Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 42-23vs UAB | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 27-31vs Duke | 6 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 48-10vs Southern Illinois | 7 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 2 | Season-high 7 tackles |
| Total | 14 | 9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 2 |
#6
Jaheim Clarke
Senior defensive back on Illinois's 2026 roster.
6′1″ · 180 lb · Fort Myers, FL
CFB Index 39 · #237 of 364 cornersLow 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.
Recruiting
3★
S recruit
No. 1347 nationally · Signed with Illinois
Last played in 2026.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior defensive back on Illinois's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Illinois in 2023.
Jaheim Clarke
Erases the deep middle of the field. Fourth year in the Illinois secondary, same address the whole way. One game to point at: 7 tackles against Southern Illinois — Week 3, 2026.
14 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- seasons on the roster
- game log
His career
He was on the field for 4 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
20233 games
- Signed with Illinois3-star out of Riverdale
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
Illinois
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
1 coach2023–2026
Illinois
Played his entire career under Bret Bielema.
Career stats
Game log
Game by game
Jaheim Clarke'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 48–10
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +2 pass breakups, +7 tackles.
Season context · Team result + system
4 seasons under Bret Bielema — 26-15 over that span.
2023Illinois5-7HC: Bret Bielema · Balanced
2024Illinois10-3HC: Bret Bielema · Run-leaning, slow tempo
2025Illinois9-4HC: Bret Bielema · Run-leaning
2026Illinois2-1HC: Bret Bielema · Balanced, slow tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Low confidence
Elite: passes defended (92nd percentile). Concern: tackles for loss (16th 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.
Splits & context
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home3g | 4.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 4.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Bret Bielema
Pass share
48.8%
81 pass / 85 run
Plays / game
55.3
3 games
Team sack rate
2.2%
91 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced, slow tempo.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
Rotational
Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Index Score
39 · #237 of 364 corners
Three-star recruit. Now #237 at the position.
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-Big Ten
Based on 2025: #58 of 77 Big Ten DBs
How the All-Big Ten 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.
How he plays
Play style
Single-high range who erases the deep middle of the field.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Centerfielder
Single-high range who erases the deep middle of the field.
S
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Reggie Akles’s 2023 season.
Matches Reggie on
PD rate
TFL rate
Weight
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Nathaniel Wiggins's junior season at Clemson (2023).
86%match
Matches Nathaniel on
TFL rate
Tackle volume
PD rate
Player DNA
Players who play like Jaheim Clarke
The secondary · Illinois
- #7Matthew Bailey76 tackles · 2025
- #22Deuce Fillmore39 tackles · 2025
- #16Tanner Heckel36 tackles · 2025
- #6Jaheim Clarke30 tackles · 2025
- Mac Resetich19 tackles · 2025
16 more on the roster · Illinois team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology