cfb zeitgeistZeitgeist
OFFSEASON · SUMMER 2026 · COMMITMENT SEASON
Heisman / Players / Cole Blaylock /South Alabama

Cole Blaylock

S · South Alabama · So · #14

Below the discourse floor — the honest stats-only state.

12 TACKLES · 0 SACKS

2026 RETURNINGReturning to South Alabama for 2026

2026 Outlook

Returning to South Alabama for 2026

2026 Depth chart

Projected starter

Safety · South Alabama

Returning around him

  • 25% of 2024 offensive production back (Heavy turnover)
  • Transfer portal: -18 net (12 in / 30 out)

2026 Award watch

No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)

South Alabama · Last season: 4-8 · Talent rank #102 · 2026 recruiting class #118

S · SOUTH ALABAMA · SUN BELT

Cole Blaylock

  • 2
  • #14
  • 6-0 | 191 lb
  • Mobile, AL

CFB Zeitgeist Score

25

Below cohort in the position cohort. Carried by passes defended at the 48th percentile.

Heisman Heat

#13684

<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 DB AWARD

Jim Thorpe

CONSENSUS

All-American

Player Standing · 17 rungs

Tier 1 · 2-deep

R04 · Rotational

Rotational. Earning real snaps in the rotation.

Not on team2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Career Arc

HS
Recruit
★★★
#2204 national
CFB
College
South Alabama
2025
NFL
NFL Draft
Not drafted (yet)

Identity & Role

The durable bio layer: position, size, hometown, and roster role.

PositionS
Class2
Jersey14
Measurements6-0 | 191 lb
HometownMobile, AL
Primary teamSouth Alabama

Recruiting Pedigree

How big the prospect was before college, and whether the later career arc beat that expectation.

Top pedigree 3-star No. 2204 recruit
Composite rating 0.8096 HighSchool
Signed with South Alabama 2023
Origin UMS-Wright Preparatory School Mobile, AL, USA
Class Profile Context
2023 3-star | 0.8096 No. 2204 recruit | HighSchool | South Alabama

Transfer Arc

Portal movement changes role, context, and perception. This keeps that path in one place.

Portal moves 0 No portal entry on file
Latest destination -- --
Transfer stars -- CFBD transfer rating context
Eligibility -- Transfer date TBD
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 16
Current nowcast#13684Latest modeled ballot order
Season forecast#13608Where the full season sim points
Win probability0.0%Chance to actually win the trophy
Finalist probability0.0%Chance to make the finalist tier
Ballot probability0.0%Chance to appear anywhere on a ballot
Best official finish--Best completed Heisman placement on file

Heisman Futures

Not yet listed on major futures markets.

No achievements unlocked yet this season.

Selector Grid · 2025

AP
FWAA
AFCA
WCFF
SN
SI

Selector recognition fills in once the major honors lists (AP, FWAA, AFCA, Walter Camp, Sporting News, SI) are scraped and ingested.

NIL · Recruiting · NFL Draft

Market value, pedigree & pro outcome

Recruit stars

★★★☆☆

to South Alabama

Composite

0.8096

#2204 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

PENDING

The 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 Cole Blaylock

Fan sentiment · Awaiting signal

The Room reads fan conversation around a player — who’s talking, what they believe, and how that shifts. It publishes once weekly volume rebuilds; for most players that’s in-season, when game-week chatter spikes.

Cohort divergence map

Cohort divergence reads how different fanbases talk about this player. Returns once weekly mentions clear the publish floor.

Rival Radar

How rival fanbases talk about Cole Blaylock

No rival-bucket mentions in the current season.

Signature Story

Awaiting candidate metric

He hasn't written his page yet — we'll start filling it in when there are enough snaps to rank against his peers.

Signature Moment

No signature moment on the ledger yet.

Returns once this player puts together a multi-game body of work — single-game flashes alone don't clear the bar.

A 3-act season arc returns once this player has six or more games on the ledger.

Season Pace · Projection

Where the defensive totals stand

projecting to 13-game
Through 8g
12Tackles
0Tackles for loss
0Sacks
Per game
2Tackles
0Tackles for loss
0Sacks
Projected (13g)
20Tackles
0Tackles for loss
0Sacks

To hit 80-tackle season (currently 12): needs 13.6/game over remaining 5.

To hit 100-tackle season (currently 12): needs 17.6/game over remaining 5.

To hit 6-sack season (currently 0): needs 1.2/game over remaining 5.

To hit 10-sack season (currently 0): needs 2/game over remaining 5.

