Former defensive end at Arkansas State. 2024: 4 sacks, 7 tackles for loss, 25 tackles.
6′5″ · 262 lb · Dallas, TX
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
EDGE recruit
No. 1123 nationally · Signed with SMU
No college snaps yet.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Former defensive end at Arkansas State. 2024: 4 sacks, 7 tackles for loss, 25 tackles.
Jayden Jones
Holds up snap after snap without a weakness to attack. Across three seasons and two programs, two head coaches: Rhett Lashlee and Butch Jones. His first career honor landed in 2024: Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week. One game to point at: 4 tackles, 1 TFL against Iowa State — Week 4, 2024.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
How it ended
Three seasons at Arkansas State, 4 sacks — his college career is complete.
His career
Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.
Career arc
Coaching lineage · 2022–2024
1 coachPlayed his entire career under Butch Jones.
Season context · Team result + system
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Elite: sacks (93rd percentile). Strength: qb hurries (89th percentile). Concern: passes defended (19th 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
2024 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 1.5 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| Road4g | 4.8 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 2.8 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 4.0 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Butch Jones
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Player standing · 2024
Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
Recognition
Production · CFB Index Score
Three-star recruit. Now #277 at the position.
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Arkansas State | 25 | 16 | 7.0 | 4.0 | -- | 1 | -- |
| 2023 | SMU | 5 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2022 | SMU | 11 | 7 | 2.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 41 | 25 | 9.0 | 4.0 | -- | 1 | -- |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2024
W 34–31
1 TFL · 1 SACKS · 1 SOLO
Edged out Central Arkansas at home in a shootout.
With J. Raynor — 317 yds · 1 TD · 1 INT · QBR 26.2 · 49 rush yds (15 car) · 1 TD · R. Heicher — 40 AVG · 4 IN 20 · 48 LONG
Game log · Week-by-week
2024 season · 8 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 34-31vs Central Arkansas | 3 | 1 | 1.5 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 28-24vs Tulsa | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 18-28@ Michigan | 4 | 2 | 1.5 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | L 7-52@ Iowa State | 4 | 4 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | W 18-16vs South Alabama | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | L 9-41@ Texas State | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | W 44-28@ Southern Miss | 8 | 6 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | Season-high 8 tackles |
| Wk 9 | W 34-31vs Troy | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 25 | 16 | 7.0 | 4.0 | 1 | 0 |
Play style
No single standout number, but nothing missing either — competent across the board.
CFB Index positional classification
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
25 tackles. 0 passes defended. 1 interceptions. 7 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.
Player DNA
No single standout number, but nothing missing either — competent across the board.
His 2024 production profile sits closest to J.T. Tuimoloau’s 2021 season.
Matches J.T. on
Differs from J.T. on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Matayo Uiagalelei's junior season at Oregon (2025).
Matches Matayo on
Player DNA