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?

Alonzo Jackson Jr.

Louisiana Tech · LB

96.9

Nakian Jackson

James Madison · LB

92.2

JT Hooten

James Madison · LB

92.2

#	Player	Team	Grade
1	Alonzo Jackson Jr.Louisiana Tech	Louisiana Tech	96.9
2	Nakian JacksonJames Madison	James Madison	92.2
3	JT HootenJames Madison	James Madison	92.2
4	Jackson ForrestOld Dominion	Old Dominion	87.8
5	Robert StevensArkansas State	Arkansas State	85.6
6	Conor McPhersonLouisiana	Louisiana	84.6
7	Xavier EsqillionGeorgia State	Georgia State	84.6
8	Mario ThompsonOld Dominion	Old Dominion	81.9
9	Jaydon HoodGeorgia State	Georgia State	79.1
10	Kolbe FieldsLouisiana Tech	Louisiana Tech	78.5
11	Noah FlemmingsUL Monroe	UL Monroe	77.4
12	Rashon Myles Jr.Georgia Southern	Georgia Southern	75.9
13	Carson SloanApp State	App State	74.7
14	Marcellius PulliamCoastal Carolina	Coastal Carolina	73.6
15	Jadon MayfieldLouisiana Tech	Louisiana Tech	73.6
16	Mathis HaygoodSouthern Miss	Southern Miss	72.0
17	Colton PharesApp State	App State	72.0
18	Coby OwensGeorgia State	Georgia State	68.6
19	Cannon LewisMarshall	Marshall	67.0
20	Wesley EdisonSouthern Miss	Southern Miss	65.5
21	TJ ThompsonTroy	Troy	65.5
22	Jordan PerryTroy	Troy	65.5
23	Jake St. AndreLouisiana	Louisiana	64.1
24	Anthony BynumGeorgia Southern	Georgia Southern	64.1
25	Jordan ThompsonCoastal Carolina	Coastal Carolina	63.0
26	Parker ShattuckSouth Alabama	South Alabama	63.0
27	Alex MitchellApp State	App State	61.8
28	Ashley WilliamsLouisiana	Louisiana	60.5
29	Jordan WilliamsSouth Alabama	South Alabama	59.3
30	Marcus RossUL Monroe	UL Monroe	55.9
31	Javae GilmoreMarshall	Marshall	54.0
32	Zheric HillLouisiana Tech	Louisiana Tech	54.0
33	Koa NaotalaOld Dominion	Old Dominion	52.8
34	Avery SledgeSouthern Miss	Southern Miss	51.5
35	Tre'Mon HenrySouth Alabama	South Alabama	49.6
36	MJ StroudGeorgia Southern	Georgia Southern	47.7
37	Keshawn ThomasApp State	App State	45.3
38	Xavious Anderson Jr.South Alabama	South Alabama	45.3
39	Doug NelsonTroy	Troy	42.7
40	Ja'Mez DrummerOld Dominion	Old Dominion	40.8
41	TJ WilliamsUL Monroe	UL Monroe	40.8
42	Brandon TysonGeorgia Southern	Georgia Southern	40.8
43	Jaeden CalenderUL Monroe	UL Monroe	36.9
44	Christian RossSouth Alabama	South Alabama	32.2
45	Billy PullenUL Monroe	UL Monroe	32.2
46	Lester JonesLouisiana	Louisiana	30.0
47	Rickey BanksUL Monroe	UL Monroe	30.0
48	Tyler LassiterSouthern Miss	Southern Miss	30.0
49	Montrell ChapmanOld Dominion	Old Dominion	27.9
50	Bryce SteeleTroy	Troy	27.9

Top 50 of 74. 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.