EJ Colson

#1 · QB · UTEP6′1″ · 190 lb · Byron, GA · Cedar Grove

Passing yards687148th of 159 quarterbacks Last gameL 7–31at North Dakota State · Oct 31

Nextvs Hawai'iSat Nov 7 · 9:30 pm ET

This week

RecordUTEP is 1-7.
Next gamevs Hawai'i · Sat Nov 7

What’s being said

3 stories in the last 30 days, from 3 outlets.

Stories per day. W and L: the team’s results.

UTEP Miners football awaits EJ Colson call as season hangs in balance - Fort Worth Star-Telegram

El Paso Times +1 Oct 28

All 15 stories this season

His most important play this season

Q2, 5:58 · UTEP breaks the tieEJ Colson finds Lamar Sperling for an 18-yard touchdownUTEP at Michigan, week 3Q2, 5:58 · UTEP 14, Michigan 7UTEP took the lead in the second quarterUTEP took the lead in the second quarterE.Colson Jr. pass complete short left to L.Sperling caught at U-M15, for 18 yards to the U-M00 touchdown, 1ST DOWN, kick goodWatch from this play

All 2 of his plays on video

EJ Colson

QB · UTEP · #1

Filling the Shoesas of Nov 4

EJ Colson takes over from Skyler Locklear at UTEP.

687passing yards7passing TD129rushing yards

Passing value per play

+0.24

our model · 2026 · 69 plays

Read the story so far

EJ Colson arrived as a 3-star prospect. EJ Colson lines up at QB for UTEP.

On the field, the headline is 687 pass yds, with 7 pass td.

EJ Colson inherited the QB job from Skyler Locklear.

The number to watch: +0.24 — passing value per play.

QB successionleap of faith

Inherited fromSkyler Locklear

AI-generated narrative · may contain errors · not journalism · updated 2026-11-04

Style of play

Play style

Extends plays on the move until something opens up.

Similar players

Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.

Tyler VittTexas State · 2018 · 53% season match
Logan SmothersJacksonville State · 2023 · 53% season match
Jordan McCloudSouth Florida · 2019 · 50% season match
Payton ThorneAuburn · 2023 · 50% season match
David PindellUConn · 2018 · 48% season match

Career stats

Swipe the table sideways for more columns.

Season	Team
2026	UTEP	66	99	66.7%	687	6.9	7	5	138.2	29
2024	UCF	9	16	56.2%	64	4.0	1	1	98.0	--
Career		75	115	65.2%	751	6.5	8	6	132.6	29

Season	Team
2026	UTEP	85	129	1.5	1	13
2024	UCF	13	14	1.1	0	9
Career		98	143	1.5	1	13

Last game (Wk 9): 59 passing yards, 2 interceptions.

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2026 season · 7 games

Box score · CFBD

Swipe the table sideways for more columns.

Wk	Opp	Grade	CMP/ATT	YDS	TD	INT	YPA	QBR	SK	RUSH	Note
Wk 1	L 0-51@ No. 10 Oklahoma	Shaky	6/12	52	0	0	4.3	41.0	1	25
Wk 2	W 51-10vs Texas Southern	Great	14/21	239	4	0	11.4	—	1	49	Season-high 239 yds
Wk 3	L 17-52@ No. 19 Michigan	Solid	7/9	86	2	1	9.6	21.2	4	-20
Wk 4	L 7-33vs Oregon State	Rough	16/23	119	1	1	5.2	21.1	5	15
Wk 5	L 7-61@ New Mexico	Out at half	6/12	45	0	1	3.8	14.6	2	24
Wk 7	L 11-24vs San José State	Out at half	6/6	87	0	0	14.5	49.1	3	15
Wk 9	L 7-31@ North Dakota State	Rough	11/16	59	0	2	3.7	43.4	4	21
Total			66/99	687	7	5	6.9	—	20	129

The latest game

Oct. 31 · L 7-31 at North Dakota State

11 of 16 for 59 yards and 2 interceptions.

His season, game by game

The season, game by game

L 7-31 at North Dakota StateOct. 3159 yds11 of 16, 2 INTPlay by play just above

L 11-24 vs San José StateOct. 1787 yds6 of 6

Play by playOn the field

6 of 6 for 87 yards. He was 1 of 5 on third and fourth down.

0 of 4 of his drives scored
1 of 5 on 3rd and 4th down
sacked 3 times
5 runs for 31 yds

First quarterbegan tied 0-0
Missed FG2 of 2, 71 yds1
Punt4 of 4, 16 yds234
Second quarterbegan down 7-0
Punt—
Third quarterbegan down 7-0
Missed FG—
FinalL 11-24

a drive that ended in a touchdown or a field goala drive he didn’t playa completion, by its yardshis runincompleteinterceptedsacked, by the yards lost

completea touchdownincompleteinterceptedhis runsacked

1
64-yard completion to Kam Thomas. First quarter, tied 0-0.
2
2-yard completion to Jaden Smith on 3rd and 3. First quarter, down 7-0.
3
2-yard run on 4th and 1. First quarter, down 7-0. Converted.
4
Sacked for a 4-yard loss on 3rd and 6. First quarter, down 7-0.

102030405064

leftmiddlerightno spot

a completionincompleteinterceptedsacked, below the line

Each pass sits where it was caught or thrown to, in yards past the line. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside a lane marks are sorted, not placed.

4 more games, with the play by play

L 7-61 at New MexicoOct. 345 yds6 of 12, 1 INTBox score only

6 of 12 for 45 yards and an interception.

Not drawn: the play-by-play doesn’t add up to the box score.

L 7-33 vs Oregon StateSept. 26119 yds16 of 23, 1 TD, 1 INT

Play by playOn the field

16 of 23 for 119 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He was 3 of 11 on third and fourth down.

1 of 10 of his drives scored
3 of 11 on 3rd and 4th down
sacked 7 times
12 runs for 46 yds

First quarterbegan tied 0-0
Punt—
Punt0 of 1, 0 yds
Punt2 of 2, 7 yds
Second quarterbegan down 17-0
Downs1 of 2, 4 yds1
Punt—
Half1 of 1, 0 yds
Third quarterbegan down 20-0
TD3 of 3, 41 yds23
Punt2 of 2, 2 yds
Fourth quarterbegan down 27-7
Int5 of 8, 50 yds4
Downs2 of 4, 15 yds
FinalL 7-33

a drive that ended in a touchdown or a field goala drive he didn’t playa completion, by its yardshis runincompleteinterceptedsacked, by the yards lost

completea touchdownincompleteinterceptedhis runsacked

1
Incomplete to Carver Cheeks on 4th and 8. Second quarter, down 17-0. Turnover on downs.
2
27-yard completion to Carver Cheeks. Third quarter, down 20-0.
3
2-yard run on 4th and 1. Third quarter, down 20-0. Converted.
4
Intercepted. Fourth quarter, down 33-7. Picked off by Oregon State’s TJ Crandall.

1020304050

leftmiddlerightno spot

a completionincompleteinterceptedsacked, below the line

Each pass sits where it was caught or thrown to, in yards past the line. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside a lane marks are sorted, not placed.

L 17-52 at MichiganSept. 1986 yds7 of 9, 2 TD, 1 INTBox score only

7 of 9 for 86 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception.

Not drawn: the play-by-play doesn’t add up to the box score.

W 51-10 vs Texas SouthernSept. 12239 yds14 of 21, 4 TD

Play by playOn the field

14 of 21 for 239 yards and 4 touchdowns. He was 5 of 9 on third and fourth down.