Why this is a rare defensive case

The fast read on the thing that makes this player more than a generic stat line.

Cole Blaylock is trying to climb the steepest award hill in college football: a defensive candidacy. The hook is the disruption profile on South Alabama's defense, with 0.0 sacks, 0.0 tackles for loss, and 1 interceptions through the current loaded season. For a defender, the question is never just production; it is whether elite disruption and team context can become nationally undeniable.

Current place #13684 0.0% win | 0.0% finalist
Role load -- Role share still loading
Profile quirk Defensive rarity 5 return yds

2025 Season · Final

Traditional stats first. Advanced context underneath.

Last season

DEF season snapshot

2025 season snapshot | final

2025 season snapshot | finalData: CFBD player stats + local Heisman modelPeer context: same position + same level
Total tackles 12 5 solo | #2651/4942 (46th pct)
TFL 0.0 Backfield disruption | #3020/4972 (39th pct)
Sacks 0.0 Pass-rush finish | #1762/4972 (65th pct)
Player identity What kind of player is this?

30-second read

What kind of player is this?

Defensive contributor against FBS defenders.

Balanced profile

2025 Season · Final

2025 season snapshot | final

Tackling & Disruption

TOT
12 46th
SOLO
5 39th
TFL
0.0 39th
SACK
0.0 65th

Coverage & Takeaways

PD
1 43rd
INT
1 65th

Game Log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 8 games

Box score · CFBD
WkOppTKLSOLOTFLSACKINTPDNote
Wk 3L 15-31@ Auburn210.00.00Season-high 2 tackles
Wk 4L 20-38vs Coastal Carolina100.00.00
Wk 5L 22-36@ North Texas210.00.00
Wk 8L 14-15vs Arkansas State210.00.00
Wk 9W 38-31@ Georgia State200.00.00
Wk 12W 26-14@ UL Monroe110.00.01
Wk 13W 42-35vs Southern Miss210.00.010
Wk 14L 26-49@ Texas State
Total1250.00.011
Season-by-season tables Career rows + per-season box score

Traditional history

Traditional Stats

Season rows up top, career context at the bottom.

Season rows Career row

Season context · Team result + system

2025South Alabama4-8HC: Major Applewhite · Run-heavy
SeasonTeam
2025South Alabama1250.00.011--
Career1 loaded season1250.00.011--
Advanced layer Usage, value, and context

Advanced metrics second

Advanced Metrics

Usage, value, and opponent-adjusted context.

Usage Value Context
Disruption stats

TFL, sacks, and QB hurries are grouped together because defensive Heisman cases are usually built on visible havoc, not on tackle counts alone.

Coverage splash

Pass breakups, interceptions, and forced fumbles matter because national awards voters respond to plays that change possessions and highlight reels.

Peer percentile

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.

Traditional first

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.

INT 1 0 pick-six TD | #308/869 (65th pct)
Pass breakups 1 Coverage disruption | #1241/2184 (43rd pct)
QB pressures 0 Quarterback hurries
Open full stat explorer
0 metrics visible Showing all metrics
Group Metric Value Rank Pct Why it matters
Defense Total tackles 12 #2651/4942 46th pct Volumevs FBS DEF
Defense TFL 0.0 #3020/4972 39th pct Disruptionvs FBS DEF
Defense Sacks 0.0 #1762/4972 65th pct Disruptionvs FBS DEF
Defense Interceptions 1 #308/869 65th pct Takeawaysvs FBS DEF
Defense Pass breakups 1 #1241/2184 43rd pct Coveragevs FBS DEF
Defense INT return avg 30.0 #93/578 84th pct Takeawaysvs FBS DEF
Defense INT return yards 30 #216/578 63rd pct Takeawaysvs FBS DEF
Defense Solo tackles 5 #2793/4584 39th pct Volumevs FBS DEF
Defense Fumbles recovered 1 #103/736 86th pct Takeawaysvs FBS DEF
Ball Security Fumbles lost 0 #1/773 100th pct Turnoversvs FBS DEF

Player Standing

Universal 17-step ladder. Tier pills below; accolade streams nested.

AWAITING CLASSIFICATION

On-team2-deepStartingRecognizedEliteApex

AWAITING CLASSIFICATION · Rung None of 16

Why he’s here

Standing classification populates when honors, Heisman, and roster signals all align.

