Eastern Michigan · W 35-7
1 tackle, 1 for loss
The other 8 games average 4 tackles. This one was 3 below.
Jaion Jackson
Moves between deep coverage and the slot. The three seasons at Central Michigan span two head coaches: Jim McElwain and Matt Drinkall. On tape: 9 tackles against Western Michigan, Week 7, 2026.
33 tackles · 1.5 sacks
Play style
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
33 tackles. 7 passes defended. 1 interception. 3 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Central Michigan | 33 | 13 | 3.0 | 1.5 | 7 | 1 |
| 2025 | Central Michigan | 45 | 24 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 7 | 1 |
| 2024 | Central Michigan | 39 | 26 | 2.5 | 0.0 | 3 | -- |
| Career | 117 | 63 | 9.5 | 3.5 | 17 | 2 |
Last game (Wk 10): 1 tackle, 1 tackle for loss.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 9 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 7-38@ New Mexico | 5 | 2 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 2 | W 13-10vs Colgate | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 3 | W 24-10vs Wyoming | 4 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 4 | L 3-52@ No. 6 Miami | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 41-17vs Akron | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 6 | L 14-31@ Ohio | 5 | 4 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | L 14-21vs Western Michigan | 9 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 9 tackles |
| Wk 8 | L 27-28vs Miami (OH) | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 3 | |
| Wk 10 | W 35-7vs Eastern Michigan | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 33 | 13 | 3.0 | 1.5 | 1 | 7 |
Nov. 4 · W 35-7 vs Eastern Michigan, play by play
1 tackle, including 1 more for loss, 1 interception. The interception on 3rd and 3 ended Eastern Michigan’s drive (int).
No game thread archived for this game yet.
Intercepted on 3rd and 3. Second quarter, up 14-0. Ended Eastern Michigan’s drive (int).
This season: coverage — 7 passes defended in the 9 games with play by play.
How Central Michigan’s defense played that day
Eastern Michigan’s 8 drives: 7 stopped (1 takeaway) · 1 scored. The interception came with Central Michigan up 14.
3 tackles, including 3 passes broken up, tied for 2nd-most passes broken up in FBS that week.
Each small tick is a tackle on the play-by-play. It places 4; the box score credits 3.
9 tackles.
Each small tick is a tackle on the play-by-play. Sacks are drawn as sacks.
5 tackles, including 1 sack. Jaion Jackson hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is a tackle on the play-by-play. Sacks are drawn as sacks.
3 tackles, including 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is a tackle on the play-by-play. It places 4; the box score credits 3.
1 tackle.
Each small tick is a tackle on the play-by-play. Sacks are drawn as sacks.
4 tackles, including 1 pass broken up. Jaion Jackson hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is a tackle on the play-by-play. Sacks are drawn as sacks.
2 tackles, including 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is a tackle on the play-by-play. Sacks are drawn as sacks.
Ratings of the games shown run from -25 to +25 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where the impact shows up on the stat sheet
PD rate
21%7 pass breakupsInterceptions
1interceptionsTackle volume
33tackles this seasonTFL rate
9%3 TFL33 tackles · 3 for loss · 1.5 sacks · 7 pass breakups · 1 interception.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 9 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home5g | 4.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 1.2 |
| Road3g | 3.7 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.3 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 4.1 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.6 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 1.5 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Matt Drinkall
Pass share
35.9%
196 pass / 350 run
Plays / game
60.7
9 games
Team sack rate
9.4%
212 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy, slow tempo.
Player standing · 2026
About as many tackles a game as a typical FBS defensive back who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #39 at the position.
2026 outlook
In the mix for All-MAC
Based on 2025: #5 of 40 Mid-American DBs
A base rate for the rank, not a forecast of this player: 35% of returning players who ranked #4–10 at their position in their conference made an all-conference team the next season (95% confidence interval 31–38%).
The No. 2,691 recruit in the country is starting in the secondary in the Mid-American.
2026 is in progress.
A stat line in 32 games over three seasons.
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Jim McElwain → Matt Drinkall. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
