Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 28-9vs Austin Peay | 3 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 35-26vs Delaware | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 3 | W 35-31vs NC State | 8 | 5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 8 tackles |
| Total | 13 | 9 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 2 |
#7
Ricardo Jones
Junior safety on Vanderbilt's 2026 roster.
6′2″ · 200 lb · Warner Robins, GA · Northside
CFB Index 78 · #50 of 544 safetiesMedium confidenceTransferred Clemson → Vanderbilt for 2026
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★
S recruit
No. 153 nationally · Signed with Clemson
Last played in 2026.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Junior safety on Vanderbilt's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 4-star recruit to Clemson in 2024.
- Transferred from Clemson to Vanderbilt in 2026.
Ricardo Jones
Erases the deep middle of the field. Ricardo Jones has played for two head coaches across three seasons and two programs. 2025 brought the first one: All-ACC. One game to point at: 8 tackles, 1 TFL against NC State — Week 3, 2026.
13 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- recognition record
- game log
His career
He arrived as a blue-chip recruit and played like one.
20247 games
- Signed with Clemson4-star out of Northside
202512 games
- All-ACCthird
20263 games
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
🎖
ALL-ACC
All-ACC mention (2025)
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
1 coach2024–2026
Vanderbilt
Played his entire career under Clark Lea.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Vanderbilt
2025Clemson
2026Vanderbilt
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Vanderbilt | 13 | 9 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 2 | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Clemson | 39 | 25 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 3 | 6 | -- |
| 2024 | Clemson | 20 | 10 | 1.0 | 1.0 | -- | 1 | -- |
| Career | 72 | 44 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 5 | 7 | -- |
Game log
Game by game
Ricardo Jones'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 3 · 2026
W 35–31
vs NC State
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +1 pass breakup, +8 tackles, +1 tackle for loss.
Season context · Team result + system
2024Clemson10-4HC: Dabo Swinney · Balanced
2025Clemson7-6HC: Dabo Swinney · Balanced
2026Vanderbilt3-0HC: Clark Lea · Balanced, slow tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Medium confidenceBreakout
Elite: passes defended (92nd 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.
Splits & context
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home3g | 4.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.7 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 4.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.7 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Clark Lea
Pass share
48.4%
90 pass / 96 run
Plays / game
62.0
3 games
Team sack rate
2.1%
95 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced, slow tempo.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
How he plays
Play style
Single-high range who erases the deep middle of the field.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Centerfielder
Single-high range who erases the deep middle of the field.
S
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Wesley Fair’s 2025 season.
Matches Wesley on
TFL rate
PD rate
Tackle volume
Differs from Wesley on
Height (higher)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Jalen Todd's sophomore season at Kansas (2025).
Matches Jalen on
Class year
PD rate
Tackle volume
Player DNA
Players who play like Ricardo Jones
The secondary · Vanderbilt
- #8C.J. Heard71 tackles · 2025
- #7Ricardo Jones39 tackles · 2025
- #4Martel Hight35 tackles · 2025
- #1Dontae Carter33 tackles · 2025
- #6Jordan Matthews19 tackles · 2025
18 more on the roster · Vanderbilt team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology