BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Football safety Jaylen Lewis was named to the College Football Freaks List 2026, The Athletic announced Monday.
The list, in its 25th year being produced annually by Bruce Feldman, highlights players across the country during the offseason for their athletic abilities – players who can jump ridiculously high, run exceptionally fast or the guys at whom teammates and coaches marveled, the publication explains.
This year's list contained 101 players. Lewis was listed at No. 47. The full list can be found HERE.
The 5-foot-11, 187-pound safety enters his second season with the program in 2026. He has already been named to the 2027 Shriners Children's 1000 Watchlist and the 2026 CUSA Preseason Watch List, as well as the 2026 Athlon Sports Preseason All-Conference USA First Team and the 2026 Phil Steele Preseason CUSA All-Conference Second Team.
Lewis started all 13 games at safety for the Hilltoppers during the 2025 season and finished tied for second on the team in total tackles with 74. He recorded 3.5 tackles for loss, a team-high three interceptions, five pass breakups, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He finished with multiple tackles in every game, and recorded a season-high 15 in WKU's game at LSU on Nov. 22, with 10 solo tackles and a sack in that game. Lewis finished the season ranked 24th in Conference USA in tackles with 5.69 per game. He was named the CUSA Defensive Player of the Week following the Week 0 win over Sam Houston, and he finished the year as an All-CUSA Honorable Mention selection according to the league's head coaches.
During the offseason, he recorded a 41-inch vertical jump, clocked a 1.53 10-yard split and hit a top speed of 22.9 miles per hour on the GPS – the only other WKU players under Director of Football Strength and Conditioning Jason Veltkamp to reach that top speed were cornerback Upton Stout and wide receiver Malachi Corley, who were selected in the third round of the 2025 and 2024 NFL Drafts, respectively.
Lewis transferred to WKU after one season at Temple, where he appeared in 11 games with six starts during the 2024 season. He totaled 43 tackles, with two for loss, plus an interception, six pass breakups and a forced fumble for the Owls. Lewis arrived at Temple after starting his career at Arkansas, where he played in four games over the 2022 and 2023 seasons. He posted three tackles as a Razorback.
WKU is scheduled to open the 2026 season at Nevada on Sept. 5. Kickoff at Mackay Stadium is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. CT. The game will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network.
It is not too late to purchase tickets for 2026 WKU Football home games. Season tickets start as low as $50, and there are several options for different season ticket levels. For more information or to purchase 2026 WKU Football season tickets, click HERE. Fans can purchase 2026 WKU Football single game tickets HERE and away game tickets HERE. Are you interested in purchasing 2026 WKU Football tickets but don't know where to start? Fill out this form and a member of the WKU Ticket Office will be in touch soon! All season tickets require an HAF donation.
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