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?

Ibrahim Diawara

Coastal Carolina · DL

99.3

Caleb Sandstrom

App State · DL

93.3

Kevin Roberts

James Madison · DL

87.5

#	Player	Team	Grade
1	Ibrahim DiawaraCoastal Carolina	Coastal Carolina	99.3
2	Caleb SandstromApp State	App State	93.3
3	Kevin RobertsJames Madison	James Madison	87.5
4	Alex MullingsGeorgia State	Georgia State	86.7
5	Kelvon McBrideMarshall	Marshall	85.4
6	Danny RoysterJames Madison	James Madison	83.7
7	Elijah FearsGeorgia Southern	Georgia Southern	82.8
8	Elias ShermanArkansas State	Arkansas State	81.5
9	Jabriel Rhodes-NelsonGeorgia State	Georgia State	81.5
10	Jameer LewisSouthern Miss	Southern Miss	81.5
11	Ryan ReeseArkansas State	Arkansas State	81.5
12	DeAndre LynchOld Dominion	Old Dominion	80.0
13	Aiden BentonApp State	App State	80.0
14	Javen GibsonOld Dominion	Old Dominion	78.5
15	Amar ThomasJames Madison	James Madison	77.2
16	Aaron ClarkApp State	App State	77.2
17	Lane CondryLouisiana Tech	Louisiana Tech	73.6
18	Stephen JohnsonSouth Alabama	South Alabama	73.6
19	Ty ClemonsTroy	Troy	73.6
20	Kells BushJames Madison	James Madison	71.4
21	Kei'Trone SimpsonJames Madison	James Madison	69.3
22	Ahmad PooleCoastal Carolina	Coastal Carolina	69.3
23	Nate BlancMarshall	Marshall	69.3
24	Kenyatta HardgeMarshall	Marshall	69.3
25	Nasim CairoSouthern Miss	Southern Miss	69.3
26	Mase LewisSouth Alabama	South Alabama	67.5
27	Kameron CyprienSouthern Miss	Southern Miss	67.5
28	Ahmaad FosterOld Dominion	Old Dominion	65.3
29	JR StegallSouthern Miss	Southern Miss	65.3
30	Ramon PernasSouthern Miss	Southern Miss	63.1
31	Jonah ReederGeorgia State	Georgia State	63.1
32	Fitzgerald West Jr.Louisiana	Louisiana	61.0
33	Tyrell BrownUL Monroe	UL Monroe	61.0
34	Braydin WardMarshall	Marshall	58.7
35	Rasheed LovelaceJames Madison	James Madison	56.7
36	Jacarius ClaytonMarshall	Marshall	54.5
37	O'Marion BrownGeorgia Southern	Georgia Southern	54.5
38	CJ WilsonUL Monroe	UL Monroe	51.9
39	Malachi HarrisOld Dominion	Old Dominion	51.9
40	Cole FunderburkMarshall	Marshall	51.9
41	DJ WesolakCoastal Carolina	Coastal Carolina	48.5
42	Mitchell ToneyCoastal Carolina	Coastal Carolina	48.5
43	Turner SchmidtJames Madison	James Madison	48.5
44	Kam CurryTroy	Troy	48.5
45	E'Mauri SmileySouth Alabama	South Alabama	45.3
46	Kavion HendersonTroy	Troy	45.3
47	Mandjou BerteGeorgia State	Georgia State	45.3
48	Priest AsheLouisiana	Louisiana	45.3
49	Za'Qwaun NunnLouisiana Tech	Louisiana Tech	45.3
50	A'mari WilsonSouthern Miss	Southern Miss	45.3

Top 50 of 98. 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.