Jayden Wilson
The four seasons span two programs and three head coaches: Danny Gonzales, Bronco Mendenhall and Scotty Walden. A game that shows it: 12 tackles and 1 tackle for loss against Nevada — Week 6, 2026.
44 tackles · 0 sacks
Play style
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
44 tackles. 2 passes defended. 0 interceptions. 3.5 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.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | UTEP | 44 | 17 | 3.5 | 0.0 | 2 | -- |
| 2025 | UTEP | 92 | 35 | 8.0 | 0.5 | -- | 1 |
| 2024 | New Mexico | 32 | 10 | 2.5 | 2.0 | -- | -- |
| 2023 | New Mexico | 9 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- |
| Career | 177 | 65 | 14.0 | 2.5 | 2 | 1 |
Last game (Wk 9): 6 tackles, 1 tackle for loss.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 8 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 0-51@ No. 10 Oklahoma | 3 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 51-10vs Texas Southern | 5 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 17-52@ No. 19 Michigan | 7 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | L 7-33vs Oregon State | 4 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | L 7-61@ New Mexico | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | L 13-30vs Nevada | 12 | 4 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 2 | Season-high 12 tackles |
| Wk 7 | L 11-24vs San José State | 5 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | L 7-31@ North Dakota State | 6 | 3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 44 | 17 | 3.5 | 0.0 | — | 2 |
Oct. 31 · L 7-31 at North Dakota State, play by play
6 tackles, including 1 more for loss. 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, in the 7 games with play by play.
How UTEP’s defense played that day
North Dakota State’s 10 drives: 6 stopped (1 takeaway) · 4 scored. While the game was within a score they held 5 of 8. His hurry came with UTEP up 7.
5 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.
A big game: 12 tackles, including 1 more for loss, 2 passes broken up, tied for 5th-most passes broken up in FBS that week.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
2 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 3 for him; the box score credits 2.
4 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.
7 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
5 tackles, including 1 more for loss.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 6 for him; the box score credits 5.
Ratings of the games shown run from -11 to +12 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
44tackles this seasonTFL rate
8%4 TFLSack rate
0%0 sacksPD rate
5%2 pass breakups44 tackles · 3.5 for loss.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 6.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
| Road4g | 4.5 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 5.4 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
| Weeks 8+1g | 6.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Scotty Walden
Pass share
38.7%
179 pass / 283 run
Plays / game
57.8
8 games
Team sack rate
18.0%
228 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy, slow tempo.
Player standing · 2026
About as many tackles a game as a typical FBS linebacker who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Two-star recruit. Now #305 at the position.
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-Mountain West
Based on 2025: #15 of 45 Conference USA LBs — his program moves to the Mountain West for 2026
A base rate for the rank, not a forecast of this player: 22% of returning players who ranked #11–20 at their position in their conference made an all-conference team the next season (95% confidence interval 19–25%). It was measured on players who stayed in the same conference and is not adjusted for the move to the Mountain West.
The No. 2,146 recruit in the country is starting at linebacker in the Mountain West.
2026 is in progress.
A stat line in 32 games over four seasons.
The role got bigger.
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
3 coachesPlayed for 3 head coaches at 2 schools: Danny Gonzales, Bronco Mendenhall and Scotty Walden.
