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Texas' safety Jelani McDonald to return to Austin for his senior season

On3 imageby: Justin Wells12/26/25

After a fantastic junior season at Texas, Jelani McDonald could’ve left early and headed to the NFL. He decided not to. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound defensive back will return to Austin for his final year in college.

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The Waco (Texas) Connally four-star flipped from Oklahoma State to Texas during his senior year in high school.

The third-year defensive back has played in 37 games with 15 starts. He’s notched 108 tackles, five tackles-for-loss, four interceptions, and eight pass breakups in three seasons.

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