David Gbenda

David Gbenda (born December 12, 2000) is an American professional football linebacker for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for the Texas Longhorns.

Early life Gbenda attended Cinco Ranch High School in Cinco Ranch, Texas. As a junior, he totaled 56 tackles with eight going for a loss, and two sacks, earning first-team all-district and All-American honors. Coming out of high school, Gbenda was rated as a four-star recruit and committed to play college football for the Texas Longhorns over offers from schools such as Arkansas, Baylor, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, TCU, and Texas A&M.

College career In his first four years with Texas from 2019 through 2022, Gbenda appeared in 32 games where he made three starts for the Longhorns, notching 55 tackles with two being for a loss, a sack, two pass deflections, and an interception in a limited role. He finished the 2023 season with 50 tackles with three and a half being for a loss, a sack and a half, and a pass deflection. Instead of declaring for the 2024 NFL draft, Gbenda decided to return to play for the Longhorns in his final season of eligibility in 2024. He entered the season as one of the starting linebackers for the Longhorns. In week 5, Gbenda notched eight tackles with one being for a loss in a win over Mississippi State.

College statistics

Year Team GP Tackles Interceptions Fumbles Solo Ast Cmb TfL Sck Int Yds Avg TD PD FR Yds TD FF 2019 Texas 4 0 1 1 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2020 Texas 10 10 9 19 0 0.0 1 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2021 Texas 11 17 10 27 3 1.5 0 0 0.0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2022 Texas 8 8 4 12 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2023 Texas 14 23 27 50 4 1.5 0 0 0.0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2024 Texas 16 33 28 61 5 1.0 1 -3 -1.5 0 0 0 0 0 1Career 63 91 79 170 12 4.0 2 -3 -1.5 0 3 0 0 0 1

Professional career

Tennessee Titans On May 8, 2025, Gbenda signed with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent after going unselected in the 2025 NFL draft. He was waived on August 12.

Saskatchewan Roughriders Gbenda signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Canadian Football League on March 31, 2026. On May 30, he was added to the practice squad. On June 12th, Gbenda was placed on the active roster and a day later made his pro football debut against the BC Lions, recording a special teams sack.