CFB Zeitgeist Score
68
Solid starter in the position cohort. Carried by rec tds at the 95th percentile.
Benjamin Brahmer
One of Usas of 2026-06-22
Benjamin Brahmer is Iowa State's steady hand — loved less for the stat line than for staying.
446REC YDS37REC6REC TD
TEAM RECEIVING YARDS LEADER
446
Team leader in receiving yards (446).
Iowa State fans claim him as family first and a player second.
low confidence1 source
Minority viewA vocal minority sees it the other way.
Read the story so far
AI narrative · updated 2026-06-22 · compiled from CFB Zeitgeist data
2026 Outlook
Returning to Iowa State for 2026
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Tight end · Iowa State
Returning around him
- 58% of 2024 offensive production back (Solid continuity)
- 1 Iowa State player drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -7 net (48 in / 55 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Iowa State · Last season: 8-4 (AP #22) · Talent rank #71 · 2026 recruiting class #54
TE · IOWA STATE · BIG 12
Benjamin Brahmer
- 3
- #18
- 6-7 | 255 lb
- Pierce, NE
Heisman Heat
#2022
<1% win probability
Fan Belief
Awaiting
Player-specific FI not yet ingested. Falls back to team mood below.
Respect Gap
Awaiting
Coming online with player-level FI.
Reality Gap
Awaiting
Coming online with player-level FI.
ACCOLADE PROBABILITY
Heisman
<1%
TOP TE AWARD
Mackey
—
CONSENSUS
All-American
—
Player Standing · 17 rungs
Tier 2 · StarterR07 · Impact starter
Impact starter. Producing measurable value above replacement.
Not on team2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career arc · Season-by-season Standing
2 seasons on the ladder
2023
Iowa State · TE
—
★
2025
Iowa State · TE
R09 · All-Conference HM / 2nd team
Recognized
Development Trajectory · receiving yards
2023–2025+27%
Up 27% from first season to most-recent.
Career Arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
Iowa State
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Identity & Role
The durable bio layer: position, size, hometown, and roster role.
Recruiting Pedigree
How big the prospect was before college, and whether the later career arc beat that expectation.
| Class | Profile | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 3-star | 0.8736 | No. 760 recruit | HighSchool | Iowa State |
Transfer Arc
Portal movement changes role, context, and perception. This keeps that path in one place.
| Season | Move | Context |
|---|---|---|
| No transfer portal moves on file for this player. | ||
Heisman Lens · 2024 Season · Final
Where the player landed at the end of the listed season — final nowcast rank, win/finalist/ballot probabilities, and the cleanest official Heisman placement on file.
HIGH CONFIDENCE· through week 16Heisman Futures
Not yet listed on major futures markets.
Achievements
- Program Benchmark 5.5% Program Benchmark Season leader for the program at the player's position across the headline volume metric (passing yards / rushing yards / receiving yards). Held by 5.5% of the 2025 pool. Team leader in receiving yards (446).
Selector Grid · 2025
AP—
FWAA—
AFCA—
WCFF—
SN—
SI—
NIL · Recruiting · NFL Draft
Market value, pedigree & pro outcome
Recruit stars
★★★☆☆
to Iowa State
Composite
0.8736
#760 national
Today’s Hot-Take
The Hot-Take engine fires when this player’s percentile profile crosses a defensible threshold (top 10% in a cohort, 100+ snap sample). When it’s quiet, the model is honoring its “must be defensible” rule.
Anti-Take
PENDINGThe contrarian read fires when the rules-engine detects a stat that complicates the Hot-Take. Quiet here means the model hasn’t found a defensible counter yet — not that one doesn’t exist.
The Room on Benjamin Brahmer
Fan sentiment ·
Belief Meter
60
Mixed Sentiment
Top Take
“”
Trajectory
Per-cohort trajectory lands when historical bucket data is aggregated.
Cohort divergence map
- Own fans · n=10
Rival Radar
How rival fanbases talk about Benjamin Brahmer
No rival-bucket mentions in the current season.
2025 Signature · 2025 season
Receiving TDs
6
count
All FBS WRs, min 20 receptions
National rank #55 of 531
Percentile vs All FBS WRs, min 20 receptions 90th
Why it matters
#55 of 531 All FBS WRs in receiving TDs — 6 TDs on 37 receptions.
Vs cohort
This player 6 (90th)
HIGH · n=37 cohort 531
- Also strong
- Yards per reception#286 / 531
- Receiving yards (total)#262 / 531
Signature Moment
Week 1 vs South Dakota — 2 receiving_tds
Result W 55-7
The week the volume broke through — stacked 2 td vs South Dakota.
Season Pace · Projection
Where the receiving totals stand
Through 12g
446Rec yards
37Receptions
6Rec TDs
Per game
37.2Rec yards
3Receptions
0Rec TDs
Projected (13g)
483.2Rec yards
40Receptions
6Rec TDs
To hit 700-yard receiver (currently 446): needs 254/game over remaining 1.
To hit 1,000-yard receiver (currently 446): needs 554/game over remaining 1.
To hit 60-catch season (currently 37): needs 23/game over remaining 1.
To hit 80-catch season (currently 37): needs 43/game over remaining 1.
To hit 8 receiving TDs (currently 6): needs 2/game over remaining 1.
To hit 10 receiving TDs (currently 6): needs 4/game over remaining 1.
Why the honors trail matters
The fast read on the thing that makes this player more than a generic stat line.
The useful clue on this card is not just the Heisman rank, but the broader honors spine. Benjamin Brahmer already has 1 loaded recognition item, which helps distinguish a player who is merely productive from one who is already earning selector-level validation.
2025 Season · Final
Traditional stats first. Advanced context underneath.
Last season
TE season snapshot
2025 season snapshot | final
2025 season snapshot | finalData: CFBD player stats + local Heisman modelPeer context: same position + same level
Player identity What kind of player is this?
30-second read
What kind of player is this?
Target magnet against FBS receiving peers.
2025 Season · Final
2025 season snapshot | final
Receiving
REC
37 95th
YDS
446 95th
YPR
12.1 75th
TD
6 99th
Rushing
CAR
1 51st
YDS
-2 8th
YPC
-2.0 6th
TD
0 69th
Game Log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 12 games
| Wk | Opp | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 24-21@ Kansas State | 2 | 41 | 20.5 | 0 | 21 | 2 TD catches |
| Wk 1 | W 55-7vs South Dakota | 7 | 47 | 6.7 | 2 | 15 | 2 TD catches |
| Wk 2 | W 16-13vs Iowa | 4 | 18 | 4.5 | 1 | 6 | |
| Wk 3 | W 24-16@ Arkansas State | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 0 | 3 | |
| Wk 5 | W 39-14vs Arizona | 2 | 29 | 14.5 | 0 | 27 | |
| Wk 6 | L 30-38@ Cincinnati | 3 | 48 | 16.0 | 0 | 22 | |
| Wk 7 | L 17-24@ Colorado | 5 | 56 | 11.2 | 0 | 26 | |
| Wk 9 | L 27-41vs BYU | 5 | 75 | 15.0 | 0 | 24 | Season-high 75 yds |
| Wk 10 | L 19-24vs Arizona State | 3 | 48 | 16.0 | 1 | 24 | |
| Wk 11 | W 20-17@ TCU | 1 | 23 | 23.0 | 1 | 23 | |
| Wk 13 | W 38-14vs Kansas | 3 | 34 | 11.3 | 1 | 17 | |
| Wk 14 | W 20-13@ Oklahoma State | 1 | 24 | 24.0 | 0 | 24 | |
| Total | 37 | 446 | 13.8 | 6 | 27 |
Season-by-season tables Career rows + per-season box score
Traditional history
Traditional Stats
Season rows up top, career context at the bottom.
