Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 41-38vs Louisville | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 41-9vs Charlotte | 4 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 4 tackles |
| Total | 5 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#17
Jonathan Maldonado
Senior defensive end on Ole Miss's 2026 roster.
6′6″ · 250 lb · Monrovia, CA · Arcadia
CFB Index 79 · #54 of 420 edge rushersMedium confidenceTransferred Nevada → Ole Miss 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.
The numbers
0
sacks · 2026
1 TFL · 5 tackles · 1 hurries
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 1 TFL, 4 tackles, vs Charlotte
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 defensive end on Ole Miss's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Nevada in 2022.
- Transferred from Nevada to Ole Miss in 2026.
Jonathan Maldonado
Turns pressure into sacks — when he gets there, he finishes. Across four seasons and two programs, three head coaches: Ken Wilson, Jeff Choate and Pete Golding. 2025 brought the first one: All-Mountain West. The receipt on tape: 4 tackles, 1 TFL against Charlotte, Week 2, 2026.
5 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- recognition record
- game log
His career
Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.
2022
- Signed with Nevada3-star out of Arcadia
202512 games
- All-Mountain Westhonorable_mention
2026
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
🎖
ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST
All-Mountain West mention (2025)
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
2 coaches2023–2025
Ole Miss
2026era →
Pete Golding
Ole Miss
Coaching transition mid-career: Lane Kiffin → Pete Golding. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Ole Miss
2025Nevada
2026Ole Miss
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2023Nevada2-10HC: Ken Wilson · Run-leaning
2024Nevada3-10HC: Jeff Choate · Run-leaning
2025Nevada3-9HC: Jeff Choate · Run-leaning, slow tempo
2026Ole Miss2-0HC: Pete Golding · Balanced
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Medium confidenceBreakout
Elite: qb hurries (83rd percentile). 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 2 games: 2.5 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
Pete Golding
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
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 41–38
vs Louisville
1 TOT
Edged out Louisville at home in a shootout.
With T. Chambliss — 336 yds · 3 TD · 1 INT · QBR 82.7 · 60 rush yds (9 car) · 1 TD · D. Alexander — 5 rec · 159 yds · 2 TD
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Turns pressure into sacks — when he gets there, he finishes.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Finisher
Turns pressure into sacks — when he gets there, he finishes.
EDGE
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Steve Linton’s 2023 season.
Matches Steve on
TFL rate
Hurry rate
Class year
Differs from Steve on
Pressure-to-sack conversion (higher)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Jason Vaughn's junior season at South Florida (2022).
74%match
Matches Jason on
TFL rate
Sack rate
Weight
Differs from Jason on
Class year (lower)
Player DNA
Players who play like Jonathan Maldonado
Background
2026 (FIFTH YEAR): Transfer who arrived on campus in January and participated in spring drills. NEVADA: Appeared in 38 career games over four years for the Wolf Pack, starting 14 total games ... Earned honorable mention All-Mountain West accolades in 2025 after posting career-bests in tackles (38...
The defensive line · Ole Miss
- #52William Echoles11.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #5Kamarion Franklin9 tackles for loss · 2025
- #17Jonathan Maldonado9 tackles for loss · 2025
- #3Blake Purchase4.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #88Michai Boireau2 tackles for loss · 2025
12 more on the roster · Ole Miss team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology