Jaden Yates holds the WLB · Starter spot in Houston Cougars’s linebacker room. Where he sits among the room’s front-line roles:

Jaden Yates is a 6'1", 225-pound weakside linebacker from Columbus, Ohio, who attended Gahanna Lincoln High School where he earned All-Ohio First-Team honors and Conference Player of the Year accolades. He compiled 122 tackles including 23 tackles for loss and 10 sacks in high school. Yates transferred to Houston after playing at Marshall and Ole Miss. At Marshall in 2024, he recorded 120 tackles that led the Sun Belt Conference and ranked ninth nationally, earning 2024 All-Sun Belt First Team and Phil Steele All-America Honorable Mention recognition. He posted 7.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks at Marshall. After transferring to Ole Miss, he started nine of the Cougars' games in 2025 and registered a game-high 11 tackles against Tulane on 9/20/25. Over three FBS seasons, Yates has 176 career tackles.

Marshall2023 – 2024

Ole Miss2025

Houston2026 — present