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?

Nick Session

New Mexico State · DB

99.3

Jackson Lowe

Middle Tennessee · DB

99.1

Caleb Nix

Jacksonville State · DB

98.6

#	Player	Team	Grade
1	Nick SessionNew Mexico State	New Mexico State	99.3
2	Jackson LoweMiddle Tennessee	Middle Tennessee	99.1
3	Caleb NixJacksonville State	Jacksonville State	98.6
4	De'Marcus PetersNew Mexico State	New Mexico State	98.0
5	Joel BoamahMissouri State	Missouri State	97.0
6	Jaylen LewisWestern Kentucky	Western Kentucky	95.3
7	Justin BrownWestern Kentucky	Western Kentucky	94.4
8	Jamarion KolagbodiDelaware	Delaware	93.7
9	Kalen WoodsMiddle Tennessee	Middle Tennessee	89.9
10	Christian FordMissouri State	Missouri State	89.9
11	Anthony MattisonMissouri State	Missouri State	87.9
12	DeAndre BoykinsFlorida International	Florida International	87.9
13	Railyn AdamsSam Houston	Sam Houston	85.3
14	J.J. O'NealMissouri State	Missouri State	81.8
15	Joel KpassouMissouri State	Missouri State	79.8
16	Kahlil AliDelaware	Delaware	78.3
17	Jonavan CarrJacksonville State	Jacksonville State	78.3
18	Caesar MageeSam Houston	Sam Houston	76.4
19	Tre'Quon FegansJacksonville State	Jacksonville State	74.7
20	Ishmel AtkinsSam Houston	Sam Houston	74.7
21	Ryan GadsonFlorida International	Florida International	73.0
22	Xavion GriffinWestern Kentucky	Western Kentucky	73.0
23	Cam MillerKennesaw State	Kennesaw State	73.0
24	Jeremiah VesselLiberty	Liberty	71.2
25	JQ BrooksJacksonville State	Jacksonville State	71.2
26	Jaquise AlexanderDelaware	Delaware	71.2
27	Bryce WilliamsMiddle Tennessee	Middle Tennessee	71.2
28	James JohnsonMiddle Tennessee	Middle Tennessee	68.9
29	Luke EvansKennesaw State	Kennesaw State	66.8
30	Shamir SterlinFlorida International	Florida International	66.8
31	Jason HardyMiddle Tennessee	Middle Tennessee	65.2
32	Nasir EatmonDelaware	Delaware	65.2
33	Ronald Moore Jr.Liberty	Liberty	65.2
34	George MullinsDelaware	Delaware	65.2
35	D-Icey HopkinsLiberty	Liberty	63.5
36	Lorenzo SmithNew Mexico State	New Mexico State	61.6
37	Tyler BaileySam Houston	Sam Houston	61.6
38	Marc WoodsJacksonville State	Jacksonville State	61.6
39	Tay'vion LawsonKennesaw State	Kennesaw State	59.5
40	Dravon WilsonSam Houston	Sam Houston	59.5
41	Tony Newsome Jr.Western Kentucky	Western Kentucky	59.5
42	Jai-Ayviauynn CelestineFlorida International	Florida International	59.5
43	Josiah CharlesNew Mexico State	New Mexico State	59.5
44	KT SeayDelaware	Delaware	57.1
45	Perry FisherKennesaw State	Kennesaw State	57.1
46	Kshawn Cox Jr.Delaware	Delaware	57.1
47	Rob Billings IVJacksonville State	Jacksonville State	57.1
48	Izaiah GuyLiberty	Liberty	54.4
49	Elijah HopkinsLiberty	Liberty	54.4
50	Justin CottrellSam Houston	Sam Houston	54.4

Top 50 of 96. 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.