CFB Zeitgeist Score
74
Solid starter in the position cohort. Carried by rush yards at the 88th percentile.
Dean Connors
Filling the Shoesas of 2026-06-22
Dean Connors is a cornerstone for Houston — measured against the line he joined.
977RUSH YDS6RUSH TD200CARRIES
PERCEPTION ABOVE TAPE · PCTL GAP
-36
perception vs production percentile · 2025
Read the story so far
AI narrative · updated 2026-06-22 · compiled from CFB Zeitgeist data
2026 Outlook
Returning to Houston for 2026
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Running back · Houston
Returning around him
- 105% of 2024 offensive production back (Strong continuity)
- 1 Houston player drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: +2 net (18 in / 16 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Houston · Last season: 10-3 (AP #25) · Talent rank #66 · 2026 recruiting class #52
RB · HOUSTON · BIG 12
Dean Connors
- 4
- #44
- 6-0 | 206 lb
- Kamuela, HI
Heisman Heat
#292
<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 RB AWARD
Doak Walker
—
CONSENSUS
All-American
—
Player Standing · 17 rungs
Tier 2 · StarterR07 · Impact starter
Impact starter. Producing measurable value above replacement.
Not on team2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Development Trajectory · rushing yards
2022–2025+663%
Up 663% from first season to most-recent.
Career Arc
HS
Recruit
—
CFB
College
2 teams
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 |
|---|---|---|
| No recruiting profile is on file for this player. | ||
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 rushing yards (977).
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.
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 Dean Connors
Fan sentiment ·
Belief Meter
—
Awaiting per-cohort signal
Top Take
“”
Trajectory
Per-cohort trajectory lands when historical bucket data is aggregated.
Cohort divergence map
- National · n=2
Rival Radar
How rival fanbases talk about Dean Connors
No rival-bucket mentions in the current season.
2025 Signature · 2025 season
Receiving TDs
3
count
All FBS WRs, min 20 receptions
National rank #222 of 531
Percentile vs All FBS WRs, min 20 receptions 58th
Why it matters
#222 of 531 All FBS WRs in receiving TDs — 3 TDs on 34 receptions.
Vs cohort
This player 3 (58th)
HIGH · n=34 cohort 531
- Also strong
- Receiving yards (total)#439 / 531
- Yards per reception#508 / 531
Signature Moment
Week 7 at Oklahoma State — 1 receiving_tds
Result W 39-17
The week the volume broke through — stacked 1 td at Oklahoma State.
Season Pace · Projection
Where the rushing totals stand
Through 13g
977Rush yards
200Carries
6Rush TDs
Per game
75.2Rush yards
15Carries
0Rush TDs
Final
977Rush yards
200Carries
6Rush TDs
✓ Hit 750-yard season · finished with 977.
Why this is more than a rushing profile
The fast read on the thing that makes this player more than a generic stat line.
Dean Connors is not a one-lane back. The profile is interesting because the workload spills beyond pure rushing volume: 977 rushing yards, 34 catches, and 1 return yards for Houston. That kind of all-purpose footprint gives the card a much richer story than a basic carry total.
2025 Season · Final
Traditional stats first. Advanced context underneath.
Last season
RB 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?
Workhorse | Passing-game back against FBS RB peers.
