Jelani McLaughlin
San Diego State Aztecs
81
Good

Jelani McLaughlin

San Diego State AztecsSolid
SSDefenseGood
Projected Starter

Is Jelani McLaughlin starting?

Jelani McLaughlin is the projected starter at SS for San Diego State Aztecs.

Jelani McLaughlin is the projected starting SS on a Solid San Diego State — 81 OVR.

See full San Diego State Aztecs depth chart ›

Depth at SS · San Diego State Aztecs

  1. 12081Jelani McLaughlinStarter
  2. 22265Max Garrison
  3. 33560Tainoa Lave

What's Next

Who do they play next?Seth Gathers — vs James Madison · Sat, Sep 19Who's the backup?Max Garrison — No. 2 at SS for San Diego StateHow do they compare?Pick an opponent for San Diego State Aztecs

The Story

Making His Case

A 3-star recruit out of Citrus Valley, ranked #1,803 nationally coming out of high school. In 2025: 10 tackles, 1 INT, 0 PBU. That's 1% of the team's production at his spot — good for a 81 overall (Good tier).

Recruit3★ · #1,803 Natl2-Yr Total17 tacklesTeam Share1%
San Jacinto, CA
Jersey
#20
Class
RS JR
Height
6'0"
Weight
205 lbs

Career Stats

SeasonTklINTPD
20251010
2024700

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

Recruiting Profile

Stars
★★★☆☆3-star
Composite
0.8367
National Rank
#1803
High School
Citrus Valley
Hometown
Redlands, CA

Why this rating?

On a 80-rated defense; 54th-percentile production (×0.89 for competition level) put them +1 vs unit starters → 81.

Team defense (SP+)
80
Rating basis
On-field stats
On-field production
Outperforms 54% of peers
Recruiting pedigree
Top 50% recruit
Strength of schedule
Faces easier competition — rating adjusted down (×0.89)
Depth-chart adjustment
+1 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

Sep 12LUCLATKL 8
TKL
8
SOLO
8
SACK
0
INT
0
PD
0

Final L 28-10

Sep 6WPRSTTKL 5
TKL
5
SOLO
4
SACK
0
INT
0
PD
1

Final W 53-20

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

The People's Ratings

Is our 81 OVR fair?
81
Good
Vote to see what thousands of fans think

Team Role

10 tkl · 0 PD · 1 INT
Usage / Involvement8%
Coach San Diego StateTake them from week one to the natty. You call every play.

Overall ratings blend team strength (SP+), on-field production, and recruiting. Higher = more impactful.