#52

Jahkai Lang

Junior defensive end on SMU's 2026 roster.

DE · SMU · Jr. · #52

6′3″ · 255 lb · Troy, MO

CFB Index 40 · #268 of 420 edge rushersMedium confidenceReturning to SMU for 2026

Next upSat Sep 19 · 3:30 pm ETat LouisvilleL&N Federal Credit Union StadiumLouisville by 1.5

How he plays

Collapses the pocket even when the sack doesn't come.

QB hurries: 98th percentile.

The full scouting read

The numbers

sacks · 2025

1.5 TFL · 25 tackles · 8 hurries

Best game: 0.5 TFL, 6 tackles, vs Miami

His career numbers, season by season

The story

3 defensive end on SMU's 2025 roster.

Signed as a 3-star recruit to Missouri in 2023.
Transferred from Missouri to SMU in 2025.

His career, year by year

Jahkai Lang

DE · SMU · Jr · #52

Collapses the pocket even when the sack doesn't come. Jahkai Lang has played for two head coaches across two seasons and two programs. The receipt on tape: 6 tackles, 0.5 TFL against Miami, Week 10, 2025.

Low coverage — composed from the verified record.

positional archetype classification
head-coach lineage
game log

2025 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2024Missouri10-3HC: Eli Drinkwitz · Run-leaning

2025SMU9-4HC: Rhett Lashlee · Balanced

Where this defender ranks vs the field

Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort

40Rotational starter #268 of 420?

Medium confidenceBreakout7 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: qb hurries (98th percentile). Concern: solo tackles (12th percentile).

Box-score production (7)

QB hurries#41 / 2975 · 98th pct

Forced fumbles#36 / 687 · 47th pct

Tackles#1667 / 2975 · 43rd pct

Tackles for loss#1711 / 2975 · 39th pct

1.5

Sacks#1575 / 2975 · 24th pct

0.0

Passes defended#1916 / 2975 · 18th pct

Solo tackles#2560 / 2975 · 12th pct

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 · 13 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Home7g	2.0	0.1	0.0	0.0
Road6g	1.8	0.2	0.0	0.0

First half vs Second half

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Weeks 1-77g	1.6	0.1	0.0	0.0
Weeks 8+6g	2.3	0.1	0.0	0.0

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Rhett Lashlee

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

Awards

Player standing · 2025

Rotational

Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

40 · #268 of 420 edge rushers

Three-star recruit. Now #268 at the position.

2026 outlook

Outside shot for All-ACC

Based on 2025: #13 of 15 ACC DEs

How the All-ACC 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.

Career stats

Season	Team
2025	SMU	25	6	1.5	0.0	--	--	--
2024	Missouri	12	6	2.0	2.0	--	--	--
Career		37	12	3.5	2.0	--	--	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 10 · 2025

W 26–20

vs Miami

6 TOT · 2 SOLO · 0 TFL

A wire-to-wire battle — won by 6 at home.

With K. Jennings — 365 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · QBR 67.6 · -8 rush yds (8 car) · 1 TD · W. McSparron — 43 AVG · 2 IN 20 · 57 LONG

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 13 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	TKL	SOLO	TFL	INT	Note
Wk 1	W 42-13vs East Texas A&M	1	1	0.0	—
Wk 2	L 45-48vs Baylor	3	0	0.0	—
Wk 3	W 28-10@ Missouri State	2	0	1.0	—
Wk 4	L 24-35@ TCU	2	0	0.0	—
Wk 6	W 31-18vs Syracuse	1	1	0.0	—
Wk 7	W 34-10vs Stanford	1	1	0.0	—
Wk 8	W 35-24@ Clemson	1	0	0.0	—
Wk 9	L 12-13@ Wake Forest	5	1	0.0	—
Wk 10	W 26-20vs Miami	6	2	0.5	—	Season-high 6 tackles
Wk 11	W 45-13@ Boston College	0	0	0.0	—
Wk 13	W 38-6vs Louisville	1	0	0.0	—
Wk 14	L 35-38@ California	1	0	0.0	—
Bowl	W 24-19vs Arizona	1	0	0.0	—
Total		25	6	1.5	—

How he plays

Play style

Collapses the pocket even when the sack doesn't come.

CFB Index positional classification

Activity vs finishing · season enumeration

What the box score actually says

13 games

25Tackles

6Solo

1.5TFL

0Sacks

0Pass def.

0INT

25 tackles. 0 passes defended. 0 interceptions. 1.5 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.

2026 Outlook

SMU

2026 Depth chart

Projected starter

Defensive end · SMU

Returning around him

1 SMU player drafted to NFL
Transfer portal: -11 net (15 in / 26 out)

2026 Award watch

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

SMU · Last season: 9-4 (AP #25) · Talent rank #31 · 2026 recruiting class #32

DNA match

Player DNA

Pressure Merchant

Collapses the pocket even when the sack doesn't come.

EDGE

His 2025 production profile sits closest to Jayden Virgin’s 2023 season.

Jayden Virgin

82%match

Boise State · 2023

Anthony Nelson

Duke · 2022

NFL Rd 4

82%

Obinna Okeke

New Mexico State · 2025

82%

Donovan Dozier

Liberty · 2025

78%

Jamaal Johnson

UCF · 2025

78%

Matches Jayden on

Sack rate

Weight

Height

Differs from Jayden on

Class year (higher)

Not enough data yet for this comparison.

As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Femi Oladejo's sophomore season at California (2022).

Femi Oladejo

96%match

California · 2022

Kenneth Merrieweather

Iowa · 2025

93%

Travonte O'Neal

Florida International · 2022

91%

Aaron Chiles

Florida · 2025

89%

Michael Pleas Jr.

Southern Miss · 2021

87%

Matches Femi on

Class year

Height

Sack rate

Player DNA

Players who play like Jahkai Lang

Richard Kramer

Georgia State · 2025

83%

Obinna Okeke

New Mexico State · 2025

82%

Jayden Woods

Florida · 2025

80%

Donovan Dozier

Liberty · 2025

78%

Aidan Butts

Middle Tennessee · 2024

77%

The defensive line · SMU

#16Marques WhiteDE · Sr.10.5 tackles for loss · 2025
#5Malcolm Alcorn-CrowderDL · Sr.3.5 tackles for loss · 2025
#97Christian DavisDL · Jr.3 tackles for loss · 2025
#9Ira SingletonDE · Jr.3 tackles for loss · 2025
#52Jahkai LangDE · Jr.1.5 tackles for loss · 2025

14 more on the roster · SMU team page

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

2023

202513 games

2025 snapshot

Splits & context

Awards

Rotational

Career stats

Signature game

Game log

How he plays

DNA match

Pressure Merchant

Players who play like Jahkai Lang

The defensive line · SMU