Colorado State · W 59-45
No tackles.
Navy · W 38-34
No tackles.
Walley has tackles in 6 of UTSA’s 8 games: none against Colorado State and Navy.
James Walley Jr.
Fourth year in the UTSA linebacker corps. On tape: 7 tackles and 1 tackle for loss against Texas, Week 3, 2026.
23 tackles · 1 sack
Play style
Ranges from hash to hash and finishes the tackle.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
UTSA Athletics Oct 23Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Last game (Wk 8): 2 tackles.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 6 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| 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 | |
| Wk 2 | W 31-26@ Texas State | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 6-30@ No. 1 Texas | 7 | 4 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 7 tackles |
| Wk 5 | W 16-14@ Rice | 2 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | W 31-24vs South Florida | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | W 42-19@ Tulane | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 23 | 13 | 3.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 |
Oct. 24 · W 42-19 at Tulane, play by play
2 tackles. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
His game this year: disruption in the backfield — 3 tackles for loss, 1 of them a sack, in the 6 games with play by play.
How UTSA’s defense played that day
Tulane’s 12 drives: 9 stopped (5 takeaways) · 3 scored. While the game was within a score they held 5 of 5.
2 tackles. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
2 tackles, including 1 more for loss.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
7 tackles, including 1 more for loss.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
4 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
6 tackles, including 1 sack. His sack on 4th and 7 ended UT Rio Grande Valley’s drive (downs).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Sacked the quarterback for a 7-yard loss on 4th and 7. Second quarter, up 28-3. Ended UT Rio Grande Valley’s drive (downs).
Week 1 · 2026
W 45-16
1 sack · 1 tackle for loss · 6 tackles
Dominant 29-point win at home against UT Rio Grande Valley.
Ratings of the games shown run from -14 to +20 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
23tackles this seasonTFL rate
13%3 TFLSack rate
4%1 sackPD rate
0%0 pass breakups23 tackles · 3 for loss · 1 sack.
4 seasons under Jeff Traylor — 30-17 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 6 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home2g | 4.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| Road4g | 3.8 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-75g | 4.2 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+1g | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Jeff Traylor
Pass share
46.7%
247 pass / 282 run
Plays / game
66.1
8 games
Team sack rate
4.1%
271 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
Fewer tackles a game than most FBS linebackers who play every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #378 at the position.
The No. 1,501 recruit in the country is starting at linebacker in the American Athletic as a redshirt junior.
2026 is in progress.
A stat line in 20 games over four seasons.
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
1 coachPlayed every college season under Jeff Traylor.
