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?

Myles Bradley

Bowling Green · DL

98.9

Andrew Zock

Toledo · DL

98.3

Quincy Byas

Eastern Michigan · DL

96.1

#	Player	Team	Grade
1	Myles BradleyBowling Green	Bowling Green	98.9
2	Andrew ZockToledo	Toledo	98.3
3	Quincy ByasEastern Michigan	Eastern Michigan	96.1
4	Ronn HardinEastern Michigan	Eastern Michigan	91.6
5	Ike AckermanOhio	Ohio	91.0
6	Scoop Gardner Jr.Western Michigan	Western Michigan	88.2
7	Ahmed TounkaraWestern Michigan	Western Michigan	88.2
8	Xavier WilliamsSacramento State	Sacramento State	88.2
9	Logan GoodwinBuffalo	Buffalo	86.7
10	Tyler GillisonOhio	Ohio	84.4
11	Roosevelt Andrews IIIMiami (OH)	Miami (OH)	82.8
12	Jaxon CherryCentral Michigan	Central Michigan	81.5
13	Cornell EvansBuffalo	Buffalo	80.0
14	Zach JohnsonToledo	Toledo	80.0
15	Zhaiylen ScottMiami (OH)	Miami (OH)	78.5
16	Austin AlexanderWestern Michigan	Western Michigan	77.2
17	Joshua NoblesMassachusetts	Massachusetts	77.2
18	Omari AborAkron	Akron	75.7
19	Aubrey MelvinMassachusetts	Massachusetts	75.7
20	Makhi GilbertEastern Michigan	Eastern Michigan	71.4
21	Kade KostusBowling Green	Bowling Green	71.4
22	Korver DemmaCentral Michigan	Central Michigan	71.4
23	JJ DouglasCentral Michigan	Central Michigan	71.4
24	Nathan VanTimmerenCentral Michigan	Central Michigan	67.5
25	Cyrus DurhamAkron	Akron	65.3
26	Caden CameseToledo	Toledo	65.3
27	Lucas Lambert-PipkinToledo	Toledo	65.3
28	Eriq GeorgeBowling Green	Bowling Green	65.3
29	Zavian TibbsWestern Michigan	Western Michigan	65.3
30	Peyton ChristianEastern Michigan	Eastern Michigan	63.1
31	Hollis DirstineMassachusetts	Massachusetts	63.1
32	Joseph OluwayemiEastern Michigan	Eastern Michigan	63.1
33	Dakari FrazierWestern Michigan	Western Michigan	63.1
34	Vann KavalsAkron	Akron	61.0
35	Aiden BurgessKent State	Kent State	61.0
36	Ameir GlennBall State	Ball State	61.0
37	Rex StinchcombBuffalo	Buffalo	56.7
38	Evan HerrmannOhio	Ohio	56.7
39	Marvell EgglestonEastern Michigan	Eastern Michigan	56.7
40	Nathaniel ChandlerToledo	Toledo	56.7
41	Selah BrownBowling Green	Bowling Green	54.5
42	Miles BaileySacramento State	Sacramento State	54.5
43	Jaihien RoyKent State	Kent State	51.9
44	Romando JohnsonMassachusetts	Massachusetts	51.9
45	KJ BurleyWestern Michigan	Western Michigan	51.9
46	Isiah ChalaSacramento State	Sacramento State	51.9
47	Ben MarshBall State	Ball State	48.5
48	Malik TullisSacramento State	Sacramento State	48.5
49	Maverick GracioBall State	Ball State	48.5
50	Christopher ClimesBuffalo	Buffalo	45.3

Top 50 of 106. 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.