CHICAGO, Ill. — After ranking among the nation's best safeties last season,
Jaylon Jenkins was named to the 2026 Buck Buchanan Award preseason watch list as he enters his fourth season in Cheney.
The Buck Buchanan Award honors the national defensive player of the year in FCS college football.
Jenkins was a ball-hawk in the secondary during the 2025 season, snatching five interceptions to rank fifth in the FCS and second in the Big Sky. The Federal Way, Wash. native added eight pass breakups for 13 total passes defended. The stat ranks 16th in the nation and also ties for second in the conference.
Staying close to the action, Jenkins was fourth on the Eagles in tackles with 52 total and two for a loss. He had 39 solo tackles and one forced fumble, while starting all 12 games for the team.
The stats culminated in Jenkins earning Big Sky first team All-Conference honors, the first postseason award.
In his career as an Eagle, Jenkins has made 15 starts in 24 games played, totaling 58 tackles.
Jenkins is one of five players representing the Big Sky Conference on the watch list. The list includes defensive backs Caden Dowler (Montana State) and Rex Conners (UC Davis), along with linebackers Mikey D'Amato (Cal Poly) and Peyton Wing (Montana).
Eastern finished 2025 4-4 in conference and 5-7 overall. The team was seventh in the Big Sky final standings.
Including Jenkins, Eastern's defense returns seven starters from last season. EWU ranked seventh in the FCS with 15 interceptions and third in the Big Sky, while ranking 12th in turnovers gained (22). The Eagles had a plus-0.33 turnover margin, placing the team 26th and third in the FCS and Big Sky, respectively.
The 2026 season kicks off against Northern Arizona in Flagstaff on Aug. 29, followed by the team's home opener against Northern Iowa on Sep. 5.
2026 EWU football season tickets are now on sale! Join Spokane County's team for six home games at Roos Field in Cheney starting as low as $99. For more info, visit goeags.com/fbtickets or contact the EWU Ticket Office at 509-359-6059 or tickets@ewu.edu.
Join the Eagle Athletic Fund for as low as $50 per year! Support Eagle student-athletes on and off the field while enjoying exclusive EAF perks such as season tickets and tailgating priority, invitations to special events, exclusive access, and more. Visit goeags.com/eaf for more information.
ABOUT EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
Eastern Washington University Athletics sponsors 14 intercollegiate sports, six for men and eight for women, both as learning opportunities for its most athletically talented students and as an enhancement to student and community life. Eastern is affiliated with Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and is a member of the Big Sky Conference, an association of 10 regional schools with comparable enrollments and academic goals.
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