cfb zeitgeistZeitgeist
OFFSEASON · SUMMER 2026 · COMMITMENT SEASON
Heisman / Players / Davaughn Patterson /Wake Forest

Davaughn Patterson

DB · Wake Forest · So · #5

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

80 TACKLES · 0 SACKS

2026 RETURNINGReturning to Wake Forest for 2026

2026 Outlook

Returning to Wake Forest for 2026

2026 Depth chart

Projected starter

Defensive back · Wake Forest

Returning around him

  • 26% of 2024 offensive production back (Heavy turnover)
  • 2 Wake Forest players drafted to NFL
  • Transfer portal: +1 net (24 in / 23 out)

2026 Award watch

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

Wake Forest · Last season: 9-4 · Talent rank #74 · 2026 recruiting class #63

DB · WAKE FOREST · ACC

Davaughn Patterson

  • 2
  • #5
  • 6-0 | 217 lb
  • Jacksonville, FL

CFB Zeitgeist Score

73

Solid starter in the position cohort. Carried by passes defended at the 99th percentile.

Heisman Heat

#14426

<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 2 · Starter

R07 · Impact starter

Impact starter. Producing measurable value above replacement.

Not on team2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Career Arc

HS
Recruit
★★★
#1225 national
CFB
College
Wake Forest
2023–2025
NFL
NFL Draft
Not drafted (yet)

Identity & Role

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

PositionDB
Class2
Jersey5
Measurements6-0 | 217 lb
HometownJacksonville, FL
Primary teamWake Forest

Recruiting Pedigree

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

Top pedigree 3-star No. 1225 recruit
Composite rating 0.8564 HighSchool
Signed with -- 2023
Origin Ed White Jacksonville, FL, USA
Class Profile Context
2023 3-star | 0.8564 No. 1225 recruit | HighSchool

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#14426Latest modeled ballot order
Season forecast#14484Where 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 —

Composite

0.8564

#1225 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 Davaughn Patterson

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 Davaughn Patterson

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

final
Through 13g
80Tackles
4Tackles for loss
0Sacks
Per game
6Tackles
0.3Tackles for loss
0Sacks
Final
80Tackles
4Tackles for loss
0Sacks

✓ Hit 80-tackle season · finished with 80.

Why this is a rare defensive case

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

Davaughn Patterson is trying to climb the steepest award hill in college football: a defensive candidacy. The hook is the disruption profile on Wake Forest's defense, with 0.0 sacks, 4.0 tackles for loss, and -- 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 #14426 0.0% win | 0.0% finalist
Role load -- Role share still loading
Profile quirk Defensive rarity 0.0 sacks | 4.0 TFL

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 80 35 solo | #145/4942 (97th pct)
TFL 4.0 Backfield disruption | #738/4972 (85th 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?

High-disruption defender | Coverage splash | High-volume tackler against FBS defenders.

High-disruption defenderCoverage splashHigh-volume tackler

2025 Season · Final

2025 season snapshot | final

Tackling & Disruption

TOT
80 97th
SOLO
35 92nd
TFL
4.0 85th
SACK
0.0 65th
QBH
4 85th

Coverage & Takeaways

PD
9 98th

Game Log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 13 games

Box score · CFBD
WkOppTKLSOLOTFLSACKINTPDNote
Wk 1W 10-9vs Kennesaw State410.00.00
Wk 2W 42-10vs Western Carolina730.50.03
Wk 3L 24-34vs NC State520.00.01
Wk 5L 29-30vs Georgia Tech950.50.00
Wk 6W 30-23@ Virginia Tech831.00.00
Wk 7W 39-14@ Oregon State530.00.00
Wk 9W 13-12vs SMU740.50.03
Wk 10L 7-42@ Florida State531.00.00
Wk 11W 16-9@ Virginia830.00.01
Wk 12W 28-12vs North Carolina740.00.01
Wk 13W 52-14vs Delaware300.00.00
Wk 14L 32-49@ Duke1030.50.00Season-high 10 tackles
BowlW 43-29@ Mississippi State210.00.00
Total80354.00.09
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

2023Wake Forest4-8HC: Dave Clawson · Run-leaning
2025Wake Forest9-4HC: Jake Dickert · Balanced
SeasonTeam
2025Wake Forest80354.00.09----
2023Wake Forest930.00.0------
Career2 loaded seasons89384.00.09----
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 -- -- pick-six TD
Pass breakups 9 Coverage disruption | #36/2184 (98th pct)
QB pressures 4 Quarterback hurries | #291/1878 (85th pct)
Open full stat explorer
0 metrics visible Showing all metrics
Group Metric Value Rank Pct Why it matters
Defense Total tackles 80 #145/4942 97th pct Volumevs FBS DEF
Defense TFL 4.0 #738/4972 85th pct Disruptionvs FBS DEF
Defense Sacks 0.0 #1762/4972 65th pct Disruptionvs FBS DEF
Defense Pass breakups 9 #36/2184 98th pct Coveragevs FBS DEF
Defense QB hurries 4 #291/1878 85th pct Disruptionvs FBS DEF
Defense Solo tackles 35 #353/4584 92nd pct Volumevs 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 · 13 games

Home/Road · Win/Loss · Season halves

Home vs Road

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Home7g6.00.20.01.1
Road6g6.30.40.00.2

Win vs Loss

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Wins9g5.70.20.00.9
Losses4g7.20.50.00.2

First half vs Second half

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Weeks 1-77g5.70.30.00.6
Weeks 8+6g6.70.30.00.8

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

Savant · Box-rate percentiles

Where this profile ranks vs the DB cohort

73Solid starter
6 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: passes defended (98th). Strength: tackles (94th). Concern: sacks (23rd).

Passes defended#36 / 2975 · 99th pct
9defe
Tackles#145 / 2975 · 95th pct
80defe
Solo tackles#353 / 2975 · 88th pct
35defe
QB hurries#288 / 2975 · 88th pct
4defe
Tackles for loss#736 / 2975 · 73rd pct
4.0defe
Sacks#1575 / 2975 · 24th pct
0.0defe

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

Advanced Savant · DB · 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 · 6 metrics
Davaughn PattersonWake ForestBryce LlewellynEastern Michigan· 91% simAndon ThomasArmy· 87% simRobert FitzgeraldNorthwestern· 84% sim
Passes defended
99
Patterson
86
Llewellyn
91
Thomas
86
Fitzgerald
Tackles
95
Patterson
99
Llewellyn
99
Thomas
99
Fitzgerald
Solo tackles
88
Patterson
95
Llewellyn
100
Thomas
100
Fitzgerald
QB hurries
88
Patterson
72
Llewellyn
82
Thomas
55
Fitzgerald
Tackles for loss
73
Patterson
80
Llewellyn
73
Thomas
85
Fitzgerald
Sacks
24
Patterson
24
Llewellyn
51
Thomas
24
Fitzgerald

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

Player DNA

The Box Safety

Lives near the line of scrimmage as a de facto extra linebacker.

S

His 2025 production profile sits closest to Sanoussi Kane’s 2023 season.

Sanoussi Kane

72%match

Purdue · 2023

NFL Rd 7
#2

A.J. Haulcy

Houston · 2024

NFL Rd 3 · Pk 14
71%
#3

Jordan Mosley

Maryland · 2021

70%
#4

Zach Lutmer

Iowa · 2025

All-Big Ten
69%
#5

Kitan Oladapo

Oregon State · 2023

NFL Rd 5
68%

Matches Sanoussi on

Tackle volume
Height
Weight

Differs from Sanoussi on

Class year (lower)

Not enough data yet for this comparison.

As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Chris Bracy's junior season at Memphis (2025).

Chris Bracy

75%match

Memphis · 2025

#2

Brian Branch

Alabama · 2022

1st-team All-AmericanNFL Rd 2 · Pk 14
68%
#3

Tawfiq Byard

Colorado · 2025

62%
#4

Brayson Hubbard

Alabama · 2025

62%
#5

Genesis Smith

Arizona · 2025

NFL Rd 4
62%

Matches Chris on

Class year
PD rate
Tackle volume

Supporting Cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2025 season

Head Coach

Jake Dickert

Pass share

48.0%

405 pass / 439 run

Plays / game

64.9

13 games

OL sack rate (allowed)

5.1%

293 dropbacks · PBP

Scheme: Balanced.

Coaching Lineage · 2023–2025

2 coaches
2023
Dave Clawson
Wake Forest
2025
Jake Dickert
Wake Forest
era →

Coaching transition mid-career: Dave Clawson → Jake Dickert. Worth noting in scheme + development context.

Bio · Recruiting · Transfer · Roster

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

HometownJacksonville, FL
Height6'0"
Weight217 lb
Class2
PositionDB
Jersey5

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 Wake Forest DB2 #14426 #14484 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W16 snapshot | ACC
2023 Wake Forest DB2 #14207 #14221 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W19 snapshot | ACC

Roster Timeline

Team, conference, and class by season.

Season Team Conference Pos Class Bio
2025 Wake Forest ACC DB 2 No. 5 | 6-0 | 217 lb | Jacksonville, FL
2024 Wake Forest ACC DB 2 No. 5 | 6-0 | 217 lb | Jacksonville, FL
2023 Wake Forest ACC DB 2 No. 5 | 6-0 | 217 lb | Jacksonville, FL