Senior cornerback on NC State's 2025 roster.
5′11″ · 191 lb · Covington, GA · Alcovy
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 story
4 cornerback on NC State's 2025 roster.
The record fills in as he plays.
His career, year by yearJamel Johnson
Doesn't get beat deep and rarely gives up the big play. Across two seasons and two programs, two head coaches: Everett Withers and Dave Doeren. The receipt on tape: 6 tackles against Pittsburgh, Week 9, 2025.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
Career arc
Season context · Team result + system
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Elite: passes defended (91st percentile). Concern: qb hurries (22nd percentile).
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 · Per-game
2025 season · 9 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home5g | 2.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.6 |
| Road4g | 4.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 2.7 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.7 |
| Weeks 8+3g | 3.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Dave Doeren
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Player standing · 2025
Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
Recognition
Production · CFB Index Score
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-ACC
Based on 2025: #15 of 19 ACC CBs
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.
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2025
W 35–31
vs Virginia
1 SOLO · 2 TOT
Edged out Virginia at home in a shootout.
With C. Bailey — 200 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · QBR 90.0 · 44 rush yds (6 car) · 2 TD · C. Noonkester — 49 AVG · 1 IN 20 · 58 LONG
Game log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 9 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 24-17vs East Carolina | 5 | 5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 35-31vs Virginia | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | L 33-45@ Duke | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | L 21-23vs Virginia Tech | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 3 | |
| Wk 6 | W 56-10vs Campbell | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | L 7-36@ Notre Dame | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 9 | L 34-53@ Pittsburgh | 6 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 6 tackles |
| Wk 10 | W 48-36vs Georgia Tech | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 12 | L 7-41@ Miami | 3 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 27 | 15 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 5 |
Play style
Steady in coverage; doesn't get beat deep and rarely gives up the big play.
CFB Index positional classification
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
27 tackles. 5 passes defended. 0 interceptions. 1 TFL.
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
NC State
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Cornerback · NC State
Returning around him
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
NC State · Last season: 8-5 · Talent rank #32 · 2026 recruiting class #49
Player DNA
Steady in coverage; doesn't get beat deep and rarely gives up the big play.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Kaleb Ford-Dement’s 2023 season.
Matches Kaleb on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Alexander Smith's junior season at Wisconsin (2023).
Matches Alexander on
Player DNA