Oklahoma State · W 35-32
No tackles.
Utah · L 13-21
7 tackles, 1 for loss
The other 6 games average 4 tackles. This one was 3 above.
Mayo has tackles in 7 of Houston’s 8 games: none against Oklahoma State.
Jalen Mayo
Jalen Mayo is on trial in Houston's fan jury — the eye test against the résumé.
Houston fans keep putting the player's case on trial, week to week.
Minority viewA vocal minority sees it the other way.
AI-generated narrative · may contain errors · not journalism · updated 2026-11-04
Play style
Moves between deep coverage and the slot.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Yahoo SportsOct 31
Sports IllustratedOct 30Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Houston | 29 | 22 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 5 | 1 |
| Career | 29 | 22 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 5 | 1 |
Last game (Wk 8): 1 pass breakup, 7 tackles, 1 tackle for loss.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 7 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 33-20vs Oregon State | 6 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 2 | W 77-6vs Southern | 3 | 3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 3 | L 26-28@ No. 13 Texas Tech | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | W 42-28@ Georgia Southern | 3 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 5 | W 27-17vs UCF | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | W 35-16@ Kansas State | 3 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 8 | L 13-21@ No. 10 Utah | 7 | 5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 7 tackles |
| Total | 29 | 22 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 1 | 5 |
Oct. 24 · L 13-21 at Utah, play by play
7 tackles, including 1 more for loss, 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
His game this year: coverage — 5 passes defended in the 7 games with play by play.
How Houston’s defense played that day
Utah’s 11 drives: 8 stopped (2 takeaways) · 3 scored. While the game was within a score they held 8 of 10. His pbu came with Houston up 3.
3 tackles, including 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
3 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
3 tackles, including 1 pass broken up.
4 tackles, including 1 interception. His interception ended Texas Tech’s drive (int).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Intercepted. Second quarter, up 17-14. Ended Texas Tech’s drive (int).
3 tackles, including 1 sack, 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
6 tackles, including 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Ratings of the games shown run from -5 to +18 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
PD rate
17%5 pass breakupsInterceptions
1interceptionsTackle volume
29tackles this seasonTFL rate
7%2 TFL29 tackles · 2 for loss · 1 sack · 5 pass breakups · 1 interception.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 7 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home3g | 4.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.7 |
| Road4g | 4.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.8 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 3.7 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.7 |
| Weeks 8+1g | 7.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Willie Fritz
Pass share
43.3%
241 pass / 315 run
Plays / game
69.5
8 games
Team sack rate
3.4%
265 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
About as many tackles a game as a typical FBS defensive back who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #47 at the position.
The No. 2,071 recruit in the country is starting in the secondary in the Big 12.
2026 is in progress.
