Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 7-59@ Texas | 4 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 26-31vs UTSA | 5 | 3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 49-35vs North Texas | 8 | 3 | 2.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 8 tackles |
| Total | 17 | 9 | 3.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 |
#15
Ayden Jones
Junior linebacker for Texas State. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
6′2″ · 224 lb · Houston, TX
CFB Index 25 · #497 of 583 LBsHigh confidence
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
How he plays
Carries tight ends down the field in coverage.
Tackles for loss: 91st percentile.
The full scouting readThe numbers
17
tackles · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 8 tackles, 2 TFL, vs North Texas
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Junior linebacker for Texas State. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
- Transferred from Prairie View A&M to Texas State in 2025.
Ayden Jones
Carries tight ends down the field in coverage. Ayden Jones arrived at Texas State from Prairie View A&M. The receipt on tape: 8 tackles, 2 TFL against North Texas, Week 3, 2026.
17 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- portal record
- game log
His career
202511 games
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
—
CFB
College
Texas State
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Texas State | 17 | 9 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Texas State | 52 | 30 | 1.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 69 | 39 | 4.0 | 0.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
Game log
Game by game
Ayden Jones's 2026 production
Point color shows the opponent's defensive strength that week (red = weaker defense, blue = stronger) — dashed line is this player's own season average.
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 3 · 2026
W 49–35
vs North Texas
2 tackles for loss · 8 tackles · 1 pass breakups
Edged out North Texas at home in a shootout.
With B. Jackson — 268 yds · 4 TD · 0 INT · QBR 88.6 · 30 rush yds (9 car) · T. Burgess Jr. — 214 rush yds (25 car)
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +8 tackles, +2 tackles for loss, +1 pass breakup.
Season context · Team result + system
2 seasons under G.J. Kinne, all run-heavy offenses — 8-8 over that span.
2025Texas State7-6HC: G.J. Kinne · Run-heavy
2026Texas State1-2HC: G.J. Kinne · Run-heavy
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
High confidence
Elite: tackles for loss (91st percentile).
Box-score production (6)
Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.
Defensive profile
Defender profile · Production by role
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
17tackles this seasonTFL rate
18%3 TFLSack rate
0%0 sacksPD rate
6%1 pass breakups17 tackles · 3 for loss.
Splits & context
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home2g | 6.5 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
| Road1g | 4.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 5.7 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
G.J. Kinne
Pass share
36.8%
81 pass / 139 run
Plays / game
73.3
3 games
Team sack rate
2.7%
73 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-Pac-12
Based on 2025: #52 of 63 Sun Belt LBs — his program moves to the Pac-12 for 2026
How the All-Pac-12 estimate is computed
15% estimated, 95% confidence interval 13–17%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player. The base rate was measured on players who stayed in the same conference; this estimate is not adjusted for the move to the Pac-12.
How he plays
Play style
Carries tight ends and patrols the middle of the field in coverage.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Coverage 'Backer
Carries tight ends and patrols the middle of the field in coverage.
LB
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Nick Straw’s 2021 season.
Matches Nick on
TFL rate
Weight
Differs from Nick on
Hurry rate (lower)
Class year (lower)
PD rate (higher)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Martell Hughes's junior season at Arizona State (2026).
Matches Martell on
TFL rate
Weight
PD rate
Player DNA
Players who play like Ayden Jones
The linebacker corps · Texas State
- #29Treylin Payne101 tackles · 2025
- #15Ayden Jones52 tackles · 2025
- #16Terrence Cooks II46 tackles · 2025
- #10Cole Nilles27 tackles · 2025
- #12Javante Mackey25 tackles · 2025
5 more on the roster · Texas State team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology