Jay Ward: S · LSU · #5.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Jay Ward
Moves between deep coverage and the slot. Played for two head coaches at LSU: Ed Orgeron and Brian Kelly. On tape: 8 tackles against Florida State, Week 1, 2022.
Play style
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
54 tackles. 4 passes defended. 1 interception. 2.5 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.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
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Game log · Week-by-week
2022 season · 11 games
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| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 23-24vs Florida State | 8 | 7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 3 | W 31-16vs Mississippi State | 11 | 5 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | Season-high 11 tackles |
| Wk 5 | W 21-17@ Auburn | 5 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 6 | L 13-40vs No. 8 Tennessee | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | W 45-35@ Florida | 4 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | W 45-20vs No. 7 Ole Miss | 4 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 10 | W 32-31vs No. 6 Alabama | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 11 | W 13-10@ Arkansas | 4 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 12 | W 41-10vs UAB | 3 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 13 | L 23-38@ Texas A&M | 6 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 14 | L 30-50vs No. 1 Georgia | 6 | 4 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 54 | 39 | 2.5 | 0.0 | 1 | 4 |
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
PD rate
7%4 pass breakupsInterceptions
1interceptionsTackle volume
54tackles this seasonTFL rate
5%2 TFL54 tackles · 2.5 for loss · 4 pass breakups · 1 interception.
Splits · Per-game
2022 season · 11 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home5g | 4.2 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.4 |
| Road4g | 4.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-75g | 5.8 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.6 |
| Weeks 8+6g | 4.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Brian Kelly
Pass share
48.6%
478 pass / 506 run
Plays / game
70.3
14 games
Team sack rate
8.2%
538 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Player standing · 2022
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 #204 at the position.
How it ended
Four seasons at LSU, 156 tackles — drafted at #134 overall by the Minnesota Vikings.
A stat line in 34 games over four seasons.
Coaching lineage · 2019–2022
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Ed Orgeron → Brian Kelly. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Next stop · NFL
Minnesota VikingsEntering 4th NFL season
Minnesota VikingsEntering 4th NFL season
