Washington State · W 26-20
No tackles.
McLaughlin has tackles in 8 of San Diego State’s 9 games: none against Washington State.
Jelani McLaughlin
Plays like an extra linebacker near the line. Third year in the San Diego State secondary. On tape: 9 tackles against Colorado State, Week 8, 2026.
53 tackles · 0 sacks
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
53 tackles. 2 passes defended. 0 interceptions. 1 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.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | San Diego State | 53 | 35 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 2 | -- |
| 2025 | San Diego State | 10 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | 1 |
| 2024 | San Diego State | 7 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- |
| Career | 70 | 45 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 1 |
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 8 games
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| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 53-20vs Portland State | 5 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 2 | L 10-28@ UCLA | 8 | 8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 13-26vs James Madison | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | L 16-41@ Toledo | 6 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 31-29vs Texas State | 9 | 8 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 9 tackles |
| Wk 6 | L 14-66@ Oregon State | 5 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | W 26-23vs Fresno State | 7 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | L 49-56@ Colorado State | 9 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 53 | 35 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 2 |
Oct. 24 · L 49-56 at Colorado State, play by play
9 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 8 of his 9, sacks included.
His game this year: coverage — 2 passes defended in the 8 games with play by play.
How San Diego State’s defense played that day
7 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
5 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
9 tackles, including 1 more for loss, 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
6 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 7 for him; the box score credits 6.
4 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
8 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.
Week 5 · 2026
W 31-29
vs Texas State
1 tackle for loss · 9 tackles · 1 pass breakup
Edged out Texas State at home in a shootout.
Ratings of the games shown run from -8 to +14 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
PD rate
4%2 pass breakupsTackle volume
53tackles this seasonTFL rate
2%1 TFL53 tackles · 1 for loss · 2 pass breakups.
3 seasons under Sean Lewis — 16-18 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 6.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
| Road4g | 7.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 6.3 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
| Weeks 8+1g | 9.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Sean Lewis
Pass share
40.5%
236 pass / 346 run
Plays / game
64.7
9 games
Team sack rate
4.0%
253 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
More tackles a game than nearly every FBS defensive back who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #147 at the position.
2026 is in progress.
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Brady Hoke → Sean Lewis. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
