Jalen Tolbert

Former wide receiver at South Alabama. 2021: 82 catches, 1,474 receiving yards, 8 TD.

WR · South Alabama · Jr. · #8

6′3″ · 195 lb · Mobile, AL

CFB Index 92 · #9 of 468 WRsHigh confidenceAll-Conf 1st teamDallas — drafted 2022, Rd 3, Pick 24, #88 overall

Recruiting

2★

WR recruit

No. 2917 nationally · Signed with South Alabama

Career night10 rec · 252 yds · 3 TDat Arkansas State (FBS) · W 38-31

Top 0.1% receiving yards game since 2021.

His career numbers, season by season

The story

Former wide receiver at South Alabama. 2021: 82 catches, 1,474 receiving yards, 8 TD.

Signed as a 2-star recruit to South Alabama in 2017.
Drafted round 3 by the Dallas in 2022.
Named Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year in 2021.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Four seasons at South Alabama, 3,141 receiving yards, a first-team All-Conference season (2020) — drafted at #88 overall by Dallas.

His career

Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.

The week the volume broke through — put up 252 yds at Arkansas State.Arkansas State · W 38-312020

2017

Signed with South Alabama2-star out of McGill Toolen

202011 games

All-Sun Beltfirst

202112 games

All-Sun Beltfirst
Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Yearwinner

2022

Drafted by Dallasround 3, pick 88

Career arc

Recruit

★★

#2917 national

CFB

College

South Alabama

2018–2021

NFL

NFL Draft

R3 · #88

Dallas · 2022

Trophy case · Confirmed honors

What the selectors said

8 honors · 1 category

🥈

ALL-SUN BELT · 1ST TEAM

All-Sun Belt 1st team (2021)

Coaching lineage · 2018–2021

2 coaches

2018–2020

Steve Campbell

South Alabama

2021

Kane Wommack

South Alabama

era →

Coaching transition mid-career: Steve Campbell → Kane Wommack. Worth noting in scheme + development context.

Where He Ended Up · NFL

DallasEntering 5th NFL season

#88Rd 3 · Pick 24

DallasEntering 5th NFL season

View college career stats ↓

2021 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2018South Alabama3-9HC: Steve Campbell · Run-heavy

2019South Alabama2-10HC: Steve Campbell · Run-heavy

2020South Alabama4-7HC: Steve Campbell · Run-leaning

2021South Alabama5-7HC: Kane Wommack · Balanced

Where this profile ranks vs the WR cohort

Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles

92All-America level #9 of 468?

High confidence11 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: yards / catch (92nd percentile). Strength: explosive rate (88th percentile).

Real play-by-play efficiency

Yards / catch#54 / 655 · 92nd pct

17.5

Explosive rate#81 / 655 · 88th pct

21.5%

EPA / target#115 / 655 · 83rd pct

0.94

TD rate#155 / 655 · 76th pct

9.7%

Catch rate#334 / 655 · 49th pct

75.3%

Box-score rates (6)

Rec yards#6 / 557 · 99th pct

1474

Receptions#21 / 557 · 96th pct

Rec TDs#39 / 557 · 92nd pct

Yards / catch#49 / 557 · 91st pct

18.0

Long catch#99 / 557 · 82nd pct

Fumbles lost#89 / 223 · 36th pct

Season trend

Last seasonThis season

EPA / target

58th → 83rd percentile

Explosive rate

82nd → 88th percentile

Catch rate

21st → 49th percentile

TD rate

63rd → 76th percentile

Yards / catch

84th → 92nd percentile

Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season. Most bars are box-score rates; EPA / success-rate bars are computed from real play-by-play (offense only — no defensive EPA model exists yet).

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2021 season · 12 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	REC/g	YDS/g	YPR	TD/g
Home6g	7.0	137	21.8	0.7
Road6g	6.7	108	16.3	0.7

First half vs Second half

	REC/g	YDS/g	YPR	TD/g
Weeks 1-76g	6.0	120	21.8	0.3
Weeks 8+6g	7.7	126	16.4	1.0

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Major Applewhite

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2021

All-Conference 1st team

First team in his league at the position.

our read the All-Conference 1st team honor is earned — and the box score backs it up emphatically: #9 of 468 FBS receivers by CFB Index Score.2021 profile

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

92 · #9 of 468 WRs

Two-star recruit. Now #9 at the position.