Season context · Team result + system
2023Iowa State7-6HC: Matt Campbell · Balanced, slow tempo
2025Iowa State8-4HC: Matt Campbell · Run-leaning
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Iowa State | 37 | 446 | 12.1 | 6 | -- |
| 2023 | Iowa State | 28 | 352 | 12.6 | 2 | -- |
| Career | 2 loaded seasons | 65 | 798 | 12.3 | 8 | -- |
Advanced layer Usage, value, and context
Advanced metrics second
Advanced Metrics
Usage, value, and opponent-adjusted context.
The tight end's share of the passing offense, which helps distinguish a featured receiving tight end from a secondary option.
A blended usage view that shows how often the offense flows through the tight end compared with other same-level peers.
Every percentile is compared against players at the same position and level, so an FBS quarterback is judged against FBS quarterbacks, not the whole sport.
The top tables stick to the stats fans already know from broadcasts and box scores. Advanced context is pushed underneath instead of replacing the basics.
Open full stat explorer
| Group | Metric | Value | Rank | Pct | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Receiving | Receptions | 37 | #23/475 | 95th pct | Volumevs FBS TE |
| Receiving | Receiving yards | 446 | #26/475 | 95th pct | Volumevs FBS TE |
| Receiving | Receiving TD | 6 | #6/475 | 99th pct | Scoringvs FBS TE |
| Receiving | Yards / catch | 12.1 | #119/475 | 75th pct | Efficiencyvs FBS TE |
| Usage | Pass share | 13.0% | #43/468 | 91st pct | Air-game usagevs FBS TE |
| Rushing | Carries | 1 | #30/59 | 51st pct | Volumevs FBS TE |
| Rushing | Rush TD | 0 | #20/62 | 69th pct | Scoringvs FBS TE |
| Rushing | Rushing yards | -2 | #50/53 | 8th pct | Volumevs FBS TE |
| Rushing | Yards / carry | -2.0 | #51/53 | 6th pct | Efficiencyvs FBS TE |
| Receiving | Receiving LONG | 27 | #162/475 | 66th pct | Metricvs FBS TE |
| Usage | 3rd-down usage | 9.0% | #39/468 | 92nd pct | Money-down loadvs FBS TE |
| Usage | Passing-down usage | 8.3% | #47/468 | 90th pct | Known-passing sharevs FBS TE |
| Usage | Role share | 5.8% | #57/468 | 88th pct | Share of team offensevs FBS TE |
| Usage | 2nd-down usage | 5.5% | #83/468 | 82nd pct | Middle-down loadvs FBS TE |
| Usage | 1st-down usage | 5.1% | #77/468 | 84th pct | Early-down loadvs FBS TE |
| Usage | Standard-down usage | 4.8% | #77/468 | 84th pct | Base-situation sharevs FBS TE |
| Usage | Rush share | 0.3% | #43/468 | 91st pct | Ground-game usagevs FBS TE |
Player Standing
Universal 17-step ladder. Tier pills below; accolade streams nested.
ALL-CONF HM
On-team2-deepStartingRecognizedEliteApex
ALL-CONF HM · Rung 9 of 16
Why he’s here
All-Conference honorable mention / 2nd team — the recognition has started.
What moves him up
A best-at-position run lifts to 1st team.
What moves him down
A back-end conference finish drops out of the honor list.
Accolade streams
Status—Awaiting tracker
The Mackey award tracker integrates per-week probability once a dedicated scraper for this award lands. Confirmed past winners and finalists for this player will surface here.
Splits · Per-game
2025 season · 12 games
Home vs Road
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home6g | 4.0 | 41.8 | 11.3 | 0.8 |
| Road6g | 2.2 | 32.5 | 16.3 | 0.2 |
Win vs Loss
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wins8g | 2.6 | 27.4 | 13.4 | 0.6 |
| Losses4g | 4.0 | 56.8 | 14.6 | 0.2 |
First half vs Second half
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 3.4 | 34.6 | 10.9 | 0.4 |
| Weeks 8+5g | 2.6 | 40.8 | 17.9 | 0.6 |
Pocket and defense-quality (clean vs. pressure) splits are coming soon.
