Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 1 game
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 27-24@ Florida State | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 3 tackles |
| Total | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#94
Jonathan Jefferson
Senior defensive lineman on SMU's 2026 roster.
6′3″ · 315 lb · Douglasville, GA
Returning to SMU for 2026
The numbers
0
sacks · 2026
3 tackles
1 game into 2026 so far -- Best game: 3 tackles, at Florida State
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 defensive lineman on SMU's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 4-star recruit to Georgia in 2021.
- Transferred from Georgia to SMU in 2024.
Jonathan Jefferson
Controls the point of attack and doesn't move. Across five seasons and two programs, two head coaches: Kirby Smart and Rhett Lashlee. One game to point at: 3 tackles against Florida State — Week 1, 2026.
3 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
2021
- Signed with Georgia4-star out of Douglas County
20249 games
The role got bigger.
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2021–2026
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Jim Leavitt → Rhett Lashlee. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2021Georgia14-1HC: Kirby Smart · Run-heavy
2022Georgia15-0HC: Kirby Smart · Balanced
2023Georgia13-1HC: Kirby Smart · Balanced
2024SMU11-3HC: Rhett Lashlee · Run-leaning
2026SMU2-0HC: Rhett Lashlee · Pass-leaning, slow tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Concern: tackles (0th percentile).
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 1 game: 3.0 TKL/g, 0.0 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
Rhett Lashlee
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2024
Rotational
Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 27–24
3 TOT
A wire-to-wire battle — won by 3 on the road.
With K. Jennings — 430 yds · 3 TD · 2 INT · QBR 95.6 · 33 rush yds (5 car) · D. Green — 43 rush yds (13 car)
Game log
How he plays
Play style
The heaviest frame on the interior. Sack production is intentionally not the point of this profile.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
SMU
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive line · SMU
Returning around him
- 1 SMU player drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -11 net (15 in / 26 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
SMU · Last season: 9-4 (AP #25) · Talent rank #31 · 2026 recruiting class #32
DNA match
Player DNA
Nose Anchor
The heaviest frame on the interior. Sack production is intentionally not the point of this profile.
IDL
His 2024 production profile sits closest to Jeffery Johnson’s 2022 season.
88%match
Matches Jeffery on
Weight
Hurry rate
TFL rate
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Keveion'ta Spears's senior season at SMU (2025).
91%match
Matches Keveion'ta on
Class year
Hurry rate
Sack rate
Player DNA
Players who play like Jonathan Jefferson
The defensive line · SMU
- #16Marques White10.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #5Malcolm Alcorn-Crowder3.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #97Christian Davis3 tackles for loss · 2025
- #9Ira Singleton3 tackles for loss · 2025
- #94Jonathan Jefferson1 game · 2026
14 more on the roster · SMU team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology