Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 1 game
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 34-8vs NC State | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 1 tackles |
| Total | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#18
Jalen McNair
Senior safety on Virginia's 2026 roster.
5′8″ · 221 lb · White Plains, MD · Our Lady of Good Counsel
CFB Index 63 · #116 of 364 cornersMedium confidenceTransferred Buffalo → Virginia 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. 2243 nationally · Signed with Buffalo
No college snaps yet.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 safety on Virginia's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Buffalo in 2020.
- Transferred from Buffalo to Virginia in 2026.
Jalen McNair
Gets targeted often and tackles in space. Four head coaches in seven seasons, at two different programs. The receipt on tape: 1 tackles against NC State, 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
4 programs, one constant: he played.
2020
- Signed with Buffalo3-star out of Our Lady of Good Counsel
2026
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2020–2026
2 coaches2020–2021
Virginia
Coaching transition mid-career: Bronco Mendenhall → Tony Elliott. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Virginia
2025Buffalo
2026Virginia
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2020Buffalo6-1HC: Lance Leipold · Run-heavy, fast tempo
2021Buffalo4-8HC: Maurice Linguist · Run-leaning
2022Buffalo7-6HC: Maurice Linguist · Run-leaning
2023Buffalo3-9HC: Maurice Linguist · Balanced
2024Buffalo9-4HC: Maurice Linguist · Run-heavy
2025Buffalo5-7HC: Pete Lembo · Balanced
2026Virginia2-0HC: Tony Elliott · Run-heavy
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Low confidenceAscending
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
Tony Elliott
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
Part-time starter
Tackle volume for the position in part-time-starter range.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Index Score
63 · #116 of 364 corners
Three-star recruit. Now #116 at the position.
Career stats
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Targeted often and asked to tackle in space on the perimeter.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Perimeter Tackler
Targeted often and asked to tackle in space on the perimeter.
S
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Deuce Fillmore’s 2025 season.
69%match
Matches Deuce on
PD rate
Differs from Deuce on
Class year (higher)
Weight (higher)
Tackle volume (higher)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
Player DNA
Players who play like Jalen McNair
The secondary · Virginia
- #23Jaylen Jones66 tackles · 2025
- #18Jalen McNair50 tackles · 2025
- #6Brandyn Hillman49 tackles · 2025
- #30Ethan Minter47 tackles · 2025
- #10Jacobie Henderson39 tackles · 2025
18 more on the roster · Virginia team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology