Jaylin Thomas: LB · Ball State · #6.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Jaylin Thomas
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait. A two-star recruit with five seasons on the field at Ball State since. All-MAC in 2021 made it three straight seasons on the honors list. On tape: 15 tackles against Northern Illinois, Week 11, 2021.
Play style
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
106 tackles. 3 passes defended. 4 interceptions. 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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| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Ball State | 112 | 56 | 7.0 | 0.0 | 3 | 4 | -- |
| 2020 | Ball State | 78 | 38 | 5.0 | 1.0 | 2 | -- | -- |
| 2019 | Ball State | 97 | 57 | 7.5 | 0.0 | 2 | -- | -- |
| 2018 | Ball State | 76 | 43 | 5.0 | 2.5 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 2017 | Ball State | 38 | 19 | 4.0 | 1.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 401 | 213 | 28.5 | 4.5 | 9 | 5 | 1 |
Game log · Week-by-week
2021 season · 12 games
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| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 31-21vs Western Illinois | 9 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 13-44@ No. 11 Penn State | 7 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 12-45@ Wyoming | 7 | 4 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 4 | L 12-22vs Toledo | 7 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 28-16vs Army | 11 | 7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | W 45-20@ Western Michigan | 8 | 8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | W 38-31@ Eastern Michigan | 6 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | L 17-24vs Miami (OH) | 8 | 3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 10 | W 31-25@ Akron | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 11 | L 29-30@ Northern Illinois | 15 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 15 tackles |
| Wk 12 | L 17-37vs Central Michigan | 11 | 10 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Wk 13 | W 20-3vs Buffalo | 14 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Total | 106 | 54 | 5.0 | 0.0 | 4 | 3 |
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
112tackles this seasonTFL rate
6%7 TFLSack rate
0%0 sacksPD rate
3%3 pass breakups112 tackles · 7 for loss · 4 interceptions.
5 seasons under Mike Neu — 24-33 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2021 season · 12 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home6g | 10.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
| Road6g | 7.7 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 7.9 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| Weeks 8+5g | 10.2 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.4 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Mike Neu
Pass share
50.3%
439 pass / 434 run
Plays / game
72.8
12 games
Team sack rate
5.6%
449 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Player standing · 2021
Picked for an all-conference team by at least one selector.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Two-star recruit. Now #219 at the position.
How it ended
Five seasons at Ball State, 401 tackles — the college career is complete.
Recruited as a two-star, and honored since.
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-MAC · 2ND TEAM
All-MAC 2nd team (2021)
Coaching lineage · 2017–2021
1 coachPlayed every college season under Mike Neu.
