Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 1 game
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 33-20vs Oregon State | 8 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 8 tackles |
| Total | 8 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 |
#1
Jaden Yates
Senior linebacker for Houston. 2026: 1 game with a box-score line.
6′1″ · 225 lb · Columbus, OH · Gahanna Lincoln HS
CFB Index 29 · #471 of 583 LBsHigh confidenceTransferred Ole Miss → Houston 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.
The numbers
8
tackles · 2026
1 PBU
1 game into 2026 so far -- Best game: 8 tackles, vs Oregon State
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 linebacker for Houston. 2026: 1 game with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Marshall in 2023.
- Transferred from Ole Miss to Houston in 2026.
In Their Words
64 windows · 2026 fan posts
jaden×67.2ole×39.6miss×29.2
Jaden Yates
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait. Three head coaches in four seasons, at three different programs. SEC Defensive Player of the Week in 2025 made it two straight seasons on the honors list. The receipt: 8 tackles against Oregon State — Week 1, 2026.
8 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- recognition record
- game log
His career
Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.
20234 games
- Signed with Marshall3-star out of Gahanna Lincoln
202413 games
The role got bigger.
- All-Sun Beltfirst
202515 games
- Entered the portal
2026
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
3 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
🥈
ALL-SUN BELT · 1ST TEAM
All-Sun Belt 1st team (2024)
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
2 coaches2023–2024
Houston
Coaching transition mid-career: Dana Holgorsen → Willie Fritz. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Houston
2025Ole Miss
2026Houston
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2023Marshall6-7HC: Charles Huff · Balanced
2024Marshall10-3HC: Charles Huff · Run-leaning
2025Ole Miss13-2HC: Lane Kiffin · Balanced
2026Houston2-0HC: Willie Fritz · Run-heavy
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
High confidenceFading
Elite: qb hurries (83rd percentile). Concern: tackles (0th 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 splits
Through 1 game: 8.0 TKL/g, 0.0 TFL/g, 0.0 SACK/g, 1.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Willie Fritz
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
Part-time starter
Tackle volume for the position in part-time-starter range.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Index Score
29 · #471 of 583 LBs
Three-star recruit. Now #471 at the position.
Career stats
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Balanced Linebacker
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
LB
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Dorian Hopkins’s 2023 season.
Matches Dorian on
Solo tackle rate
Tackle volume
Class year
Differs from Dorian on
Weight (lower)
Height (higher)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Stone Combs's junior season at Nevada (2024).
79%match
Matches Stone on
Tackle volume
Sack rate
TFL rate
Differs from Stone on
Solo tackle rate (lower)
Player DNA
Players who play like Jaden Yates
Background
Prior to UH Started the first nine games at Ole Miss in 2025 after transferring from Marshall Played in all 14 games for Ole Miss 176 career tackles over three FBS seasons Two 75+ defense grades at Ole Miss Three 75+ defense grades at Marshall Four 80+ tackle grades at Ole Miss Three 80+ tackle g...
The linebacker corps · Houston
- #1Jaden Yates55 tackles · 2025
- #12Sione Fotu53 tackles · 2025
- #10Latreveon McCutchin37 tackles · 2025
- #19Miller Malone37 tackles · 2025
- #4Brandon Mack32 tackles · 2025
10 more on the roster · Houston team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology