Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 47-0vs West Georgia | 2 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 2 tackles |
| Wk 2 | L 17-31vs Georgia State | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 3 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#96
Jaiden Grimes
Junior defensive lineman on Kennesaw State's 2026 roster.
6′2″ · 290 lb · Marietta, GA
CFB Index 55 · #142 of 330 interior linemenLow confidence
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
0
sacks · 2026 · through week 2
1 TFL · 3 tackles
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 1 TFL, 2 tackles, vs West Georgia
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Junior defensive lineman on Kennesaw State's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Kennesaw State in 2024.
Jaiden Grimes
Wins his gap play after play. Jaiden Grimes has been at Kennesaw State through two head coaches in three seasons. The receipt: 2 tackles, 1 TFL against West Georgia — Week 1, 2026.
3 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
20245 games
- Signed with Kennesaw State3-star out of Pope
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
Kennesaw State
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
2 coaches2024
Chandler Burks
Kennesaw State
2025–2026era →
Jerry Mack
Kennesaw State
Coaching transition mid-career: Chandler Burks → Jerry Mack. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
2026 snapshot
Since week 1: +1 tackle.
Season context · Team result + system
2024Kennesaw State2-10HC: Chandler Burks · Run-leaning, slow tempo
2025Kennesaw State10-4HC: Jerry Mack · Run-leaning
2026Kennesaw State1-1HC: Jerry Mack · Balanced
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Low confidenceBreakout
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 2 games: 1.5 TKL/g, 0.5 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
Jerry Mack
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
55 · #142 of 330 interior linemen
Three-star recruit. Now #142 at the position.
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-Conference USA
Based on 2025: #18 of 45 Conference USA DLs
How the All-Conference USA 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 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Kennesaw State | 3 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Kennesaw State | 24 | 9 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Kennesaw State | 8 | 3 | 1.5 | 0.5 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 35 | 13 | 4.5 | 1.5 | 1 | -- | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 47–0
vs West Georgia
1 tackles for loss · 2 tackles · 1 solo tackles
Dominant 47-point win at home against West Georgia.
With T. Morgan — 76 rush yds (5 car) · 1 TD · R. Collins — 156 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · QBR 58.3 · 51 rush yds (7 car) · 2 TD
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Stout at the point of attack — steady tackle-for-loss production without a standout pass-rush number.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Two-Gap Base
Stout at the point of attack — steady tackle-for-loss production without a standout pass-rush number.
IDL
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Dayton LeBlanc’s 2020 season.
Matches Dayton on
Weight
TFL rate
Hurry rate
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Blake Herold's sophomore season at Kansas (2025).
Matches Blake on
Sack rate
Weight
TFL rate
Player DNA
Players who play like Jaiden Grimes
The defensive line · Kennesaw State
- #6Marcus Patterson6 tackles for loss · 2025
- #15Devin Morgan5.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #55Ugonna Nwoha2.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #96Jaiden Grimes2 tackles for loss · 2025
- #53AJ Miller1 tackle for loss · 2025
9 more on the roster · Kennesaw State team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology