Summary

Jake Golday (23 years old) is a linebacker who began his collegiate career at Central Arkansas from 2021 to 2023 before transferring to Cincinnati before the 2024 season. In 2025, Golday started throughout the season and recorded 105 tackles, 6 TFL, 3.5 sacks, and three pass breakups, which helped him earn First-Team All-Big 12 and Butkus Award semifinalist recognition. Golday was named to the UAC All-Academic Team with a 3.63 GPA in business and is widely viewed as a disciplined, team-first defender whose preparation habits and physical style of play consistently draw praise from coaches, with no publicly reported significant off-field incidents. Teammates frequently highlight his communication and alignment responsibilities as indicators of his leadership within the front seven. From an injury standpoint, Golday suffered a torn meniscus as a freshman in 2021 and a head injury and other undisclosed minor injuries in 2025 that forced him to miss both the Liberty Bowl and East-West Shrine Bowl.

Strengths

Tackling Machine: Wraps and finishes and while he is not a highlight hitter, he is dependable at getting ball carriers on the ground. Holds up better than expected when taking on tight ends and fullbacks.
Eye Discipline: Keeps eyes on the quarterback and maintains spacing in hook/curl areas. When keys are clean, he commits quickly and meets runners near the line of scrimmage.
Motor & Effort: Plays hard snap-to-snap and will pursue laterally even when he’s not the primary fit. Physicality, effort, and tackling translate cleanly to coverage units and will be a big factor as a Special Teamer even if he doesn’t win a starting job out the gate.
Not Superman: This sounds derogatory, but it isn’t! Understands what he is and plays within himself rather than trying to do too much. Stays within structure and fits gaps correctly rather than freelancing. Coaches can trust where he’ll be.

Weaknesses

Twitch: More than adequate athlete with a 24.33/25.00 Athletic Score, but can look a step heavy when redirecting against cutbacks or misdirection. Best in downhill, structured fronts — less suited for space-heavy or coverage-driven linebacker roles.
Man-Coverage Limitations: Struggles matching backs or slots in space and is better with vision /zone assignments than mirror responsibility. Will step downhill aggressively and can open windows behind him.
Bull-shed: If linemen reach him cleanly, he doesn’t consistently shed and re-enter the play despite his length. Another year of adding play strength could make a huge difference in his development.
Producer vs. Playmaker: More of a steady tackler than a disruptive, turnover-creating presence. Can add pressure as a blitzer, but not a true burst/closing threat as a rusher.

Outlook

Golday projects as a physical, downhill-oriented linebacker with a sturdy frame, reliable tackling form, and the instincts to diagnose run fits quickly, giving him value as an early-down contributor with developmental three-down potential. He fits best in 4-3 or multiple-front defenses that allow him to play fast downhill, stack and shed, and operate in zone coverage rather than being isolated frequently in man against dynamic athletes. Golday is trending as a Day 2 prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft and could turn into this year’s version of Carson Schwesinger as a prospect.

Pro Comparison: Carson Schwesinger

Team Fits: CIN, DAL, LAC, JAX, ATL

Report written by Filip Prus