Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 45-16vs UT Rio Grande Valley | 6 | 3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 6 tackles |
| Wk 2 | W 31-26@ Texas State | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 10 | 5 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 |
#34
James Walley Jr.
Junior linebacker for UTSA. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
6′2″ · 250 lb · Missouri City, TX · Ridge Point HS
Returning to UTSA for 2026
The numbers
10
tackles · 2026
1 TFL · 1 sacks
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 6 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sacks, vs UT Rio Grande Valley
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
3 linebacker for UTSA. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to UTSA in 2023.
James Walley Jr.
Fills the run lane and blitzes off the edge. Fourth year in the UTSA linebacker corps, same address the whole way. The receipt on tape: 6 tackles, 1 sacks against UT Rio Grande Valley, Week 1, 2026.
10 TACKLES · 1 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- seasons on the roster
- game log
His career
2023
- Signed with UTSA3-star out of Fort Bend Ridge Point
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
UTSA
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
1 coach2023–2026
UTSA
Played his entire career under Jeff Traylor.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
4 seasons under Jeff Traylor — 25-16 over that span.
2023UTSA9-4HC: Jeff Traylor · Run-leaning
2024UTSA7-6HC: Jeff Traylor · Balanced, fast tempo
2025UTSA7-6HC: Jeff Traylor · Balanced
2026UTSA2-0HC: Jeff Traylor · Balanced
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Elite: sacks (87th percentile). Concern: tackles (10th 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: 5.0 TKL/g, 0.5 TFL/g, 0.5 SACK/g, 0.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Jeff Traylor
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.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 45–16
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Downhill striker who fills the run lane and blitzes off the edge.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
UTSA
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Linebacker · UTSA
Returning around him
- Transfer portal: -1 net (22 in / 23 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
UTSA · Last season: 7-6 · Talent rank #72 · 2026 recruiting class #79
DNA match
Player DNA
Thumper
Downhill striker who fills the run lane and blitzes off the edge.
LB
His 2025 production profile sits closest to O.C. Brothers’s 2023 season.
50%match
Differs from O.C. on
Class year (lower)
PD rate (lower)
Solo tackle rate (lower)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Khalib Johns's junior season at Kent State (2022).
59%match
Matches Khalib on
Solo tackle rate
TFL rate
Weight
Differs from Khalib on
Class year (higher)
Sack rate (lower)
Player DNA
Players who play like James Walley Jr.
The linebacker corps · UTSA
- #23Brandon Tucker Jr.35 tackles · 2025
- #2Owen Pewee28 tackles · 2025
- #32Elijah Baldwin23 tackles · 2025
- #26Bryce Grays22 tackles · 2025
- #34James Walley Jr.19 tackles · 2025
25 more on the roster · UTSA team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology