College Football Player Grades by Position

Qualified: played in at least half of their team's games against FBS teams. Show everyone

Defensive grades use box-score stats, not play-level attribution, so they carry lower confidence than offense grades. Why?

Alex McLaughlin

Washington · DB

99.6

Ta'Shawn James

UCLA · DB

99.5

Aydan West

Minnesota · DB

97.6

#	Player	Team	Grade
1	Alex McLaughlinWashington	Washington	99.6
2	Ta'Shawn JamesUCLA	UCLA	99.5
3	Aydan WestMinnesota	Minnesota	97.6
4	Devin VaughtMichigan State	Michigan State	97.3
5	Matthew JungWisconsin	Wisconsin	97.0
6	Ore AdeyiNorthwestern	Northwestern	96.6
7	Kennedy UrlacherUSC	USC	96.0
8	Christian PierceUSC	USC	96.0
9	Devin SanchezOhio State	Ohio State	96.0
10	Jyaire HillMichigan	Michigan	95.3
11	John NestorMinnesota	Minnesota	95.3
12	Jamir ConnNebraska	Nebraska	93.7
13	Matthew BaileyIllinois	Illinois	93.2
14	Jaylen McClainOhio State	Ohio State	92.4
15	Prophet BrownUSC	USC	92.4
16	Zack HardenMinnesota	Minnesota	92.4
17	Robert FitzgeraldNorthwestern	Northwestern	92.4
18	Donovan JonesNebraska	Nebraska	92.4
19	Javan RobinsonWisconsin	Wisconsin	92.4
20	Kerry BrownMinnesota	Minnesota	91.0
21	Tre BellMichigan State	Michigan State	91.0
22	Josiah ZayasPenn State	Penn State	90.5
23	Smith SnowdenMichigan	Michigan	89.9
24	Scooter JacksonUCLA	UCLA	89.9
25	Zach LutmerIowa	Iowa	89.9
26	John SlaughterPurdue	Purdue	89.0
27	Bryce WestWisconsin	Wisconsin	87.9
28	Jermaine Mathews Jr.Ohio State	Ohio State	86.6
29	Malik HartfordUCLA	UCLA	85.3
30	Koi PerichOregon	Oregon	85.3
31	Earl Little Jr.Ohio State	Ohio State	84.3
32	Chris BracyMichigan	Michigan	84.3
33	Audavion CollinsPenn State	Penn State	83.3
34	Don SaundersPurdue	Purdue	83.3
35	Jeron JonesWashington	Washington	80.9
36	Nikai MartinezMichigan State	Michigan State	80.9
37	Mac ResetichIllinois	Illinois	79.8
38	Derrick BarksdaleUCLA	UCLA	79.8
39	Byron Baldwin Jr.Indiana	Indiana	79.8
40	Deshaun LeeIowa	Iowa	79.8
41	Rod MooreMichigan	Michigan	76.4
42	Zeke BerryMichigan	Michigan	76.4
43	Andrew MarshallNebraska	Nebraska	76.4
44	Rodrick PleasantUCLA	UCLA	76.4
45	Justin DensonPurdue	Purdue	76.4
46	Dylan RobinsonWashington	Washington	76.4
47	Zion TracyPenn State	Penn State	76.4
48	Preston ZachmanIndiana	Indiana	76.4
49	Jay TimmonsOhio State	Ohio State	73.0
50	Jeremiah CooperPenn State	Penn State	73.0

Top 50 of 142. Pick a conference to see more.

How college grades work

College grades use the same method as the NFL: every play's expected points added, adjusted for how good the defense was, ranked against every other player at the position. The play data comes from CollegeFootballData.com, with ESPN's play feed saying who threw, ran and caught the ball. Four things are different.

Only games against FBS teams count. A power-conference offense against an FCS defense tells us little about either, so those games show in the game log but aren't graded.
Garbage time is left out: plays with a lead of more than 38 points in the 2nd quarter, 28 in the 3rd, or 22 in the 4th. Blowouts are common in college, and backups piling up numbers against backups would otherwise count like starters.
No win probability or completion-percentage data. The college play feed doesn't have them, so grades rest on opponent-adjusted EPA and success rate (the share of plays with positive EPA).
Grades and leaderboards use a minimum workload: every grade is a percentile among the players who meet it, so a few plays can't skew anyone else's. Per game against FBS teams, 14 dropbacks for quarterbacks, 10 touches for running backs, 5 targets for receivers and 3 for tight ends, counted over at least two games. Defenders need to have played in half their team's games.

Defensive grades use the same box-score impact score as the NFL's, minus forced fumbles, which the college box score doesn't record.