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?

CJ Heard

Vanderbilt · DB

99.9

Jett Jefferson

Mississippi State · DB

99.0

Red Morgan

Alabama · DB

98.9

#	Player	Team	Grade
1	CJ HeardVanderbilt	Vanderbilt	99.9
2	Jett JeffersonMississippi State	Mississippi State	99.0
3	Red MorganAlabama	Alabama	98.9
4	Reggie Powers IIIOklahoma	Oklahoma	98.4
5	Santana BannerMissouri	Missouri	98.4
6	Jardin GilbertMississippi State	Mississippi State	98.0
7	Jordan CastellKentucky	Kentucky	97.6
8	Kelley JonesMississippi State	Mississippi State	97.0
9	Peyton BowenOklahoma	Oklahoma	96.6
10	Graceson LittletonTexas	Texas	95.3
11	Marcus WilliamsMississippi State	Mississippi State	94.9
12	Jelani McDonaldTexas	Texas	93.2
13	Jaylon BraxtonOle Miss	Ole Miss	93.2
14	Andre Jordan Jr.Auburn	Auburn	93.2
15	Cayden DanielsVanderbilt	Vanderbilt	92.4
16	Dijon Lee Jr.Alabama	Alabama	91.6
17	Eric WintersAuburn	Auburn	91.0
18	Sione LauleaMissouri	Missouri	89.9
19	Ricardo JonesVanderbilt	Vanderbilt	89.0
20	Kade PhillipsTexas	Texas	89.0
21	Khmori HouseArkansas	Arkansas	89.0
22	Tamarcus CooleyLSU	LSU	87.9
23	KJ BoldenGeorgia	Georgia	87.9
24	Kaleb HarrisAuburn	Auburn	87.9
25	Qua MossTennessee	Tennessee	86.6
26	Ty BryantKentucky	Kentucky	86.6
27	Peyton WilliamsSouth Carolina	South Carolina	86.6
28	Mason LewisVanderbilt	Vanderbilt	85.3
29	Ty BenefieldLSU	LSU	85.3
30	Christian HarrisonArkansas	Arkansas	85.3
31	Bray HubbardAlabama	Alabama	84.3
32	Dre RileyMississippi State	Mississippi State	84.3
33	Julio HumphreyTexas A&M	Texas A&M	83.3
34	Marcus RatcliffeTexas A&M	Texas A&M	82.5
35	Dejuan LaneTennessee	Tennessee	81.8
36	Ellis Robinson IVGeorgia	Georgia	80.9
37	Vicari SwainSouth Carolina	South Carolina	79.8
38	Martel HightVanderbilt	Vanderbilt	78.3
39	Omarion RobinsonOklahoma	Oklahoma	78.3
40	Kensley Louidor-FaustinMissouri	Missouri	78.3
41	Zabien BrownAlabama	Alabama	76.4
42	Keon SabbAlabama	Alabama	74.7
43	DJ ColemanFlorida	Florida	74.7
44	PJ WoodlandLSU	LSU	74.7
45	DJ PickettLSU	LSU	74.7
46	Isaac SmithMississippi State	Mississippi State	74.7
47	Hasaan SykesKentucky	Kentucky	73.0
48	Bravion RogersTexas A&M	Texas A&M	73.0
49	Dashawn SpearsLSU	LSU	71.2
50	Kendel DolbyMississippi State	Mississippi State	71.2

Top 50 of 146. 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.