Ja'Len Sims: LB · Southern Miss · #15.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Ja'Len Sims
Carries tight ends down the field in coverage. Played for three head coaches across four seasons and two programs. On tape: 7 tackles against Troy, Week 14, 2024.
Play style
Carries tight ends and patrols the middle of the field in coverage.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
45 tackles. 3 passes defended. 0 interceptions. 4.5 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.
SuperTalk Mississippi Media Oct 23Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Southern Miss | 45 | 18 | 4.5 | 1.0 | 3 |
| 2023 | Southern Miss | 28 | 8 | 3.0 | 2.0 | -- |
| 2021 | Memphis | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- |
| 2020 | Memphis | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- |
| Career | 75 | 28 | 7.5 | 3.0 | 3 |
Game log · Week-by-week
2024 season · 12 games
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| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 0-31@ Kentucky | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 2 | W 35-10vs SE Louisiana | 3 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 24-49vs South Florida | 4 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | L 7-44@ Jacksonville State | 5 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | L 13-23vs Louisiana | 3 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | L 21-38@ UL Monroe | 7 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 7 tackles |
| Wk 8 | L 28-44vs Arkansas State | 4 | 3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 9 | L 15-32@ James Madison | 6 | 2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 11 | L 3-37vs Marshall | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 12 | L 3-58@ Texas State | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 13 | L 14-35vs South Alabama | 1 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 14 | L 20-52@ Troy | 7 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 45 | 18 | 4.5 | 1.0 | — | 3 |
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
45tackles this seasonTFL rate
10%4 TFLSack rate
2%1 sackPD rate
7%3 pass breakups45 tackles · 4.5 for loss · 1 sack.
Splits · Per-game
2024 season · 12 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home6g | 2.8 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
| Road6g | 4.7 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.3 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 3.8 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
| Weeks 8+6g | 3.7 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Reed Stringer
Pass share
43.7%
318 pass / 410 run
Plays / game
60.7
12 games
Team sack rate
12.5%
359 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning, slow tempo.
Player standing · 2024
Fewer tackles a game than most FBS linebackers who play every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #327 at the position.
How it ended
Four seasons, at Memphis and Southern Miss, 75 tackles — the college career is complete.
Four or fewer games in the first season, then ten or more.
Coaching lineage · 2019–2024
4 coachesPlayed for 4 head coaches at 2 schools: Mike Norvell, Ryan Silverfield, Will Hall and Reed Stringer.
