Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 1 game
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 66-3vs New Hampshire | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 1 tackles |
| Total | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#9
Jai Eugene Jr.
Junior defensive back on Syracuse's 2026 roster.
6′1″ · 202 lb · Destrehan, LA · Destrehan
CFB Index 42 · #225 of 364 cornersLow confidenceTransferred Western Kentucky → Syracuse 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
3★
S recruit
No. 938 nationally · Signed with Tulane
No college snaps yet.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
3 defensive back on Syracuse's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Tulane in 2023.
- Transferred from Western Kentucky to Syracuse in 2026.
Jai Eugene Jr.
Erases the deep middle of the field. Across four seasons and three programs, three head coaches: Slade Nagle, Tyson Helton and Fran Brown. One game to point at: 1 tackles against New Hampshire — Week 1, 2026.
1 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
2023
- Signed with Tulane3-star out of Destrehan
2024
The role got bigger.
- Entered the portal
2026
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
3 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
2 coaches2023
Nunzio Campanile
Syracuse
Coaching transition mid-career: Nunzio Campanile → Fran Brown. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Syracuse
2025Western Kentucky
2026Syracuse
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2023Tulane11-3HC: Slade Nagle · Run-leaning
2024Western Kentucky8-6HC: Tyson Helton · Balanced
2025Western Kentucky9-4HC: Tyson Helton · Balanced
2026Syracuse1-1HC: Fran Brown · Balanced, fast tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Low confidence
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: 1.0 TKL/g, 0.0 TFL/g, 0.0 SACK/g, 0.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Fran Brown
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
42 · #225 of 364 corners
Three-star recruit. Now #225 at the position.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Syracuse | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Western Kentucky | 21 | 13 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 5 | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Western Kentucky | 3 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Tulane | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 26 | 18 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 5 | -- | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 66–3
1 TOT · 1 SOLO
Dominant 63-point win at home against New Hampshire.
With S. Angeli — 263 yds · 3 TD · 0 INT · -14 rush yds (3 car) · D. Samuel Jr. — 2 SOLO · 2 TOT · 42 AVG
Game log
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 Hudauri Hines’s 2025 season.
75%match
Matches Hudauri on
Class year
PD rate
Weight
Differs from Hudauri on
TFL rate (higher)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Branden Strozier's junior season at Clemson (2025).
86%match
Matches Branden on
Class year
Height
PD rate
Player DNA
Players who play like Jai Eugene Jr.
Background
Career Overview: Has appeared in 25 games over three seasons at Tulane (2023) and Western Kentucky (2024-25), recording 25 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, one sack and five pass breakups ... Transferred to Syracuse in January, 2026. Redshirt Sophomore Year (2025 at Western Kentucky): Saw action in...
The secondary · Syracuse
- Braheem Long Jr.42 tackles · 2025
- #12Chris Peal39 tackles · 2025
- #19Cornell Perry37 tackles · 2025
- #1Demetres Samuel Jr.37 tackles · 2025
- #9Jai Eugene Jr.21 tackles · 2025
17 more on the roster · Syracuse team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology