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?

Caleb Clark-Glover

Marshall · DB

95.3

Brent Gordon Jr.

Louisiana · DB

94.4

Joe Drew

Arkansas State · DB

93.7

#	Player	Team	Grade
1	Caleb Clark-GloverMarshall	Marshall	95.3
2	Brent Gordon Jr.Louisiana	Louisiana	94.4
3	Joe DrewArkansas State	Arkansas State	93.7
4	Cole BlaylockSouth Alabama	South Alabama	92.4
5	Jayon HarveyJames Madison	James Madison	91.6
6	Collin JacobLouisiana	Louisiana	91.0
7	Ken WillisJames Madison	James Madison	89.9
8	Lucas StruckOld Dominion	Old Dominion	89.9
9	Brandon CrutchfieldOld Dominion	Old Dominion	89.0
10	Justin PoweTroy	Troy	89.0
11	Donnie SmithTroy	Troy	87.9
12	Five HamiltonArkansas State	Arkansas State	86.6
13	Michael Robinson IIISouthern Miss	Southern Miss	86.6
14	Maurion EleamLouisiana	Louisiana	85.3
15	Jordan McRaeLouisiana Tech	Louisiana Tech	85.3
16	Jakyri JonesGeorgia Southern	Georgia Southern	82.5
17	Deuce LeeGeorgia State	Georgia State	81.8
18	Jabari TillerUL Monroe	UL Monroe	81.8
19	Zion FrinkOld Dominion	Old Dominion	79.8
20	Carl FauntroyUL Monroe	UL Monroe	78.3
21	Tyson McCraryGeorgia State	Georgia State	78.3
22	Donovan FariaGeorgia State	Georgia State	78.3
23	Taeden RogersLouisiana Tech	Louisiana Tech	76.4
24	Landon SylvieSouthern Miss	Southern Miss	76.4
25	Eddie Pleasant IIIMarshall	Marshall	76.4
26	AG McGheeArkansas State	Arkansas State	76.4
27	Jesse Powell IICoastal Carolina	Coastal Carolina	76.4
28	DJ KellyJames Madison	James Madison	76.4
29	Brandon RoseCoastal Carolina	Coastal Carolina	74.7
30	Mario EasterlyOld Dominion	Old Dominion	74.7
31	Devin HendersonApp State	App State	73.0
32	Brandon GreilArkansas State	Arkansas State	73.0
33	Chance GambleGeorgia Southern	Georgia Southern	73.0
34	Daytione SmithMarshall	Marshall	71.2
35	Dre WalkerApp State	App State	71.2
36	Jyaire BrownSouthern Miss	Southern Miss	71.2
37	Kaleb PurdyApp State	App State	71.2
38	Daevon IlesOld Dominion	Old Dominion	68.9
39	Juan BerchalApp State	App State	68.9
40	Jamarion KeyesTroy	Troy	68.9
41	Seth GathersJames Madison	James Madison	68.9
42	Sam FongangLouisiana Tech	Louisiana Tech	68.9
43	Avery DemeryLouisiana	Louisiana	68.9
44	Damyrion DarbySouth Alabama	South Alabama	66.8
45	Dallas YoungSouth Alabama	South Alabama	66.8
46	Dontrae HendersonArkansas State	Arkansas State	66.8
47	KJ FloweJames Madison	James Madison	65.2
48	Jayvon HendersonSouth Alabama	South Alabama	63.5
49	Khalil ConleyApp State	App State	63.5
50	Jalen LeeCoastal Carolina	Coastal Carolina	61.6

Top 50 of 126. 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.