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?

Elisha Baldridge

Florida International · DL

97.6

DeeJay Holmes Jr.

Florida International · DL

96.1

Gabe Peterson

New Mexico State · DL

95.4

#	Player	Team	Grade
1	Elisha BaldridgeFlorida International	Florida International	97.6
2	DeeJay Holmes Jr.Florida International	Florida International	96.1
3	Gabe PetersonNew Mexico State	New Mexico State	95.4
4	Brody HendersonSam Houston	Sam Houston	94.9
5	Tae FloydJacksonville State	Jacksonville State	93.8
6	Quay HoodJacksonville State	Jacksonville State	93.8
7	Brandon GorhamDelaware	Delaware	91.6
8	Henry Davis IIINew Mexico State	New Mexico State	90.4
9	Brad VisliselNew Mexico State	New Mexico State	88.2
10	Trace Scott IIIDelaware	Delaware	85.4
11	Zeion Simpson-SmithMiddle Tennessee	Middle Tennessee	85.4
12	Noah MatthewsDelaware	Delaware	82.8
13	Kenton SimmonsFlorida International	Florida International	81.5
14	Mackavelli MalotumauWestern Kentucky	Western Kentucky	81.5
15	Michael FloydeLiberty	Liberty	81.5
16	Jawaun CampbellJacksonville State	Jacksonville State	78.5
17	Jason GwanNew Mexico State	New Mexico State	78.5
18	Dominick BrognaDelaware	Delaware	77.2
19	Latrevion ThompsonWestern Kentucky	Western Kentucky	75.7
20	Josh LukusaMissouri State	Missouri State	73.6
21	Ugonna NwohaKennesaw State	Kennesaw State	73.6
22	Khurtiss PerryJacksonville State	Jacksonville State	71.4
23	Nathan PirolliLiberty	Liberty	71.4
24	Justin TerrellSam Houston	Sam Houston	69.3
25	Marcus PattersonKennesaw State	Kennesaw State	67.5
26	Zsacari MinnisWestern Kentucky	Western Kentucky	67.5
27	Enzo-Pierre TayouNew Mexico State	New Mexico State	65.3
28	Josh Alexander-FeltonSam Houston	Sam Houston	63.1
29	Mike JarvisLiberty	Liberty	63.1
30	Aidan ButtsMiddle Tennessee	Middle Tennessee	61.0
31	Reeves BallerNew Mexico State	New Mexico State	58.7
32	Justin BodfordMiddle Tennessee	Middle Tennessee	58.7
33	Caius CoySam Houston	Sam Houston	58.7
34	Kaian Roberts-DayNew Mexico State	New Mexico State	51.9
35	Zion TaylorSam Houston	Sam Houston	51.9
36	Dylan FrazierSam Houston	Sam Houston	51.9
37	Markus ClarkLiberty	Liberty	51.9
38	Jeremiah SandifordNew Mexico State	New Mexico State	48.5
39	Kaeden SingletonDelaware	Delaware	48.5
40	Nathan GonzalesWestern Kentucky	Western Kentucky	48.5
41	Josaiah KnightWestern Kentucky	Western Kentucky	45.3
42	Obinna OkekeNew Mexico State	New Mexico State	45.3
43	Marquis HoodJacksonville State	Jacksonville State	45.3
44	Nick WatsonFlorida International	Florida International	42.1
45	Sam SiafaDelaware	Delaware	42.1
46	Joe StricklandLiberty	Liberty	42.1
47	James SteelDelaware	Delaware	42.1
48	Lorenzo PayneLiberty	Liberty	37.9
49	Elijah SimmonsFlorida International	Florida International	37.9
50	Caden WiestMissouri State	Missouri State	37.9

Top 50 of 83. 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.