Jelani McDonald

Jelani McDonald hits like the quarterback he used to be. A two-way quarterback and defensive back at Connally in Waco, he was the District 11-4A Offensive MVP after rushing for 852 yards and passing for 707 as a senior, and he committed to Texas at the All-American Bowl as a four-star. He appeared in 12 games as a freshman in 2023, worked into the secondary in 2024 with four starts, 33 tackles and an interception, then took over as a full-time safety in 2025 and started all 13 games. He opened that season by forcing a turnover in three straight games, recovering a fumble against San Jose State and picking off passes against UTEP and Sam Houston. He finished with 69 tackles, three interceptions, two breakups and 18 run stops. The identity is downhill. His tackling was among the best in the class, charged with only five misses on heavy volume, and he triggers fast to finish ball carriers near the line. The top-end speed gives him range to close on throws, and Texas moved him across box, slot and deep alignments. The development area is coverage detail. He is smoother in zone than mirroring in man, his three interceptions are solid rather than elite for the snap count, and his deep-third reps are fewer than his downhill snaps. He profiles as a starting strong safety whose pass coverage in space has to catch up to the physical half.