Junior linebacker for UTSA. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
6′2″ · 250 lb · Missouri City, TX · Ridge Point HS
How he plays
Fills the run lane and blitzes off the edge.
Sacks: 84th percentile.
The full scouting readThe numbers
tackles · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 6 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sacks, vs UT Rio Grande Valley
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Junior linebacker for UTSA. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
James Walley Jr.
Fills the run lane and blitzes off the edge. Fourth year in the UTSA linebacker corps, same address the whole way. The receipt on tape: 7 tackles, 1 TFL against Texas, Week 3, 2026.
17 TACKLES · 1 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
His career
Career arc
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
1 coachPlayed his entire career under Jeff Traylor.
Game by game
Point color shows the opponent's defensive strength that week (red = weaker defense, blue = stronger) — dashed line is this player's own season average.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 45-16vs UT Rio Grande Valley | 6 | 3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 31-26@ Texas State | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 6-30@ Texas | 7 | 4 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 7 tackles |
| Total | 17 | 9 | 2.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 45–16
Since week 2: +7 tackles, +1 tackle for loss.
Season context · Team result + system
4 seasons under Jeff Traylor — 25-17 over that span.
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Elite: sacks (84th percentile). Strength: tackles for loss (80th percentile). Concern: passes defended (28th percentile).
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.
Defender profile · Production by role
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
17tackles this seasonTFL rate
12%2 TFLSack rate
6%1 sacksPD rate
0%0 pass breakups17 tackles · 2 for loss · 1 sacks.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home1g | 6.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 |
| Road2g | 5.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 5.7 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Jeff Traylor
Pass share
53.1%
95 pass / 84 run
Plays / game
59.7
3 games
Team sack rate
1.9%
106 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced, slow tempo.
Player standing · 2026
Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
Play style
Downhill striker who fills the run lane and blitzes off the edge.
CFB Index positional classification
The No. 1,501 recruit in the country is starting at linebacker in the American Athletic as a junior.
Player DNA
Downhill striker who fills the run lane and blitzes off the edge.
His 2026 production profile sits closest to E.J. Levenberry’s 2016 season.
Matches E.J. on
Differs from E.J. on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Chris D'Appolonia's senior season at Syracuse (2026).
Matches Chris on
Player DNA
25 more on the roster · UTSA team page