2025 Season · Final
2025 season snapshot | final
Rushing
CAR
200 97th
YDS
977 95th
YPC
4.9 59th
TD
6 89th
Receiving
REC
34 97th
YDS
254 95th
YPR
7.5 58th
TD
3 99th
Game Log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 13 games
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 27-0vs Stephen F. Austin | 15 | 50 | 3.3 | 0 | 15 | |
| Wk 2 | W 35-9@ Rice | 13 | 132 | 10.2 | 2 | 54 | Season-high 132 yds |
| Wk 3 | W 36-20vs Colorado | 22 | 89 | 4.0 | 1 | 18 | |
| Wk 5 | W 27-24@ Oregon State | 17 | 53 | 3.1 | 0 | 8 | |
| Wk 6 | L 11-35vs Texas Tech | 13 | 31 | 2.4 | 0 | 11 | |
| Wk 7 | W 39-17@ Oklahoma State | 15 | 83 | 5.5 | 1 | 19 | |
| Wk 8 | W 31-28vs Arizona | 20 | 100 | 5.0 | 0 | 13 | |
| Wk 9 | W 24-16@ Arizona State | 20 | 48 | 2.4 | 0 | 12 | |
| Wk 10 | L 35-45vs West Virginia | 13 | 71 | 5.5 | 0 | 23 | |
| Wk 11 | W 30-27@ UCF | 10 | 68 | 6.8 | 0 | 25 | |
| Wk 13 | L 14-17vs TCU | 12 | 75 | 6.3 | 0 | 54 | |
| Wk 14 | W 31-24@ Baylor | 14 | 51 | 3.6 | 1 | 13 | |
| Bowl | W 38-35vs LSU | 16 | 126 | 7.9 | 1 | 35 | |
| Total | 200 | 977 | 5.1 | 6 | 54 |
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
2022Rice5-8HC: Mike Bloomgren · Run-leaning
2023Rice6-7HC: Mike Bloomgren · Balanced, slow tempo
2024Rice4-8HC: Mike Bloomgren · Pass-leaning
2025Houston10-3HC: Willie Fritz · Run-leaning
Advanced layer Usage, value, and context
Advanced metrics second
Advanced Metrics
Usage, value, and opponent-adjusted context.
Opponent-adjusted rushing value. It helps separate empty volume from carries that actually move the scoreboard.
How much of the team's offense flows through this back once rushing work and receiving work are combined.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rushing | Rushing yards | 977 | #41/735 | 95th pct | Volumevs FBS RB |
| Rushing | Rush TD | 6 | #83/739 | 89th pct | Scoringvs FBS RB |
| Rushing | Yards / carry | 4.9 | #305/735 | 59th pct | Efficiencyvs FBS RB |
| Receiving | Receptions | 34 | #20/552 | 97th pct | Volumevs FBS RB |
| Receiving | Receiving yards | 254 | #27/548 | 95th pct | Volumevs FBS RB |
| Value | Rushing WEPA | +0.04 | #309/362 | 15th pct | Opponent-adjusted rushing value | 190 weighted playsvs FBS RB |
| Usage | Role share | 25.0% | #47/738 | 94th pct | Share of team offensevs FBS RB |
| Rushing | Carries | 200 | #26/739 | 97th pct | Volumevs FBS RB |
| Rushing | Rushing LONG | 54 | #136/733 | 82nd pct | Metricvs FBS RB |
| Receiving | Receiving LONG | 33 | #106/540 | 81st pct | Metricvs FBS RB |
| Receiving | Yards / catch | 7.5 | #232/548 | 58th pct | Efficiencyvs FBS RB |
| Receiving | Receiving TD | 3 | #5/552 | 99th pct | Scoringvs FBS RB |
| Returns | Kick return avg | 1.0 | #195/199 | 3rd pct | Efficiencyvs FBS RB |
| Returns | Kick return yards | 1 | #196/200 | 2nd pct | Volumevs FBS RB |
| Returns | Kick returns | 1 | #139/206 | 33rd pct | Volumevs FBS RB |
| Usage | Rush share | 37.4% | #74/738 | 90th pct | Ground-game usagevs FBS RB |
| Usage | 1st-down usage | 31.2% | #31/738 | 96th pct | Early-down loadvs FBS RB |
| Usage | Standard-down usage | 27.8% | #52/738 | 93rd pct | Base-situation sharevs FBS RB |
| Usage | 2nd-down usage | 22.1% | #73/738 | 90th pct | Middle-down loadvs FBS RB |
| Usage | 3rd-down usage | 19.6% | #29/738 | 96th pct | Money-down loadvs FBS RB |
| Usage | Passing-down usage | 18.6% | #27/738 | 96th pct | Known-passing sharevs FBS RB |
| Usage | Pass share | 9.1% | #44/738 | 94th pct | Air-game usagevs FBS RB |
| Ball Security | Fumbles lost | 1 | #78/256 | 70th pct | Turnoversvs FBS RB |
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
Status—Awaiting tracker
Heisman model tracks the top FBS contenders weekly; this player hasn't entered the watch list yet.