6 of 10 of his drives scored
5 of 9 on 3rd and 4th down
sacked once
11 runs for 54 yds

First quarterbegan tied 0-0
TD1 of 1, 83 yds1
Punt1 of 2, 9 yds2
Second quarterbegan tied 7-7
Punt—
TD2 of 2, 16 yds3
TD2 of 4, 24 yds4
Third quarterbegan up 21-10
Fumble3 of 4, 63 yds
TD1 of 1, 13 yds
TD1 of 2, 8 yds
Punt0 of 1, 0 yds
Fourth quarterbegan up 42-10
FG3 of 4, 23 yds
FinalW 51-10

a drive that ended in a touchdown or a field goala drive he didn’t playa completion, by its yardshis runincompleteinterceptedsacked, by the yards lost

completea touchdownincompleteinterceptedhis runsacked

1
83-yard touchdown pass to Kam Thomas. First quarter, made it 7-0.
2
1-yard loss on 3rd and 1. First quarter, tied 7-7.
3
3-yard touchdown run on 3rd and 2. Second quarter, made it 14-10.
4
Incomplete to Lamar Sperling on 3rd and 4. Second quarter, up 14-10.

102030405083

leftmiddlerightno spot

a completionincompleteinterceptedsacked, below the line

Each pass sits where it was caught or thrown to, in yards past the line. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside a lane marks are sorted, not placed.

Signature game

Week 2 · 2026

W 51-10

vs Texas Southern

239 yds · 4 TD · 0 INT · 49 rush yds (12 car) · 1 TD

Dominant 41-point win at home against Texas Southern.

With K. Thomas — 2 rec · 92 yds · 1 TD · R. Moore III — 93 rush yds (3 car) · 1 TD

Signature plays

The plays that mattered most

Week 2 · Texas Southern · 1st and 10 · Q3 · EPA −11.21Colson Jr. to Nash: a 29-yard touchdown pass.
Week 2 · Texas Southern · 1st and 10 · Q1 · EPA +6.54Colson Jr. to Thomas: an 83-yard touchdown pass.
Week 3 · Michigan · 3rd and 1 · Q1 · EPA +4.23E.Colson Jr. pass complete deep middle to C.Cheeks caught at U-M20, for 45 yards to the U-M00 TOUCHDOWN
Week 7 · San José State · 1st and 10 · Q1 · EPA +3.56Colson Jr. to Thomas: a 64-yard pass.
Week 2 · Texas Southern · 3rd and 10 · Q3 · EPA +2.94Colson Jr. to Cheeks: an 18-yard pass.
Week 1 · Oklahoma · 3rd and 2 · Q2 · EPA +2.82Colson Jr. to Cheeks: a 22-yard pass.

4 more plays

Week 5 · New Mexico · 3rd and 3 · Q2 · EPA +2.69Colson Jr. to Cheeks: a 22-yard pass.
Week 5 · New Mexico · 4th and 2 · Q2 · EPA +2.62E.Colson Jr. rush left for 7 yards gain (J.Eck; D.Agu)
Week 2 · Texas Southern · 3rd and 1 · Q2 · EPA +2.60Colson Jr. to Cheeks: a 13-yard touchdown pass.
Week 3 · Michigan · 1st and 10 · Q2 · EPA +2.59E.Colson Jr. pass complete short left to L.Sperling caught at U-M15, for 18 yards to the U-M00 TOUCHDOWN

Where he ranks

Leads Mountain West quarterbacks in completion percentage. 3rd among Mountain West quarterbacks in passer rating.

Stat	His	Nation	Mountain West
Passing yards	687	143rd of 370	7th of 26
Yards an attempt	6.9	T-107th of 152	6th of 8
Touchdown passes	7	T-103rd of 370	6th of 26
Passer rating	138.2	76th of 152	3rd of 8
Completion percentage	66.7	T-41st of 152	1st of 8
Rushing yards	129	92nd of 370	7th of 26
Rushing touchdowns	1	T-117th of 370	T-9th of 26

Counting stats rank all FBS quarterbacks with a pass attempt; the rates rank those with at least 10 attempts a game.

