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?

Jahzon Jacks

Fresno State · DL

94.4

Dylan Hampsten

Fresno State · DL

92.1

Linus Zunk

Washington State · DL

86.7

#	Player	Team	Grade
1	Jahzon JacksFresno State	Fresno State	94.4
2	Dylan HampstenFresno State	Fresno State	92.1
3	Linus ZunkWashington State	Washington State	86.7
4	Carson TujagueUtah State	Utah State	85.4
5	Djibril RahmanSan Diego State	San Diego State	84.4
6	Martin OwusuFresno State	Fresno State	82.8
7	Brandon KelleyColorado State	Colorado State	77.2
8	Maverick NoonanFresno State	Fresno State	75.7
9	Tymere JacksonTexas State	Texas State	73.6
10	Tyler BaileyOregon State	Oregon State	73.6
11	Daniel MatagiOregon State	Oregon State	71.4
12	Tevita Pome'eOregon State	Oregon State	69.3
13	Deijon LaffitteFresno State	Fresno State	69.3
14	Malachi FinauSan Diego State	San Diego State	69.3
15	Mikaio EdwardBoise State	Boise State	67.5
16	Tyree MorrisUtah State	Utah State	67.5
17	Jirah LeaupepeteleWashington State	Washington State	63.1
18	Gavriel LightfootSan Diego State	San Diego State	61.0
19	Mordecai HinesFresno State	Fresno State	61.0
20	Matyus McLainWashington State	Washington State	58.7
21	Stephon WrightColorado State	Colorado State	56.7
22	Brady NassarSan Diego State	San Diego State	56.7
23	Malachi WriceWashington State	Washington State	54.5
24	Tae WoodyTexas State	Texas State	54.5
25	Jack MoranColorado State	Colorado State	51.9
26	Mukendi Wa-KalonjiColorado State	Colorado State	51.9
27	Kaden BeattyWashington State	Washington State	51.9
28	Phillip BradfordTexas State	Texas State	45.3
29	Kai WallinSan Diego State	San Diego State	42.1
30	Amari ComierSan Diego State	San Diego State	42.1
31	Josh WedelWashington State	Washington State	42.1
32	Lopez SanusiBoise State	Boise State	37.9
33	Ta'Avili TuitamaUtah State	Utah State	37.9
34	Logan GoodspeedFresno State	Fresno State	32.9
35	Robby HarrisonColorado State	Colorado State	32.9
36	Krishna ClaySan Diego State	San Diego State	28.4
37	Nate HenrichSan Diego State	San Diego State	28.4
38	Jo'Laison LandryTexas State	Texas State	28.4
39	Tyrone FittenColorado State	Colorado State	28.4
40	TaVeon RobinsonColorado State	Colorado State	23.7
41	Chancellor OwensTexas State	Texas State	23.7
42	Merhauti XeperaFresno State	Fresno State	23.7
43	Damarjhe LewisWashington State	Washington State	23.7
44	Sione NoaFresno State	Fresno State	19.1
45	Michael MadrieBoise State	Boise State	15.0
46	Keegan ShankColorado State	Colorado State	15.0
47	Jairus SateleFresno State	Fresno State	15.0
48	DonTerry RussellTexas State	Texas State	15.0
49	Paul Hutson IIIWashington State	Washington State	10.1
50	Eduwa OkundayeWashington State	Washington State	10.1

Top 50 of 54. 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.