Jelani McDonald
Texas Longhorns
91
Elite

Jelani McDonald

Texas LonghornsElite
FSDefenseElite
Projected Starter

Is Jelani McDonald starting?

Jelani McDonald is the projected starter at FS for Texas Longhorns.

Senior · #4 · 6'2", 201 lbs

See full Texas Longhorns depth chart ›
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Depth at FS · Texas Longhorns

  1. 1491Jelani McDonaldStarter
  2. 2279Derek Williams Jr.
  3. 32566Toray Davis

Texas Starting Lineup

Full Texas depth chart ›

Top defensive backs in the SEC

Zabien BrownAlabama · LCBPeyton BowenOklahoma · SSChris Graves Jr.Missouri · RCB

The Story

Elite-Tier Talent

A 4-star recruit out of Waco Connally, ranked #70 nationally coming out of high school. In 2025: 80 tackles, 3 INT, 3 PBU. That's 8% of the team's production at his spot and 97th-percentile production nationally — good for a 91 overall (Elite tier).

Recruit4★ · #70 Natl3-Yr Total115 tacklesTeam Share8%Percentile97th
Waco, TX
Jersey
#4
Class
SR
Height
6'2"
Weight
201 lbs

Career Stats

SeasonTklINTPD
20258033
20243311
2023200

Regular-season totals from public sources. Derived splits (completion %, yards per carry, catch rate) aren't available in our current dataset.

Recruiting Profile

Stars
★★★★☆4-star
Composite
0.9672
National Rank
#70
High School
Waco Connally
Hometown
Waco, TX

Why this rating?

On a 99-rated defense; 97th-percentile production (×0.99 for competition level) put them +4 vs unit starters → 91.

Team defense (SP+)
99
Rating basis
On-field stats
On-field production
Outperforms 97% of peers
Recruiting pedigree
Top 25% recruit
Strength of schedule
Faces easier competition — rating adjusted down (×0.99)
Depth-chart adjustment
+4 for role

2026 projection — based on SP+ (a respected team-efficiency metric; 2026 not published yet, using 2025), 2025 production, recruiting, and the 2026 transfer portal; capped to depth-chart order.

2026 Game Log

Oct 10LOUTKL 7
TKL
7
SOLO
3
SACK
0
INT
0
PD
0

Final L 27-24

Sep 26WTENNTKL 8
TKL
8
SOLO
3
SACK
0
INT
0
PD
1

Final W 20-17

Sep 20WUTSATKL 3
TKL
3
SOLO
3
SACK
0
INT
0
PD
0

Final W 30-6

Sep 12WOSUTKL 7
TKL
7
SOLO
0
SACK
0
INT
0
PD
0

Final W 24-23

Sep 5WTXSTTKL 8
TKL
8
SOLO
7
SACK
0
INT
0
PD
0

Final W 59-7

Jelani McDonald's 2026 game-by-game stat log.

The People's Ratings

Is our 91 OVR fair?
91
Elite
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Team Role

80 tkl · 3 PD · 3 INT
Usage / Involvement100%
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Overall ratings blend team strength (SP+), on-field production, and recruiting. Higher = more impactful.