Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 59-7vs Texas State | 8 | 7 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 8 tackles |
| Wk 2 | W 24-23vs Ohio State | 7 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 15 | 7 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#4
Jelani McDonald
Senior defensive back on Texas's 2026 roster.
6′2″ · 201 lb · Waco, TX · Connally
CFB Index 78 · #52 of 544 safetiesLow confidenceReturning to Texas for 2026
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
4★
ATH recruit
No. 70 nationally · Signed with Texas
No college snaps yet.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 defensive back on Texas's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 4-star recruit to Texas in 2023.
How he projects
Moves between deep coverage and the slot.
Grades highest in speed and zone coverage.
The full scouting read
In Their Words
185 windows · 2026 fan posts
jelani×321.4littleton×363.0mascoe×308.5kobe×185.1williams×24.6secondary×42.0safety×15.4position×11.5
“A healthy D.Williams and Jelani McDonald is an all SEC safety tandem.”
youtube/On Texas Football · fan post, verbatim
Jelani McDonald
Moves between deep coverage and the slot. Fourth year in the Texas secondary, same address the whole way. One game to point at: 8 tackles, 1 TFL against Texas State — Week 1, 2026.
15 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- seasons on the roster
- game log
His career
He was on the field for 4 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
2023
- Signed with Texas4-star out of Waco Connally
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★★
CFB
College
Texas
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
1 coach2023–2026
Texas
Played his entire career under Steve Sarkisian.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
4 seasons under Steve Sarkisian, all balanced offenses — 37-8 over that span.
2023Texas12-2HC: Steve Sarkisian · Balanced
2024Texas13-3HC: Steve Sarkisian · Balanced
2025Texas10-3HC: Steve Sarkisian · Balanced
2026Texas2-0HC: Steve Sarkisian · Balanced
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Medium confidence
Production sits in the middle of the position cohort across the board.
Box-score production (6)
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 splits
Through 2 games: 7.5 TKL/g, 0.5 TFL/g, 0.0 SACK/g, 0.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Steve Sarkisian
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
2026 outlook
In the mix for All-SEC
Based on 2025: #7 of 57 SEC DBs
How the All-SEC estimate is computed
35% estimated, 95% confidence interval 31–38%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player.
Career stats
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 24–23
vs Ohio State
7 TOT
A wire-to-wire battle — won by 1 at home.
With A. Manning — 195 yds · 1 TD · 1 INT · QBR 83.0 · 24 rush yds (8 car) · D. Smothers — 74 rush yds (21 car) · 2 TD
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Texas
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive back · Texas
Returning around him
- 6 Texas players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -6 net (22 in / 28 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Texas · Last season: 10-3 (AP #14) · Talent rank #2 · 2026 recruiting class #7
DNA match
Player DNA
Hybrid Nickel
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
S
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Roy Baker’s 2020 season.
Matches Roy on
PD rate
Tackle volume
Weight
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Jalon Ferrell's senior season at Massachusetts (2023).
93%match
Matches Jalon on
Class year
Height
Tackle volume
Player DNA
Players who play like Jelani McDonald
Background
A fourth-year defensive back who has played in 39 games with 17 starts ... on 2026 Jim Thorpe Award watch list ... 2026 preseason Third-Team All-SEC ... 2026 Phil Steele preseason Second-Team SEC selection ... 2026 Phil Steele preseason Third-Team All-America selection. JUNIOR (2025) Started in a...
The secondary · Texas
- #4Jelani McDonald80 tackles · 2025
- #5Bo Mascoe48 tackles · 2025
- #29Graceson Littleton46 tackles · 2025
- #2Derek Williams Jr.23 tackles · 2025
- #8Kade Phillips22 tackles · 2025
16 more on the roster · Texas team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology