#36

Jaylen Smith

Former linebacker at North Texas. 2024: 106 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss.

LB · North Texas · Sr. · #36

5′11″ · 230 lb · Hamilton, ON

CFB Index 72 · #105 of 571 LBsHigh confidenceAll-ConferenceNorth Texas 2024 — college career complete

Recruiting

3★

WR recruit

No. 1073 nationally · Signed with Pascagoula

Statement game16 tacklesvs East Carolina (FBS) · L 28-40

Top 0.1% tackles game since 2021.

His career numbers, season by season

The story

Former linebacker at North Texas. 2024: 106 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss.

Signed as a 3-star recruit to Pascagoula in 2015.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Four seasons at North Texas, 157 tackles — his college career is complete.

His career

Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.

2015

Recruited3-star out of Pascagoula

202413 games

All-AACthird

Career arc

Recruit

★★★

#1073 national

CFB

College

North Texas

2021–2024

NFL

NFL Draft

—

Not drafted

Trophy case · Confirmed honors

What the selectors said

2 honors · 1 category

🎖

ALL-AAC

All-AAC mention (2024)

Coaching lineage · 2021–2024

2 coaches

2021–2022

Seth Littrell

North Texas

2023–2024

Eric Morris

North Texas

era →

Coaching transition mid-career: Seth Littrell → Eric Morris. Worth noting in scheme + development context.

2024 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2021North Texas6-7HC: Seth Littrell · Run-heavy, fast tempo

2022North Texas7-7HC: Seth Littrell · Run-leaning

2023North Texas5-7HC: Eric Morris · Balanced, fast tempo

2024North Texas6-7HC: Eric Morris · Pass-leaning

Where this defender ranks vs the field

Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort

72Quality starter #105 of 571?

High confidence7 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: qb hurries (100th percentile). Strength: tackles (99th percentile). Concern: sacks (25th percentile).

Box-score production (7)

QB hurries#10 / 2892 · 100th pct

Tackles#33 / 2892 · 99th pct

106

Solo tackles#145 / 2892 · 95th pct

Tackles for loss#253 / 2892 · 90th pct

7.5

Passes defended#755 / 2892 · 67th pct

Interceptions#314 / 862 · 32nd pct

Sacks#1455 / 2892 · 25th pct

0.0

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 & context

Splits · Per-game

2024 season · 13 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Home6g	9.0	0.5	0.0	0.2
Road7g	7.4	0.6	0.0	0.1

First half vs Second half

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Weeks 1-77g	6.9	0.7	0.0	0.3
Weeks 8+6g	9.7	0.4	0.0	0.0

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Neal Brown

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2024

All-Conference

Picked for an all-conference team by at least one selector.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

72 · #105 of 571 LBs

Three-star recruit. Now #105 at the position.

Career stats

Season	Team
2024	North Texas	106	44	7.5	0.0	2	1	--
2023	North Texas	22	13	2.0	0.5	--	1	--
2022	North Texas	15	7	2.0	0.0	--	--	--
2021	North Texas	14	8	0.0	0.0	--	--	--
Career		157	72	11.5	0.5	2	2	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2024

W 35–20

vs Stephen F. Austin

5 QB HUR · 0 TFL · 3 SOLO

With C. Morris — 322 yds · 4 TD · 3 INT · QBR 22.3 · -7 rush yds (5 car) · S. Evans — 37 AVG · 1 IN 20 · 50 LONG

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2024 season · 13 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	TKL	SOLO	TFL	INT	PD	Note
Wk 1	W 52-38@ South Alabama	4	0	0.0	—	0
Wk 2	W 35-20vs Stephen F. Austin	8	3	0.5	—	0
Wk 3	L 21-66@ Texas Tech	9	5	1.5	—	0
Wk 4	W 44-17vs Wyoming	5	1	0.0	—	0
Wk 5	W 52-20vs Tulsa	5	2	1.5	—	1
Wk 7	W 41-37@ Florida Atlantic	8	3	1.5	—	1
Wk 8	L 44-52@ Memphis	6	4	0.0	—	0
Wk 9	L 37-45vs Tulane	10	3	1.0	1	0
Wk 11	L 3-14vs Army	10	4	0.0	—	0
Wk 12	L 27-48@ UTSA	9	3	0.0	—	0
Wk 13	L 28-40vs East Carolina	16	10	0.0	—	0	Season-high 16 tackles
Wk 14	W 24-17@ Temple	7	3	1.5	—	0
Bowl	L 28-30@ Texas State	9	3	0.0	—	0
Total		106	44	7.5	1	2

Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology

Jaylen Smith

2015

202413 games

2024 snapshot

Splits & context

Awards

All-Conference

Career stats

Signature game

Game log

How he plays

DNA match

Balanced Linebacker

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