What moves him up

What moves him down

Accolade streams

StatusAwaiting tracker

The Thorpe 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 · 8 games

Home/Road · Win/Loss · Season halves

Home vs Road

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Home3g1.70.00.00.0
Road5g1.40.00.00.2

Win vs Loss

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Wins3g1.70.00.00.3
Losses5g1.40.00.00.0

First half vs Second half

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Weeks 1-73g1.70.00.00.0
Weeks 8+5g1.40.00.00.2

Pocket and defense-quality (clean vs. pressure) splits are coming soon.

Savant · Box-rate percentiles

Where this profile ranks vs the S cohort

25Below cohort
8 metrics · season cumulative

Concern: tackles for loss (7th).

Passes defended#1191 / 2975 · 48th pct
1defe
Forced fumbles#36 / 687 · 47th pct
0fumb
Interceptions#304 / 817 · 31st pct
1inte
Sacks#1575 / 2975 · 24th pct
0.0defe
QB hurries#1662 / 2975 · 22nd pct
0defe
Tackles#2651 / 2975 · 9th pct
12defe
Solo tackles#2694 / 2975 · 8th pct
5defe
Tackles for loss#2548 / 2975 · 7th pct
0.0defe

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

Advanced Savant · S · 2024

Percentile Card

Advanced opponent-adjusted percentile bars are coming soon for this player.

P4G5All FBS
EPA / dropback
awaiting
CPOE
awaiting
Success rate
awaiting
Explosive rate (20+)
awaiting
aDOT
awaiting
Deep-ball accuracy
awaiting
Pressure-to-sack
awaiting
3rd-down EPA
awaiting
Red-zone TD rate
awaiting
Play-action EPA
awaiting
Scramble EPA
awaiting
Turnover-worthy play rate
awaiting

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

3 peers · 8 metrics
Cole BlaylockSouth AlabamaTyler MartinMassachusetts· 53% simTahj Ra-ElPurdue· 46% simBrevin HamblinUtah State· 45% sim
Passes defended
48
Blaylock
67
Martin
91
Ra-El
98
Hamblin
Forced fumbles
47
Blaylock
47
Martin
47
Ra-El
47
Hamblin
Interceptions
31
Blaylock
31
Martin
31
Hamblin
Sacks
24
Blaylock
24
Martin
24
Ra-El
74
Hamblin
QB hurries
22
Blaylock
22
Martin
22
Ra-El
22
Hamblin
Tackles
9
Blaylock
98
Martin
99
Ra-El
99
Hamblin
Solo tackles
8
Blaylock
87
Martin
100
Ra-El
99
Hamblin
Tackles for loss
7
Blaylock
63
Martin
56
Ra-El
56
Hamblin

Closest peers by overall box-score percentile profile at the same position.

DNA Match awaiting data — similarity scores compute once season stats clear the volume gate for this position cohort.

Supporting Cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2025 season

Head Coach

Major Applewhite

Pass share

37.0%

310 pass / 527 run

Plays / game

69.8

12 games

OL sack rate (allowed)

7.2%

249 dropbacks · PBP

Scheme: Run-heavy.

Coaching Lineage · 2025

1 coach
2025
Major Applewhite
South Alabama

Played his entire career under Major Applewhite.

Bio · Recruiting · Transfer · Roster

Off-field context — switch tabs to drill into recruit profile, transfer arc, or roster timeline.

HometownMobile, AL
Height6'0"
Weight191 lb
Class2
PositionS
Jersey14

Trophy Case · Detail

Every honor on the ledger, broken out by stream and selector.

Honors

No formal honors on the ledger yet

All-America, all-conference, player-of-the-week, watch-list, and postseason awards land here when they're earned. The absence is the signal: most players never collect formal honors, and that's its own kind of context.

Honors Timeline

Season-end distinction and week-by-week recognition on one timeline.

Season Honor Scope Team / Selector Context
No formal honors on the ledger yet. All-America, all-conference, weekly awards, watch lists, and postseason trophies land here when they’re earned.

Heisman By Year

Modeled rank and official finish by season.

Season Team Role Latest Model Forecast Win Finalist Official Finish Points Context
2024 South Alabama S2 #13684 #13608 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W16 snapshot | Sun Belt
2023 South Alabama S2 #13417 #13127 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W19 snapshot | Sun Belt

Roster Timeline

Team, conference, and class by season.

Season Team Conference Pos Class Bio
2025 South Alabama Sun Belt S 2 No. 14 | 6-0 | 191 lb | Mobile, AL
2024 South Alabama Sun Belt S 2 No. 14 | 6-0 | 191 lb | Mobile, AL
2023 South Alabama Sun Belt S 2 No. 14 | 6-0 | 191 lb | Mobile, AL