95 for competition level) put them +4 vs unit starters → 79.

Team defense (SP+)
75
Rating basis
On-field stats
On-field production
Outperforms 91% of peers
Strength of schedule
Faces easier competition — rating adjusted down (×0.95)
Depth-chart adjustment
+4 for role

2026 projection — based on SP+ (a respected team-efficiency metric; 2026 not published yet, using 2025), 2025 production, recruiting, and the 2026 transfer portal; capped to depth-chart order.

2026 Game Log

Oct 10LMISSTKL 4
TKL
4
SOLO
2
SACK
0
INT
1
PD
2

Final L 52-17

Oct 3LUGATKL 9
TKL
9
SOLO
8
SACK
1
INT
0
PD
1

Final L 38-14

Sep 26LAUBTKL 9
TKL
9
SOLO
8
SACK
0
INT
0
PD
1

Final L 21-15

Sep 19WNCSUTKL 8
TKL
8
SOLO
7
SACK
0
INT
0
PD
0

Final W 35-31

Sep 12WDELTKL 8
TKL
8
SOLO
5
SACK
2
INT
0
PD
1

Final W 35-26

Sep 5WAPSUTKL 5
TKL
5
SOLO
2
SACK
0
INT
0
PD
0

Final W 28-9

CJ Heard's 2026 game-by-game stat log.

The People's Ratings

Is our 79 OVR fair?
79
Solid
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Team Role

Tackling Machine
71 tkl · 3 PD · 1 INT
Usage / Involvement100%
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Overall ratings blend team strength (SP+), on-field production, and recruiting. Higher = more impactful.