Career stats

Season	Team
2021	South Alabama	82	1,474	18.0	8	--
2020	South Alabama	64	1,086	17.0	8	--
2019	South Alabama	27	521	19.3	6	--
2018	South Alabama	5	60	12.0	0	--
Career		178	3,141	17.6	22	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 3 · 2021

W 28–21

vs Alcorn State

2 rec · 54 yds

A wire-to-wire battle — won by 7 at home.

With K. Walker — 150 rush yds (23 car) · 3 TD · J. Brooks — 43 AVG · 46 LONG · 3 NO

Signature plays

Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|

The plays that mattered most

fact

Week 1 · Southern Miss · 3&8 · Q1 · EPA +7.01Desmond Trotter pass complete to Jalen Tolbert for 73 yds for a TD
Week 12 · Tennessee · 4&3 · Q4 · EPA +6.98Desmond Trotter pass complete to Jalen Tolbert for 68 yds for a TD, (Diego Guajardo KICK)
Week 13 · Coastal Carolina · 1&10 · Q4 · EPA +4.47Jake Bentley pass complete to Jalen Tolbert for 57 yds for a TD, (Jake Bentley pass to Caullin Lacy for Two-Point Conversion)
Week 8 · UL Monroe · 3&11 · Q2 · EPA +4.42Jake Bentley pass complete to Jalen Tolbert for 55 yds to the LaMon 11 for a 1ST down
Week 1 · Southern Miss · 3&8 · Q3 · EPA +4.00Desmond Trotter pass complete to Jalen Tolbert for 31 yds for a TD, (Diego Guajardo KICK)
Week 12 · Tennessee · 4&12 · Q3 · EPA +3.70Desmond Trotter pass complete to Jalen Tolbert for 13 yds to the Tenn 33 for a 1ST down TENNESSEE Penalty, Defensive Offside ( Yards) declined for a 1ST down
Week 5 · Louisiana · 2&4 · Q4 · EPA +3.56J.Bentley pass complete to SAB 26. Catch made by J.Tolbert at SAB 26. Gain of 61 yards. Tackled by K.Pedescleaux at ULL 13.
Week 7 · Georgia Southern · 3&5 · Q4 · EPA +3.37Jake Bentley pass complete to Jalen Tolbert for 38 yds to the GeoSo 19 for a 1ST down
Week 7 · Georgia Southern · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA +3.19Jalen Tolbert 40 Yd pass from Jake Bentley (Diego Guajardo Kick)
Week 5 · Louisiana · 2&3 · Q3 · EPA +3.13J.Bentley pass complete to SAB 28. Catch made by J.Tolbert at SAB 28. Gain of 49 yards. Tackled by B.Bishop at ULL 23.

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2021 season · 12 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	Note
Wk 1	W 31-7vs Southern Miss	5	168	33.6	0	49	168-yard receiving day
Wk 2	W 22-19@ Bowling Green	7	95	13.6	0	42
Wk 3	W 28-21vs Alcorn State	2	54	27.0	0	40
Wk 5	L 18-20vs Louisiana	6	143	23.8	0	61	143-yard receiving day
Wk 6	L 31-33@ Texas State	5	84	16.8	1	43
Wk 7	W 41-14vs Georgia Southern	11	174	15.8	1	40	174-yard receiving day
Wk 8	L 31-41@ UL Monroe	10	155	15.5	2	55	2 TD catches
Wk 9	W 31-13vs Arkansas State	8	94	11.8	2	30	2 TD catches
Wk 10	L 24-31@ Troy	4	65	16.3	0	27
Wk 11	L 7-31@ App State	7	108	15.4	0	24
Wk 12	L 14-60@ Tennessee	7	143	20.4	1	68	143-yard receiving day
Wk 13	L 21-27vs Coastal Carolina	10	191	19.1	1	57	Season-high 191 yds
Total		82	1474	19.1	8	68