Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 15-10@ TCU | 4 | 94 | 23.5 | 0 | 35 | Season-high 94 yds |
| Wk 2 | W 35-3vs East Tennessee State | 4 | 71 | 17.8 | 1 | 25 | |
| Total | 8 | 165 | 20.6 | 1 | 35 |
#45
Jelani Thurman
Redshirt junior tight end for North Carolina. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
6′6″ · 250 lb · Fairburn, GA · Langston Hughes
Transferred Ohio State → North Carolina for 2026
How he plays
Creates mismatches lined up all over the formation.
Rec yards: 86th percentile.
The full scouting readThe numbers
165
receiving yards · 2026
8 catches · 1 TD · 20.6 per catch
2 games into 2026 so far
Swing playSwung TCU from 48% to 68% to win.North Carolina at TCU · 15-10
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
3 tight end for North Carolina. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 4-star recruit to Ohio State in 2023.
- Transferred from Ohio State to North Carolina in 2026.
In Their Words
149 windows · 2026 fan posts
jelani×399.1north×11.2carolina×8.5
“Oh if we are going by top 25 at their position that makes it even easier for me to find lists of players. Jelani Thurman off the top of my head to start with”
reddit/OhioStateFootball · fan post, verbatim
Jelani Thurman
Creates mismatches lined up all over the formation. Across four seasons and two programs, two head coaches: Ryan Day and Bill Belichick. The receipt: 94 rec yds, 4 receptions against TCU — Week 1, 2026.
165 REC YDS · 8 REC · 1 REC TD
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
2023
- Signed with Ohio State4-star out of Langston Hughes
2026
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
3 coaches2023
North Carolina
2024era →
Freddie Kitchens
North Carolina
2025–2026era →
Bill Belichick
North Carolina
Played under 3 different head coaches: Mack Brown, Freddie Kitchens, and Bill Belichick. Multi-era developmental context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to North Carolina
2025Ohio State
2026North Carolina
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2023Ohio State11-2HC: Ryan Day · Balanced
2024Ohio State14-2HC: Ryan Day · Run-leaning, slow tempo
2025Ohio State12-2HC: Ryan Day · Run-leaning
2026North Carolina2-0HC: Bill Belichick · Balanced, slow tempo
Where this profile ranks vs the TE cohort
Box-score percentiles
Elite: rec yards (86th percentile). Strength: yards / catch (86th percentile). Concern: receptions (0th percentile).
Box-score rates (5)
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 2 games: 4.0 REC/g, 82.5 YDS/g, 20.6 YPR, 0.5 TD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Bill Belichick
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | North Carolina | 8 | 165 | 20.6 | 1 | -- |
| 2025 | Ohio State | 7 | 84 | 12.0 | 1 | -- |
| 2024 | Ohio State | 4 | 42 | 10.5 | 1 | -- |
| 2023 | Ohio State | 2 | 18 | 9.0 | 0 | -- |
| Career | 21 | 309 | 14.7 | 3 | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 15–10
at TCU
4 rec · 94 yds
A wire-to-wire battle — won by 5 on the road.
With B. Edwards — 232 yds · 0 TD · 0 INT · QBR 77.2 · -4 rush yds (7 car) · A. Burrell — 28 LONG · 67 PCT · 7 PTS
Signature plays
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
- Week 1 · TCU · 2&12 · Q4 · EPA +2.83(02:25) Shotgun #9 B.Edwards Jr. pass complete short right to #45 J.Thurman caught at UNC22, for 25 yards to the UNC46 (#1 V.Glover; #2 J.Johnson), 1ST DOWN
- Week 2 · East Tennessee State · 2&1 · Q1 · EPA +2.18(09:56) Shotgun #9 B.Edwards Jr. pass complete short left to #45 J.Thurman caught at ETS24, for 24 yards to the ETS00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 09:48, 1ST DOWN #92 A.Burrell kick attempt good (H: #93 J.Horvath, LS: #48 G.Burt)
- Week 1 · TCU · 2&7 · Q1 · EPA +2.12(13:45) No Huddle-Shotgun #9 B.Edwards Jr. pass complete deep middle to #45 J.Thurman caught at TCU30, for 35 yards to the TCU17 (#7 J.Simms), 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · TCU · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA +1.80(14:59) Shotgun #9 B.Edwards Jr. pass complete short right to #45 J.Thurman caught at UNC23, for 20 yards to the UNC45 (#4 G.Jackson), 1ST DOWN
- Week 2 · East Tennessee State · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA +0.72(10:35) Shotgun #9 B.Edwards Jr. pass complete short right to #45 J.Thurman caught at ETS31, for 9 yards to the ETS24 (#5 J.Bowdry; #33 D.Delinois)
- Week 2 · East Tennessee State · 2&19 · Q3 · EPA +0.69(07:21) Shotgun #9 B.Edwards Jr. pass complete short right to #45 J.Thurman caught at UNC22, for 13 yards to the UNC37 (#2 M.Jenkins)
- Week 2 · East Tennessee State · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA +0.46(04:24) Shotgun #9 B.Edwards Jr. pass complete deep middle to #45 J.Thurman caught at ETS12, for 25 yards to the ETS10, End Of Play, 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · TCU · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA +0.26(11:36) No Huddle-Shotgun #9 B.Edwards Jr. pass complete short right to #45 J.Thurman caught at TCU31, for 14 yards to the TCU17 (#18 K.McFadden), 1ST DOWN
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Lined up out wide as often as inline. Creates mismatches downfield.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Move TE
Lined up out wide as often as inline. Creates mismatches downfield.
TE
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Sean McKeon’s 2019 season.
78%match
Matches Sean on
Height
Class year
Weight
Differs from Sean on
Recruiting rating (higher)
Through 2 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Kyle Pitts’s path through Florida.
70%match
Consensus All-AmericanNFL Rd 1 · Pk 4
Matches Kyle on
Height
Recruiting rating
Weight
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Malcolm Epps's senior season at USC (2021).
70%match
Matches Malcolm on
Weight
TD rate
Differs from Malcolm on
Class year (lower)
Yards / reception (higher)
Recruiting rating (higher)
Background
Honors & Awards 2024 OSU Scholar-Athlete, Academic All-Big Ten Conference 2023OSU Scholar-Athlete 2025 Redshirt Sophomore Season at Ohio State Appeared in all 14 games for the Buckeyes in 2025 Finished the season with seven receptions for 84 yards with a touchdown Caught three passes for 44 yards...
The tight end room · North Carolina
- #80Jordan Washington109 receiving yards · 2025
- #19Jaxxon Warren95 receiving yards · 2025
- #45Jelani Thurman84 receiving yards · 2025
- #84Shamar Easter17 receiving yards · 2025
- #88Deems Mayno box-score line yet
2 more on the roster · North Carolina team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology