Senior defensive lineman on Mississippi State's 2026 roster.
6′6″ · 280 lb · Bordentown, NJ · Notre Dame HS (Florida State)
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
The numbers
sacks · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 2 tackles, at South Carolina
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior defensive lineman on Mississippi State's 2026 roster.
Jayson Jenkins
Wins his gap play after play. Jayson Jenkins has played for three head coaches across five seasons and three programs. One game to point at: 4 tackles against UL Monroe — Week 1, 2026.
7 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
His career
5 programs, one constant: he played.
Career arc
Coaching lineage · 2022–2026
3 coachesPlayed under 3 different head coaches: Mike Leach, Greg Knox, and Jeff Lebby. Multi-era developmental context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Mississippi State
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Mississippi State | 7 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Florida State | 17 | 5 | 2.0 | 1.5 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Tennessee | 9 | 3 | 3.5 | 2.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Tennessee | 4 | 3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2022 | Tennessee | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 39 | 16 | 6.5 | 3.5 | -- | -- | -- |
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 62-13vs UL Monroe | 4 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 4 tackles |
| Wk 2 | W 38-13@ Minnesota | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 41-34@ South Carolina | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 7 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 3 · 2026
W 41–34
2 tackles · 2 hurries · 2 solo tackles
Edged out South Carolina on the road in a shootout.
With K. Taylor — 251 yds · 4 TD · 1 INT · QBR 87.9 · 33 rush yds (8 car) · F. Bothwell — 115 rush yds (21 car)
Since week 2: +2 tackles, +2 hurries.
Season context · Team result + system
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Elite: qb hurries (93rd percentile). Concern: tackles (0th 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.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home1g | 4.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road2g | 1.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 2.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Jeff Lebby
Pass share
44.6%
91 pass / 113 run
Plays / game
68.0
3 games
Team sack rate
4.8%
105 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2025
Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
Recognition
Production · CFB Index Score
Three-star recruit. Now #221 at the position.
Play style
Stout at the point of attack — steady tackle-for-loss production without a standout pass-rush number.
CFB Index positional classification
Player DNA
Stout at the point of attack — steady tackle-for-loss production without a standout pass-rush number.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Jalen Harris’s 2022 season.
Matches Jalen on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Cory Stover's senior season at Oregon State (2023).
Matches Cory on
Differs from Cory on
Player DNA
Career Honors 2023 Fall SEC Academic Honor Roll 2022 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll Career Notes Has appeared in 33 games with five starts Before Mississippi State (2022-2025) Played in all 12 games at Florida State with five starts ... finished the season with 16 tackles, 1.5 tackles for…
14 more on the roster · Mississippi State team page