All Mountain West quarterbacks

Rk	Quarterback	Yards	TD	INT	Att	Y/A
1	Micah Alejado	2,186	9	6	337	6.5
2	Luke Weaver	1,810	11	8	242	7.5
3	Nathan Hayes	1,710	13	8	228	7.5
4	Jackson Arnold	1,660	13	4	212	7.8
5	Taron Dickens	1,617	8	6	247	6.5
6	Toa Faavae	888	5	7	101	8.8
7	EJ Colson	687	7	5	99	6.9
8	Carter Jones	654	3	2	89	7.3
9	AJ Bianco	397	2	3	71	5.6
10	Liam Szarka	296	1	4	38	7.8
11	Luke Duncan	265	2	5	55	4.8
12	Luke Moga	248	3	0	38	6.5
13	Daniel Rolovich	193	1	0	26	7.4
14	Evan Medders	92	2	0	14	6.6
15	Robert McDaniel	48	0	0	13	3.7
16	Trey Drake	35	0	0	4	8.8
17	Brady Davidson	27	0	0	6	4.5
18	Braesen Leon	22	0	0	1	22.0
19	Jalen Macon	20	0	1	13	1.5
20	Josh Johnson	20	0	0	4	5.0
21	Bjorn Jurgensen	13	0	0	8	1.6
22	Alex Orji	9	0	1	5	1.8
23	Preston Brown	4	0	0	4	1.0
24	Reeve Slone	4	0	2	4	1.0
25	James Laubstein	0	0	0	1	0.0
26	Kemper Hodges	0	0	0	2	0.0

Sorted by passing yards. Gray: under 10 attempts a game, so not ranked on yards an attempt.

Passing yards6878th in the Mountain West this season.

Touchdown passes76th in the Mountain West this season.

Conference ranks count every player in the conference with a row in that stat, any position. Career ranks count current FBS players, from the games in our log.

Opponents faced, by strength

Ratings of the games shown run from -11 to +12 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).

Pass targets

Smith and Cheeks saw 45 of the 98 charted throws.

Receiver	Targets	Catches	Yards	Throw depth	After catch
Jaden Smith	26	20	132	5.5	3.7
Carver Cheeks	19	13	178	11.1	6.8
Kam Thomas	11	8	180	14.5	11.5
Jeremiah Nash	9	5	56	7.2	8.0
Tavorus Jones	8	8	35	2.2	2.1
7 others	19	12	121	6.8	3.9
No receiver charted	6	All four interceptions are among these

Play by play: 98 passes, 66 caught, 702 yards; the box score counts 99 attempts. Throw depth: average air yards per target. After catch: average yards after the catch per catch. Bar: targets; the blue part was caught.

Passing profile

Pass Profile · True throw depth (charted plays)

Adjusted ANY/A, sack rate, and where the yards came from

66/99 (66.7%) · 7 TD · 5 INT

98 of 99 attempts matched to play-by-play

98 of 98 attempts charted for true throw depth

Totals here are the box score's. Play-by-play lists 98 passing plays (66 completions) against the box score's 99 attempts (66 completions), and the depth buckets use play-by-play.

Adjusted ANY/A

3.93172 of 185 QBs

Sack rate

18.9%185 of 185 QBs

Sacked on 18.9% of dropbacks (185 of 185) and Adjusted ANY/A trails the field (172 of 185).

Adjusted ANY/A uses full-season box-score totals (attempts, yards, TDs, INTs); sack rate is play-by-play-derived.

Behind LOS · Negative air yds

15% of attempts (15)

87%comp

Air -2.7 · YAC 6.5 avg

Short · 0–9 air yds

56% of attempts (55)

82%comp1 INT

Air 4.4 · YAC 4.1 avg

Middle · 10–19 air yds

14% of attempts (14)

29%comp1 INT

Air 14.2 · YAC 0.8 avg

Deep · 20+ air yds

14% of attempts (14)

29%comp2 INT

Air 33.2 · YAC 21.8 avg

Overall 66.7% completion on 99 attempts · 29% completion on 14 deep attempts (20+ air yds).

Teams and coaches

2024UCF4-8HC: Gus Malzahn · Run-heavy

2026UTEP1-7HC: Scotty Walden · Run-heavy, slow tempo

Our ratings

CFB Zeitgeist Score 32 (#121 of 145). Show the ratings

Where this profile ranks vs the QB cohort

Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles

32Below cohort / limited sample #121 of 145 · through 7 games?

