10 stories in the last 60 days, from 5 outlets.
Washington State's Jaylen Thomas is making a habit of the unexpected
Sports Illustrated +1 Sep 24
Jaylen Thomas
Moves between deep coverage and the slot. The two seasons span two programs and two head coaches: Ken Niumatalolo and Kirby Moore. One game to point at: 6 tackles against Oregon State — Week 7, 2026.
37 tackles · 0 sacks
Play style
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
37 tackles. 1 pass defended. 3 interceptions. 0 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.
from 5 outlets
Washington State's Jaylen Thomas is making a habit of the unexpected
Sports Illustrated +1 Sep 24 · 2 outlets
Sports Illustrated +1Washington State's Jaylen Thomas is making a habit of the unexpectedSep 24
The Spokesman-ReviewFor WSU safety Jaylen Thomas, the more backflips, the better - The Spokesman-ReviewSep 17
247SportsJaylen Thomas traded Silicon Valley for Pullman and has emerged as a WSU difference-makerSep 25from 7 outlets
Washington State fall camp: Jaylen Thomas’ pick-six highlights Day 7
The Seattle Times +2 Aug 13 · 3 outlets
The Seattle Times +2Washington State fall camp: Jaylen Thomas’ pick-six highlights Day 7Aug 13247SportsTempers flare and Jaylen Thomas makes a house call on Day 7 of WSU fall campAug 14
Washington State University AthleticsWSU Football: Kirby Moore | B. Ganashamoorthy | Jaylen Thomas | Fall Camp Press Conference | 8/23/26Aug 24Sports Illustrated +1Washington State's Jaylen Thomas is making a habit of the unexpectedSep 24The Spokesman-ReviewFor WSU safety Jaylen Thomas, the more backflips, the better - The Spokesman-ReviewSep 17247SportsJaylen Thomas traded Silicon Valley for Pullman and has emerged as a WSU difference-makerSep 25Washington State University AthleticsSports Illustrated +1247SportsWashington State University AthleticsWashington State University AthleticsThe Seattle Times +2Each week: his team’s game, the stories about him that week, and the week’s biggest news headline.
Stories we tracked, by school.
Washington State13 stories2026 to nowMost about: camp and practice, profile and feature, performance and stat line.
The Seattle Times +2Washington State fall camp: Jaylen Thomas’ pick-six highlights Day 7Aug 13Sports Illustrated +1Washington State's Jaylen Thomas is making a habit of the unexpectedSep 24247SportsTempers flare and Jaylen Thomas makes a house call on Day 7 of WSU fall campAug 14Washington State University AthleticsWSU Football: Kirby Moore | B. Ganashamoorthy | Jaylen Thomas | Fall Camp Press Conference | 8/23/26Aug 24Sports IllustratedWhat WSU players Caden Pinnick, Jaylen Thomas said after Kansas State lossSep 12
San José State2 stories2024 to 2025Most about: profile and feature, recruiting.
The Spokesman-ReviewWSU earns commitments from San Jose State CB Jaylen Thomas, Kent State LB Nylan Brown - The Spokesman-ReviewJan 4Washington State University AthleticsGet to Know Jaylen ThomasApr 20Stories are headlines grouped by what they are about, counted through Nov 4.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Washington State | 37 | 21 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | San José State | 59 | 47 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 6 | -- | -- |
| Career | 96 | 68 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 7 | 3 | 1 |
Last game (Wk 9): 1 interception, 4 tackles.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 9 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 10-24@ No. 17 Washington | 3 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 7-34@ Kansas State | 4 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 48-7vs Duquesne | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | L 24-34vs Arizona | 5 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 5 | L 6-26vs Fresno State | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | L 16-17@ Utah State | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | L 30-48@ Oregon State | 6 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 6 tackles |
| Wk 8 | L 10-31vs No. 21 Boise State | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | L 20-26@ San Diego State | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 37 | 21 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3 | 1 |
Oct. 31 · L 20-26 at San Diego State, play by play
4 tackles, including 1 interception. His interception on 3rd and 12 ended San Diego State’s drive (int).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Intercepted on 3rd and 12. Third quarter, down 17-14. Ended San Diego State’s drive (int).
His game this year: taking the ball away — 3 interceptions in the 8 games with play by play.
How Washington State’s defense played that day
San Diego State’s 8 drives: 3 stopped (1 takeaway) · 5 scored. While the game was within a score they held 3 of 8. His interception came with Washington State down 3.
3 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
6 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.
4 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
5 tackles, including 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
4 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
A big game: a defensive touchdown: his interception went 50 yards for the score. 4 tackles, tied for 2nd-most interceptions in FBS that week.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Intercepted on 4th and 8. Second quarter, down 3-0. Ended Kansas State’s drive (int).
Intercepted, returned 50 yards for the score. Second quarter, cut it to 17-7.
3 tackles. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 4 for him; the box score credits 3.
Conference ranks count every player in the conference with a row in that stat, any position. Career ranks count current FBS players, from the games in our log.
Ratings of the games shown run from -9 to +16 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
PD rate
3%1 pass breakupsInterceptions
3interceptionsTackle volume
37tackles this seasonTFL rate
0%0 TFL37 tackles · 1 pass breakup · 3 interceptions.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 9 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 4.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
| Road5g | 4.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 4.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 3.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Kirby Moore
Pass share
49.4%
310 pass / 317 run
Plays / game
69.7
9 games
Team sack rate
7.8%
359 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Player standing · 2026
About as many tackles a game as a typical FBS defensive back who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Two-star recruit. Now #64 at the position.
The No. 3,079 recruit in the country is starting in the secondary in the Pac-12.
2026 is in progress.
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
2 coachesPlayed for 2 head coaches at 2 schools: Ken Niumatalolo and Kirby Moore.
Next stop · Transfer
Transferred to Washington State
CBS Sports College Football
