A former two-star recruit who worked his way from Temple to a starting job in Tennessee's secondary, Jalen McMurray was one of the fastest-signed undrafted free agents in the 2026 class.
Jalen McMurray took the long road to the NFL, starting his career at Temple before transferring to Tennessee and developing into an academically decorated, reliable slot corner. He went undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft but signed with the Titans within 30 minutes of the draft's conclusion, reflecting the high regard teams held for him in the free-agent pool.
Path to the league
McMurray was born in Silver Spring, Maryland, and starred at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C., where he was recruited as a two-star prospect. He started his college career at Temple, becoming the first freshman cornerback there since 2019 to earn a single-digit jersey number, before entering the transfer portal after the 2023 season and joining Tennessee.
Career highlights
Across two seasons at Temple (2022-2023), McMurray started 23 games and totaled 88 tackles, 11 pass deflections, one interception, one fumble recovery and two forced fumbles, earning second-team All-American recognition from College Football News as a sophomore. He continued to build his résumé at Tennessee, earning a Senior Bowl invite along with SEC Community Service Team and Academic Honor Roll honors.
2025 season recap
In his final season at Tennessee, McMurray was named a starter in the Volunteers' secondary and opened the year with a sack and a pass deflection against Syracuse. He went undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft but signed with the Tennessee Titans as a free agent almost immediately after the draft ended, a sign of the trust teams had in his game.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Jalen McMurray
- ESPN: Jalen McMurray player page
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Cornerback
- Group
- defense
- College
- Tennessee
- Hometown
- Upper Marlboro, MD, USA
- Age
- 23
- Status
- active
