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?

Dylan LaBarbera

Nevada · DL

97.9

Darren Agu

New Mexico · DL

95.7

Justin Stearns

San José State · DL

92.1

#	Player	Team	Grade
1	Dylan LaBarberaNevada	Nevada	97.9
2	Darren AguNew Mexico	New Mexico	95.7
3	Justin StearnsSan José State	San José State	92.1
4	Kal-El TogafauUNLV	UNLV	91.0
5	Xavier SlaytonNew Mexico	New Mexico	91.0
6	Esaia BogarWyoming	Wyoming	91.0
7	Jeremiah TuiileilaSan José State	San José State	89.8
8	Myles WilliamsNevada	Nevada	87.5
9	Andre PorterUNLV	UNLV	86.7
10	Jayden Williams (DT)Wyoming	Wyoming	84.4
11	Kelton McCaslinNorth Dakota State	North Dakota State	82.8
12	Geoffrey Speight Jr.Hawai'i	Hawai'i	80.0
13	Lucas ContiUNLV	UNLV	80.0
14	Blake SchiltzNorth Dakota State	North Dakota State	75.7
15	Kole SneedNorthern Illinois	Northern Illinois	75.7
16	Jay'shon ThomasNorthern Illinois	Northern Illinois	73.6
17	Jack DunkleyWyoming	Wyoming	73.6
18	Logan LarsonNorth Dakota State	North Dakota State	73.6
19	Elijah FieldsUTEP	UTEP	73.6
20	Luther McCoyHawai'i	Hawai'i	69.3
21	Spencer ElliottHawai'i	Hawai'i	69.3
22	Ka'eo AkanaHawai'i	Hawai'i	65.3
23	Derek BurnsUTEP	UTEP	65.3
24	Jayland McGlothenSan José State	San José State	65.3
25	Jalen McIverNew Mexico	New Mexico	65.3
26	Kenji ScanlanUNLV	UNLV	65.3
27	Matthew StenbrotenNorth Dakota State	North Dakota State	65.3
28	Brett KarhuNew Mexico	New Mexico	63.1
29	David Paine Jr.Nevada	Nevada	63.1
30	Ozzy PollardHawai'i	Hawai'i	58.7
31	Keenan WilsonNorth Dakota State	North Dakota State	58.7
32	Shakaun BowserUTEP	UTEP	56.7
33	Dante DrakeWyoming	Wyoming	48.5
34	Lesterlaisene LagafuainaHawai'i	Hawai'i	48.5
35	Oryend FisherUTEP	UTEP	48.5
36	Logologo Va'aNevada	Nevada	45.3
37	Jacob McGheeNorthern Illinois	Northern Illinois	45.3
38	Albert TuakalauNew Mexico	New Mexico	42.1
39	Solomone LangiSan José State	San José State	37.9
40	Josh SagapoluteleHawai'i	Hawai'i	37.9
41	Noah DanielsAir Force	Air Force	37.9
42	Andrew TillettAir Force	Air Force	37.9
43	Noah WilyHawai'i	Hawai'i	32.9
44	Ashton CokerUTEP	UTEP	32.9
45	Dycin DavisUTEP	UTEP	32.9
46	Brian BookerNew Mexico	New Mexico	32.9
47	Jason Hemphill IINevada	Nevada	28.4
48	Antonio MenardAir Force	Air Force	28.4
49	Dejon RoneySan José State	San José State	28.4
50	Etu FinauSan José State	San José State	28.4

Top 50 of 78. 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.