Jelani Stafford: DL · UConn · #97.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Jelani Stafford
Disrupts the pocket from the interior. Third year in the UConn defensive front. On tape: 7 tackles and 1 tackle for loss against Temple, Week 6, 2024.
Play style
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
39 tackles. 1 pass defended. 0 interceptions. 5.5 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.
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Game log · Week-by-week
2024 season · 13 games
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| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 7-50@ Maryland | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 63-17vs Merrimack | 5 | 3 | 2.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 21-26@ Duke | 7 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 7 tackles |
| Wk 4 | W 48-14vs Florida Atlantic | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 47-3vs Buffalo | 2 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 6 | W 29-20vs Temple | 7 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | L 20-23vs Wake Forest | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | W 17-10vs Rice | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 10 | W 34-27vs Georgia State | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 11 | W 31-23@ UAB | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 13 | L 24-31@ Syracuse | 4 | 2 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 14 | W 47-42@ Massachusetts | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
 Bowl | W 27-14vs North Carolina | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 39 | 16 | 5.5 | 0.0 | — | 1 |
Week 2 · 2024
W 63-17
vs Merrimack
2 tackles for loss · 5 tackles · 1 hurry
Dominant 46-point win at home against Merrimack.
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
TFL rate
14%6 TFLSack rate
0%0 sacksHurry rate
18%7 hurries39 tackles · 5.5 for loss.
3 seasons under Jim Mora — 18-20 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2024 season · 13 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home7g | 3.1 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| Road5g | 3.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 3.7 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| Weeks 8+6g | 2.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Jim Mora
Pass share
44.4%
396 pass / 496 run
Plays / game
68.6
13 games
Team sack rate
3.2%
408 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2024
39 tackles in 13 games, about as many tackles a game as a typical FBS defensive lineman who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
How it ended
Three seasons at UConn, 2 sacks — the college career is complete.
Coaching lineage · 2022–2024
1 coachPlayed every college season under Jim Mora.
