#39

Jadon Pearson

Senior linebacker for Fresno State. 2025: 96 tackles, 6 tackles for loss.

LB · Fresno State · Sr. · #39

6′1″ · 220 lb · Gilbert, AZ

CFB Index 55 · #248 of 583 LBsHigh confidenceAll-ConferenceReturning to Fresno State for 2026

How he plays

Ranges from hash to hash and makes his own tackles.

Solo tackles: 99th percentile.

The full scouting read

The numbers

tackles · 2025

6 TFL · 3 PBU

Statement game16 tacklesat Oregon State (FBS) · W 36-27

Top 0.1% tackles game since 2021.

His career numbers, season by season

The story

4 linebacker for Fresno State. 2025: 96 tackles, 6 tackles for loss.

Signed as a 2-star recruit to Air Force in 2019.
Transferred from Utah State to Fresno State in 2025.

His career, year by year

Jadon Pearson

LB · Fresno State · Sr · #39

Ranges from hash to hash and makes his own tackles. Four head coaches in five seasons, at four different programs. In 2025 the league put his name on paper for the first time: All-Mountain West. One game to point at: 16 tackles against Oregon State — Week 2, 2025.

Low coverage — composed from the verified record.

positional archetype classification
head-coach lineage
recognition record
game log

2025 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2020Air Force3-3HC: Troy Calhoun · Run-heavy, slow tempo

2022Utah10-4HC: Kyle Whittingham · Run-leaning

2023Utah8-5HC: Kyle Whittingham · Run-heavy

2024Utah State4-8HC: Nate Dreiling · Balanced

2025Fresno State9-4HC: Matt Entz · Run-leaning

Where this defender ranks vs the field

Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort

55Rotational starter #248 of 583?

High confidenceAscending7 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: solo tackles (99th percentile). Strength: tackles (98th percentile). Concern: sacks (24th percentile).

Box-score production (7)

Solo tackles#41 / 2975 · 99th pct

Tackles#61 / 2975 · 98th pct

Tackles for loss#406 / 2975 · 85th pct

6.0

Passes defended#517 / 2975 · 78th pct

QB hurries#1007 / 2975 · 55th pct

Forced fumbles#36 / 687 · 47th pct

Sacks#1575 / 2975 · 24th pct

0.0

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

2025 season · 12 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Home6g	6.8	0.5	0.0	0.2
Road6g	9.2	0.5	0.0	0.3

First half vs Second half

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Weeks 1-77g	9.3	0.5	0.0	0.1
Weeks 8+5g	6.2	0.5	0.0	0.4

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Matt Entz

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2025

All-Conference

Picked for an all-conference team by at least one selector.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

55 · #248 of 583 LBs

Three-star recruit. Now #248 at the position.

2026 outlook

Outside shot for All-Pac-12

Based on 2025: #14 of 45 Mountain West LBs — his program moves to the Pac-12 for 2026

How the All-Pac-12 estimate is computed

22% estimated, 95% confidence interval 19–25%. 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. The base rate was measured on players who stayed in the same conference; this estimate is not adjusted for the move to the Pac-12.

Career stats

Season	Team
2025	Fresno State	96	55	6.0	3	--	--
2024	Utah State	42	16	3.0	2	--	--
2023	Utah	4	3	0.0	--	--	--
2022	Utah	4	2	0.0	--	--	--
2020	Air Force	6	2	0.0	--	--	--
Career		152	78	9.0	5	--	--

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 12 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	TKL	SOLO	TFL	INT	PD	Note
Wk 1	L 7-31@ Kansas	12	10	1.0	—	0
Wk 1	W 42-14vs Georgia Southern	6	2	0.0	—	0
Wk 2	W 36-27@ Oregon State	16	9	0.0	—	1	Season-high 16 tackles
Wk 4	W 23-21@ Hawai'i	7	5	0.0	—	0
Wk 6	W 20-17vs Nevada	11	4	2.5	—	0	2.5 TFL
Wk 7	L 21-49@ Colorado State	6	1	0.0	—	0
Wk 9	L 0-23vs San Diego State	7	1	0.0	—	0
Wk 10	W 30-7@ Boise State	10	8	2.0	—	0
Wk 12	W 24-3vs Wyoming	3	3	0.0	—	0
Wk 13	L 17-28vs Utah State	7	6	0.5	—	1
Wk 14	W 41-14@ San José State	4	3	0.0	—	1
Bowl	W 18-3vs Miami (OH)	7	3	0.0	—	0
Total		96	55	6.0	—	3

How he plays

Play style

Ranges from hash to hash and makes his own tackles.

CFB Index positional classification

Activity vs finishing · season enumeration

What the box score actually says

12 games

96Tackles

55Solo

6TFL

0Sacks

3Pass def.

0INT

96 tackles. 3 passes defended. 0 interceptions. 6 TFL.

Week 21 PD
Week 131 PD
Week 141 PD

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.

2026 Outlook

Fresno State

Preseason read · May 27

2026 Depth chart

Returning starter

Linebacker · Fresno State

Returning around him

Transfer portal: +3 net (13 in / 10 out)

2026 Award watch

No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)

Fresno State · Last season: 9-4 · Talent rank #88 · 2026 recruiting class #70

DNA match

Player DNA

Sideline-to-Sideline

Ranges from hash to hash and makes his own tackles.

His 2025 production profile sits closest to Tuasivi Nomura’s 2024 season.

Tuasivi Nomura

85%match

Fresno State · 2024

All-Mountain West

Marvin Pierre

Kent State · 2022

83%

Max Tooley

BYU · 2023

81%

Owen Pappoe

Auburn · 2022

NFL Rd 5

79%

Charles Willekes

Arkansas State · 2024

All-Sun Belt

79%

Matches Tuasivi on

TFL rate

Hurry rate

Tackle volume

Not enough data yet for this comparison.

As a graduate, his production profile tracks closest to Tuasivi Nomura's graduate season at Fresno State (2024).

Tuasivi Nomura

86%match

Fresno State · 2024

All-Mountain West

Shadrach Banks

UTSA · 2025

86%

Terrence Williams

Louisiana · 2025

82%

Jack Kiser

Notre Dame · 2024

NFL Rd 4

82%

Donald Willis

Western Michigan · 2024

All-MAC

80%

Matches Tuasivi on

PD rate

TFL rate

Hurry rate

Player DNA

Players who play like Jadon Pearson

Jacob Ellis

Colorado State · 2025

84%

Amir Renwick

UConn · 2024

78%

Ja'Len Sims

Southern Miss · 2024

78%

Blake Matthews

Delaware · 2025

74%

Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology

Jadon Pearson

2019

2022

2023

20248 games

202512 games

2025 snapshot

Splits & context

Awards

All-Conference

Career stats

Game log

How he plays

DNA match

Sideline-to-Sideline

Players who play like Jadon Pearson