Splits · Per-game
2025 season · 13 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home7g | 77.4 | 4.9 | 0.3 |
| Road6g | 72.5 | 5.3 | 0.7 |
Win vs Loss
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wins10g | 80.0 | 5.2 | 0.6 |
| Losses3g | 59.0 | 4.7 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 80.6 | 5.2 | 0.7 |
| Weeks 8+6g | 68.8 | 4.9 | 0.2 |
Pocket and defense-quality (clean vs. pressure) splits are coming soon.
Savant · Box-rate percentiles
Where this profile ranks vs the RB cohort
74Solid starter
Elite: receptions (93rd). Strength: carries (92nd).
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Advanced Savant · RB · 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.
wepa_rushing0.04Below (<p25) (n=178)
Peer Comparator · Fingerprint match
Three closest profiles by box-rate percentile
Dean ConnorsHoustonDominic RichardsonTulsa· 89% simLJ MartinBYU· 88% simLincoln PareTexas State· 88% sim
Receptions
Carries
Rec yards
Rush yards
Rush TDs
Long run
Yards / carry
Fumbles lost
Closest peers by overall box-score percentile profile at the same position.
Player DNA
The Balanced Back
Plays within the scheme — consistent production without a dominant dimension.
RB
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Deion Smith’s 2022 season.
Deion Smith
79%match
#2
Jalen Berger
78%
#3
Emari Demercado
78%
#4
Donovan Edwards
74%
#5
Jordan Mcdonald
73%
Matches Deion on
Receiving share
Rush TD rate
Weight
Differs from Deion on
Class year (higher)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Jordan Mcdonald's senior season at Boston College (2025).
Jordan Mcdonald
80%match
#2
Jo'quavious Marks
76%
#3
Donovan Edwards
75%
#4
Myles Montgomery
72%
#5
Ashaad Clayton
72%
Matches Jordan on
Receiving share
Weight
Total rush EPA (college ability)
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Willie Fritz
Pass share
41.4%
377 pass / 534 run
Plays / game
70.1
13 games
OL sack rate (allowed)
6.5%
262 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Coaching Lineage · 2022–2025
2 coaches2022
Dana Holgorsen
Houston
2023
Dana Holgorsen
Houston
2024
Dana Holgorsen
Houston
2025era →
Willie Fritz
Houston
Coaching transition mid-career: Dana Holgorsen → Willie Fritz. 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.
HometownKamuela, HI
Height6'0"
Weight206 lb
Class4
PositionRB
Jersey44
No fields populated yet.
No fields populated yet.
Current teamHouston
ConferenceBig 12
Joined2025
Career arc4 season(s)
Trophy Case · Detail
Every honor on the ledger, broken out by stream and selector.
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 | Rice | RB4 | #292 | #533 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W16 snapshot | American Athletic |
| 2023 | Rice | RB4 | #283 | #443 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W19 snapshot | American Athletic |
| 2022 | Rice | RB4 | #2819 | #3338 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W20 snapshot | Conference USA |
Roster Timeline
Team, conference, and class by season.
| Season | Team | Conference | Pos | Class | Bio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Houston | Big 12 | RB | 4 | No. 44 | 6-0 | 206 lb | Kamuela, HI |
| 2024 | Rice | American Athletic | RB | 4 | No. 44 | 6-0 | 206 lb | Kamuela, HI |
| 2023 | Rice | American Athletic | RB | 4 | No. 44 | 6-0 | 206 lb | Kamuela, HI |
| 2022 | Rice | Conference USA | RB | 4 | No. 44 | 6-0 | 206 lb | Kamuela, HI |