Jaylen Key: DB · Alabama · #22.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Jaylen Key
Plays like an extra linebacker near the line. Played for three head coaches at two programs in five seasons: Bill Clark, Bryant Vincent and Nick Saban. The first career honor came in 2022: All-Conference USA. A game that shows it: 9 tackles against Mississippi State — Week 5, 2023.
Play style
Lives near the line of scrimmage as a de facto extra linebacker.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
60 tackles. 1 pass defended. 1 interception. 1.5 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.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
Yahoo Sports Oct 28
Heavy Oct 28
Saturday Down South Oct 24
The Tuscaloosa News Oct 15Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Game log · Week-by-week
2023 season · 12 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 56-7vs Middle Tennessee | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 24-34vs No. 11 Texas | 7 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 17-3@ South Florida | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | W 24-10vs No. 15 Ole Miss | 5 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 40-17@ Mississippi State | 9 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 9 tackles |
| Wk 6 | W 26-20@ Texas A&M | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | W 24-21vs Arkansas | 7 | 4 | 1.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | W 34-20vs No. 17 Tennessee | 7 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 10 | W 42-28vs No. 13 LSU | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 13 | W 27-24@ Auburn | 7 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 14 | W 27-24vs No. 1 Georgia | 3 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
 Bowl | L 20-27vs No. 1 Michigan | 4 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 60 | 35 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 |
Week 7 · 2023
W 24-21
vs Arkansas
1.5 tackles for loss · 7 tackles · 4 solo tackles
A close one, won by 3 at home.
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
PD rate
2%1 pass breakupsInterceptions
1interceptionsTackle volume
60tackles this seasonTFL rate
2%2 TFL60 tackles · 1.5 for loss · 1 pass breakup · 1 interception.
Splits · Per-game
2023 season · 12 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home6g | 5.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
| Road4g | 5.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-78g | 5.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+4g | 4.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Nick Saban
Pass share
37.3%
325 pass / 546 run
Plays / game
62.2
14 games
Team sack rate
13.0%
378 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy.
Player standing · 2023
60 tackles in 12 games, about as many tackles a game as a typical FBS defensive back who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #268 at the position.
How it ended
Five seasons, at UAB and Alabama, 138 tackles — drafted at #257 overall by the New York Jets.
Four or fewer games in the first season, then ten or more.
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-CONFERENCE USA
All-Conference USA mention (2022)
Coaching lineage · 2019–2023
3 coachesPlayed for 3 head coaches at 2 schools: Bill Clark, Bryant Vincent and Nick Saban.
Next stop · NFL
New York JetsEntering 3rd NFL season
New York JetsEntering 3rd NFL season
