Cody Kessler

Former quarterback at USC. 2015: 3,536 passing yards, 29 TD, 7 INT.

QB · USC · #6

6′1″ · Bakersfield, CA

Cleveland — drafted 2016, Rd 3, Pick 30, #93 overall

Recruiting

4★

PRO recruit

No. 142 nationally · Signed with USC

Statement game372 yds · 6 TDvs Notre Dame (FBS) · W 49-14

Top 0.1% passing TDs game since 2021.

His career numbers, season by season

The story

Former quarterback at USC. 2015: 3,536 passing yards, 29 TD, 7 INT.

Signed as a 4-star recruit to USC in 2011.
Drafted round 3 by the Cleveland in 2016.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Two seasons at USC, 7,362 passing yards — drafted at #93 overall by Cleveland.

His career

2011

Signed with USC4-star out of Centennial

2016

Drafted by Clevelandround 3, pick 93

Career arc

Recruit

★★★★

#142 national

CFB

College

USC

2014–2015

NFL

NFL Draft

R3 · #93

Cleveland · 2016

Coaching lineage · 2014–2015

2 coaches

2014

Steve Sarkisian

USC

2015

Clay Helton

USC

era →

Coaching transition mid-career: Steve Sarkisian → Clay Helton. Worth noting in scheme + development context.

Where He Ended Up · NFL

ClevelandEntering 11th NFL season

#93Rd 3 · Pick 30

ClevelandEntering 11th NFL season

View college career stats ↓

2015 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2014USC9-4HC: Steve Sarkisian · Balanced

2015USC8-6HC: Clay Helton · Balanced

Where this profile ranks vs the QB cohort

Box-score percentiles

7 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: pass tds (91st percentile). Strength: completion % (91st percentile). Concern: rush yards (1st percentile).

Box-score rates (7)

Pass TDs#14 / 167 · 91st pct

Completion %#15 / 167 · 91st pct

66.8%

Pass yards#21 / 167 · 88th pct

3536

Yards / att#48 / 167 · 71st pct

7.9

Rush TDs#48 / 167 · 70th pct

Interceptions#69 / 167 · 53rd pct

Rush yards#165 / 167 · 1st pct

-149

Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2015 season · 14 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	YDS/g	TD/g	YPA	INT/g
Home7g	251	2.1	8.5	0.3
Road7g	254	2.0	7.6	0.7

First half vs Second half

	YDS/g	TD/g	YPA	INT/g
Weeks 1-77g	291	2.6	8.9	0.9
Weeks 8+7g	214	1.6	7.1	0.1

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Lincoln Riley

Pass share

46.0%

97 pass / 114 run

Plays / game

70.3

3 games

Scheme: Run-leaning.

Awards

Player standing · 2015

Impact starter

Producing measurably more than a replacement-level starter.

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Career stats

Season	Team
2015	USC	298	446	66.8%	3,536	7.9	29	7	151.7	--	--	--
2014	USC	315	452	69.7%	3,826	8.5	39	5	167.1	--	--	--
Career		613	898	68.3%	7,362	8.2	68	12	159.4	--	--	--

Season	Team
2015	USC	61	-149	-2.4	4	--
2014	USC	55	-152	-2.8	2	--
Career		116	-301	-2.6	6	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 13 · 2015

W 40–21

vs UCLA

175 yds · 2 TD · 0 INT · QBR 55.4 · -1 rush yds (5 car) · 1 TD

With K. Albarado — 40 AVG · 53 LONG · 7 NO · A. Jackson — 17 AVG · 20 LONG · 3 NO

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week