13 metrics · season cumulative

through 7 games score: the 2026 sample is not big enough yet. The rows below are 2026 so far. Elite: fumbles lost (92nd percentile). Concern: sack rate (0th percentile).

Real play-by-play efficiency

Success rate#136 / 157 · 14th pct

35.6%

Explosive rate#138 / 157 · 12th pct

7.1%

EPA / dropback#145 / 157 · 8th pct

-0.09

Interception rate#148 / 157 · 6th pct

4.1%

Sack rate#157 / 157 · 0th pct

19.0%

Box-score rates (8)

Fumbles lost#1 / 142 · 92nd pct

Completion %#43 / 159 · 72nd pct

66.7%

Rush yards#76 / 159 · 53rd pct

129

Interceptions#87 / 159 · 37th pct

Rush TDs#98 / 159 · 30th pct

Yards / att#110 / 159 · 29th pct

6.9

Pass TDs#108 / 159 · 28th pct

Pass yards#148 / 159 · 7th pct

687

Season trend

EPA / dropback— first qualifying season

Success rate— first qualifying season

Explosive rate— first qualifying season

Sack rate— first qualifying season

Interception rate— first qualifying season

Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season. Most bars are box-score rates; EPA / success-rate bars are computed from real play-by-play (offense only — no defensive EPA model exists yet).

Zeitgeist Passer Rating

2026 · our own passing-efficiency number, shown next to the 1979 formula it does not replace.

Thin sample: 100 dropbacks

29Zeitgeist Passer Ratingnot ranked until 125 dropbacks

Positive-play rate weight 24%

41.5%14th pct of FBS QBs

share of dropbacks that gained expected points · +2.5% schedule adj.

Yards per attempt weight 56%

7.7656th pct of FBS QBs

sacks excluded · +0.1 schedule adj.

Sack rate weight 21% (penalty)

18.5%0th pct of FBS QBs

the input passer rating cannot see · -1.5% schedule adj.

Opponent-adjusted; garbage time excluded (18 of 118 dropbacks dropped). 50 = FBS average; the number is pulled toward 50 when the sample is thin. How ZPR is built.

Splits

Home and road splits, scheme and staff

Splits · Per-game

2026 season · 7 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	YDS/g	TD/g	YPA	INT/g
Home3g	148	1.7	10.4	0.3
Road4g	60.5	0.5	5.3	1.0

First half vs Second half

	YDS/g	TD/g	YPA	INT/g
Weeks 1-76g	105	1.2	8.1	0.5
Weeks 8+1g	59.0	0.0	3.7	2.0

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Scotty Walden

Pass share

38.7%

179 pass / 283 run

Plays / game

57.8

8 games

Scheme: Run-heavy, slow tempo.

UTEP’s two quarterbacks

EJ Colson	Threw in 7 of 8 games · 66 of 99, 687 yds, 7 TD, 5 INT · 6.9 yards an attempt on 99 attempts · ran for 129 yds, 1 TD
Braesen Leon	Threw in 1 of 8 games · 1 of 1, 22 yds, 0 TD, 0 INT · 22.0 yards an attempt on 1 attempt · ran for -12 yds, 0 TD

Box score. Every quarterback on the team who has thrown a pass this season.

Awards

Player standing · 2026

Starter

99 pass attempts and 85 carries in 7 games, fewer passes and runs a game than most FBS quarterbacks who play every week.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score

32 · #121 of 145 QBs · through 7 games

Three-star recruit. Now #121 at the position.

EJ Colson

This week

What’s being said

His most important play this season

Style of play

Similar players

In the news in the last 30 days

In the news this season

What they’re talking about

Week by week

What was said at each stop

In the news across his career

What fans said

In the game threads

Named in

Where to follow

Career stats

Game log

The latest game

The season, game by game

Signature game

Signature plays

Where he ranks

Pass targets

Passing profile

Teams and coaches

Our ratings

Splits

UTEP’s two quarterbacks

Awards

Starter

Three seasons, three schools

Moves

2024

2025