Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 59-7vs Texas State | 8 | 7 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 8 tackles |
| Wk 2 | W 24-23vs Ohio State | 7 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 30-6vs UTSA | 3 | 3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 18 | 10 | 2.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#4
Jelani McDonald
Senior defensive back on Texas's 2026 roster.
6′2″ · 201 lb · Waco, TX · Connally
CFB Index 78 · #52 of 544 safetiesLow confidence
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.
Recruiting
4★
ATH recruit
No. 70 nationally · Signed with Texas
Last played in 2026.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior defensive back on Texas's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 4-star recruit to Texas in 2023.
How he projects
Plays like an extra linebacker near the line.
Grades highest in speed and zone coverage.
The full scouting read
In Their Words
185 windows · 2026 fan posts
jelani×351.1littleton×413.1mascoe×351.1kobe×202.6williams×25.4secondary×39.2safety×14.9position×9.7
“A healthy D.Williams and Jelani McDonald is an all SEC safety tandem.”
youtube/On Texas Football · fan post, verbatim
Jelani McDonald
Plays like an extra linebacker near the line. Fourth year in the Texas secondary, same address the whole way. One game to point at: 8 tackles, 1 TFL against Texas State — Week 1, 2026.
18 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- seasons on the roster
- game log
His career
He was on the field for 4 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
2023
- Signed with Texas4-star out of Waco Connally
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★★
CFB
College
Texas
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
1 coach2023–2026
Texas
Played his entire career under Steve Sarkisian.
Career stats
Game log
Game by game
Jelani McDonald's 2026 production
Point color shows the opponent's defensive strength that week (red = weaker defense, blue = stronger) — dashed line is this player's own season average.
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 24–23
vs Ohio State
7 tackles
A wire-to-wire battle — won by 1 at home.
With A. Manning — 195 yds · 1 TD · 1 INT · QBR 83.0 · 24 rush yds (8 car) · D. Smothers — 74 rush yds (21 car) · 2 TD
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +3 tackles, +1 tackle for loss.
Season context · Team result + system
4 seasons under Steve Sarkisian — 38-8 over that span.
2023Texas12-2HC: Steve Sarkisian · Balanced
2024Texas13-3HC: Steve Sarkisian · Balanced
2025Texas10-3HC: Steve Sarkisian · Balanced
2026Texas3-0HC: Steve Sarkisian · Run-leaning, fast tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Medium confidence
Elite: tackles for loss (80th percentile). Concern: passes defended (28th percentile).
Box-score production (6)
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.
Defensive profile
Defender profile · Production by role
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
PD rate
0%0 pass breakupsTackle volume
18tackles this seasonTFL rate
11%2 TFL18 tackles · 2 for loss.
Splits & context
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home3g | 6.0 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 6.0 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Steve Sarkisian
Pass share
45.9%
105 pass / 124 run
Plays / game
76.3
3 games
Team sack rate
3.5%
115 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning, fast tempo.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
2026 outlook
In the mix for All-SEC
Based on 2025: #7 of 57 SEC DBs
How the All-SEC estimate is computed
35% estimated, 95% confidence interval 31–38%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player.
How he plays
Play style
Lives near the line of scrimmage as a de facto extra linebacker.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Box Safety
Lives near the line of scrimmage as a de facto extra linebacker.
S
His 2026 production profile sits closest to B.J. Foster’s 2019 season.
Matches B.J. on
Tackle volume
PD rate
Height
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Jalon Ferrell's senior season at Massachusetts (2023).
Matches Jalon on
Class year
Height
Tackle volume
Player DNA
Players who play like Jelani McDonald
Background
A fourth-year defensive back who has played in 39 games with 17 starts ... on 2026 Jim Thorpe Award watch list ... 2026 preseason Third-Team All-SEC ... 2026 Phil Steele preseason Second-Team SEC selection ... 2026 Phil Steele preseason Third-Team All-America selection. JUNIOR (2025) Started in…
The secondary · Texas
- #4Jelani McDonald80 tackles · 2025
- #5Bo Mascoe48 tackles · 2025
- #29Graceson Littleton46 tackles · 2025
- #2Derek Williams Jr.23 tackles · 2025
- #8Kade Phillips22 tackles · 2025
16 more on the roster · Texas team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology