#15

Jalen Bainer

Senior cornerback for San José State. 2025: 3 interceptions, 5 pass breakups, 44 tackles.

CB · San José State · Sr. · #15

5′10″ · 186 lb · San Marcos, CA

CFB Index 82 · #36 of 364 cornersLow confidenceReturning to San José State for 2026

How he plays

Gets targeted often and tackles in space.

Passes defended: 91st percentile.

The full scouting read

The numbers

interceptions · 2025

5 PBU · 44 tackles · 1 TFL

Best game: 2 INT, 9 tackles, vs New Mexico

His career numbers, season by season

The story

4 cornerback for San José State. 2025: 3 interceptions, 5 pass breakups, 44 tackles.

Signed as a 3-star recruit to San José State in 2020.

His career, year by year

Jalen Bainer

CB · San José State · Sr · #15

Gets targeted often and tackles in space. Four seasons at San José State, two different head coaches: Brent Brennan and Ken Niumatalolo. 2025 brought the first one: Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week. The receipt on tape: 6 tackles against Utah State, Week 8, 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

2022San José State7-5HC: Brent Brennan · Pass-leaning

2023San José State7-6HC: Brent Brennan · Balanced, slow tempo

2024San José State7-6HC: Ken Niumatalolo · Pass-heavy

2025San José State3-9HC: Ken Niumatalolo · Pass-leaning

Where this defender ranks vs the field

Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort

82All-Conference level #36 of 364?

Low confidenceBreakout7 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: passes defended (91st percentile). Strength: interceptions (90th percentile). Concern: qb hurries (22nd percentile).

Box-score production (7)

Passes defended#218 / 2975 · 91st pct

Interceptions#56 / 817 · 90th pct

Solo tackles#322 / 2975 · 89th pct

Tackles#756 / 2975 · 74th pct

Sacks#847 / 2975 · 63rd pct

1.0

Tackles for loss#1936 / 2975 · 28th pct

1.0

QB hurries#1662 / 2975 · 22nd 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 · 12 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Home6g	4.0	0.2	0.2	0.3
Road6g	3.3	0.0	0.0	0.5

First half vs Second half

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Weeks 1-76g	4.0	0.2	0.2	0.7
Weeks 8+6g	3.3	0.0	0.0	0.2

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Ken Niumatalolo

Pass share

51.0%

106 pass / 102 run

Plays / game

69.3

3 games

Team sack rate

1.8%

110 dropbacks · PBP

Scheme: Balanced.

Awards

Player standing · 2025

Part-time starter

Tackle volume for the position in part-time-starter range.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

82 · #36 of 364 corners

Three-star recruit. Now #36 at the position.

2026 outlook

In the mix for All-Mountain West

Based on 2025: #4 of 15 Mountain West CBs

How the All-Mountain West estimate is computed

35% estimated, 95% confidence interval 31–38%. 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	San José State	44	36	1.0	1.0	5	3	--
2024	San José State	22	14	1.0	0.0	2	1	--
2023	San José State	1	1	0.0	0.0	2	--	--
2022	San José State	1	1	1.0	0.0	--	--	--
Career		68	52	3.0	1.0	9	4	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 4 · 2025

W 31–28

vs Idaho

5 TOT · 4 SOLO · 1 PD

Edged out Idaho at home in a shootout.

With W. Eget — 222 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · QBR 50.9 · -2 rush yds (1 car) · J. Bates — 131 rush yds (11 car) · 1 TD

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 12 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	TKL	SOLO	TFL	SACK	INT	PD	Note
Wk 1	L 14-16vs Central Michigan	1	1	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 2	L 7-38@ Texas	3	2	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 4	W 31-28vs Idaho	5	4	0.0	0.0	—	1
Wk 5	L 29-30@ Stanford	4	4	0.0	0.0	—	1
Wk 6	W 35-28vs New Mexico	9	8	1.0	1.0	2	0	Season-high 9 tackles
Wk 7	L 28-35@ Wyoming	2	1	0.0	0.0	1	2
Wk 8	L 25-30@ Utah State	6	4	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 10	W 45-38vs Hawai'i	3	3	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 11	L 16-26vs Air Force	3	3	0.0	0.0	—	1
Wk 12	L 10-55@ Nevada	3	2	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 13	L 3-25@ San Diego State	2	2	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 14	L 14-41vs Fresno State	3	2	0.0	0.0	—	0
Total		44	36	1.0	1.0	3	5

How he plays

Play style

Targeted often and asked to tackle in space on the perimeter.

CFB Index positional classification

Activity vs finishing · season enumeration

What the box score actually says

12 games

44Tackles

36Solo

1TFL

1Sacks

5Pass def.

3INT

44 tackles. 5 passes defended. 3 interceptions. 1 TFL.

Week 41 PD
Week 51 PD
Week 61 sack · 2 INT
Week 72 PD · 1 INT
Week 111 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

San José State

2026 Depth chart

Projected starter

Cornerback · San José State

Returning around him

Transfer portal: +1 net (17 in / 16 out)

2026 Award watch

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

San José State · Last season: 3-9 · Talent rank #110 · 2026 recruiting class #129

DNA match

Player DNA

Perimeter Tackler

Targeted often and asked to tackle in space on the perimeter.

His 2025 production profile sits closest to Beanie Bishop’s 2021 season.

Beanie Bishop

85%match

Western Kentucky · 2021

All-Conference USA

Chandler Rivers

Duke · 2024

All-ACCNFL Rd 5

80%

Dontez Fagan

West Virginia · 2024

80%

Andrew Duhart

Navy · 2024

79%

Marcus Williamson

Ohio State · 2021

77%

Matches Beanie on

PD rate

Height

Tackle volume

Not enough data yet for this comparison.

As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Te'Cory Couch's senior season at Miami (2023).

Te'Cory Couch

93%match

Miami · 2023

Jaden Davis

Miami · 2023

NFL Rd 7

91%

David Godsey Jr.

UL Monroe · 2024

90%

Austin Brawley

New Mexico · 2025

89%

Jaden Dedman

Nevada · 2023

85%

Matches Te'Cory on

Class year

Height

PD rate

Player DNA

Players who play like Jalen Bainer

Max Lofy

Wisconsin · 2024

86%

Georderrial Williams

Tulsa · 2024

80%

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

2020

2025 snapshot

Splits & context

Awards

Part-time starter

Career stats

Signature game

Game log

How he plays

DNA match

Perimeter Tackler

Players who play like Jalen Bainer