Senior defensive lineman for Memphis. 2023: 1 sack, 2 tackles for loss, 7 tackles.
6′3″ · 262 lb · Jacksonville, FL
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
WDE recruit
No. 1191 nationally · Signed with Florida Atlantic
Statement game5 tackles · 3 TFL · 3 sacksvs UTSA (FBS) · W 24-3
Top 1% sacks game since 2021.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 defensive lineman for Memphis. 2023: 1 sack, 2 tackles for loss, 7 tackles.
Jaylen Joyner
Disrupts the pocket from the interior. Across six seasons and two programs, three head coaches: Lane Kiffin, Willie Taggart and Ryan Silverfield. His first career honor landed in 2020: All-Conference USA. The receipt: 2 tackles, 0.5 TFL against Arkansas State — Week 2, 2023.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
How it ended
Six seasons at Memphis, 10 sacks — his college career is complete.
His career
Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.
The role got bigger.
Career arc
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-CONFERENCE USA
All-Conference USA mention (2020)
Coaching lineage · 2018–2023
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Mike Norvell → Ryan Silverfield. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Season context · Team result + system
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Concern: tackles (0th 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
2023 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home2g | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| Road6g | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-74g | 1.0 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+4g | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Charles Huff
Pass share
38.2%
66 pass / 107 run
Plays / game
57.7
3 games
Team sack rate
5.2%
77 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy, slow tempo.
Player standing · 2021
Tackle volume for the position at a full-time starter's level.
Recognition
Production · CFB Index Score
Three-star recruit. Now #98 at the position.
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Memphis | 7 | 3 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 2022 | Florida Atlantic | 9 | 6 | 0.0 | 1.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2021 | Florida Atlantic | 36 | 8 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 2 | -- | -- |
| 2020 | Florida Atlantic | 39 | 14 | 7.0 | 5.5 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2019 | Florida Atlantic | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2018 | Florida Atlantic | 3 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 96 | 34 | 13.5 | 10.5 | 3 | -- | -- |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 18 · 2023
W 36–26
at Iowa State
1 TOT
With S. Henigan — 364 yds · 4 TD · 0 INT · QBR 95.4 · 27 rush yds (6 car) · 1 TD · S. Smith — 22 rush yds (4 car)
Game log · Week-by-week
2023 season · 8 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 56-14vs Bethune-Cookman | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 37-3@ Arkansas State | 2 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 2 tackles |
| Wk 5 | W 35-32vs Boise State | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | W 45-21@ UAB | 1 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | W 45-42@ North Texas | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 11 | W 44-38@ Charlotte | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 13 | W 45-21@ Temple | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Bowl | W 36-26@ Iowa State | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 7 | 3 | 2.0 | 1.0 | — | 1 |
Play style
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
CFB Index positional classification
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
7 tackles. 1 passes defended. 0 interceptions. 2 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
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
His 2021 production profile sits closest to Jason Mercier’s 2021 season.
Matches Jason on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Deshontez Gray's senior season at Army (2024).
Matches Deshontez on
Player DNA