Savant · Box-rate percentiles
Where this profile ranks vs the TE cohort
68Solid starter
Elite: rec tds (94th). Strength: receptions (85th). Concern: rush yards (4th).
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Advanced Savant · TE · 2024
Percentile Card
Advanced opponent-adjusted percentile bars are coming soon for this player.
P4G5All FBS
Advanced Savant
Opponent-adjusted advanced metrics with a cohort filter.
Advanced opponent-adjusted metrics are coming soon for this player. Selected cohort: P4.
Peer Comparator · Fingerprint match
Three closest profiles by box-rate percentile
Benjamin BrahmerIowa StateChamon MetayerArizona State· 83% simGarrett OakleyKansas State· 82% simTrey'Dez GreenLSU· 81% sim
Rec TDs
Receptions
Rec yards
Yards / catch
Rush TDs
Long catch
Rush yards
Closest peers by overall box-score percentile profile at the same position.
Player DNA
The Red-Zone Weapon
The first name called near the goal line. Blocking is secondary.
TE
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Jared Wiley’s 2022 season.
Jared Wiley
74%match
NFL Rd 4
#2
Kole Taylor
All-Big 12
72%
#3
Isaac Rex
64%
#4
Travis Vokolek
64%
#5
Lucas Krull
All-ACC
60%
Matches Jared on
Total EPA (college ability)
Height
Yards / reception
Differs from Jared on
Reception volume (higher)
EPA / play (adj) (lower)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Brett Norfleet's junior season at Missouri (2025).
Brett Norfleet
78%match
#2
Jared Wiley
All-Big 12NFL Rd 4
71%
#3
Davis Allen
All-ACCNFL Rd 5
70%
#4
Keaton Upshaw
69%
#5
Travis Vokolek
69%
Matches Brett on
Total EPA (college ability)
Weight
Height
Differs from Brett on
Recruiting rating (lower)
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Matt Campbell
Pass share
42.4%
345 pass / 469 run
Plays / game
67.8
12 games
OL sack rate (allowed)
6.8%
296 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Coaching Lineage · 2023–2025
1 coach2023
Matt Campbell
Iowa State
2025
Matt Campbell
Iowa State
Played his entire career under Matt Campbell.
Bio · Recruiting · Transfer · Roster
Off-field context — switch tabs to drill into recruit profile, transfer arc, or roster timeline.
HometownPierce, NE
Height6'7"
Weight255 lb
Class3
PositionTE
Jersey18
No fields populated yet.
No fields populated yet.
Current teamIowa State
ConferenceBig 12
Joined2025
Career arc3 season(s)
Trophy Case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
🎖
ALL-CONFERENCE
All-Conf mention (2025)
All-Big 12
Trophy Case · Detail
Every honor on the ledger, broken out by stream and selector.
1 all-conference honor
Conference-level recognition helps anchor whether a player is merely statistically loud or actually viewed as elite within his competitive lane.
Honors Timeline
Season-end distinction and week-by-week recognition on one timeline.
| Season | Honor | Scope | Team / Selector | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | All-Big 12 | all_conference | Iowa State | Big 12 | TE |
Heisman By Year
Modeled rank and official finish by season.
| Season | Team | Role | Latest Model | Forecast | Win | Finalist | Official Finish | Points | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Iowa State | TE3 | #2022 | #1716 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W16 snapshot | Big 12 |
| 2023 | Iowa State | TE3 | #769 | #775 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W19 snapshot | Big 12 |
Roster Timeline
Team, conference, and class by season.
| Season | Team | Conference | Pos | Class | Bio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Iowa State | Big 12 | TE | 3 | No. 18 | 6-7 | 255 lb | Pierce, NE |
| 2024 | Iowa State | Big 12 | TE | 3 | No. 18 | 6-7 | 255 lb | Pierce, NE |
| 2023 | Iowa State | Big 12 | TE | 3 | No. 18 | 6-7 | 255 lb | Pierce, NE |