cfb zeitgeistZeitgeist
OFFSEASON · SUMMER 2026 · COMMITMENT SEASON
Heisman / Players / Jayden Cofield /Texas Tech

Jayden Cofield

DL · Texas Tech · So · #51

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

25 TACKLES · 1.5 SACKS

2026 RETURNINGReturning to Texas Tech for 2026

2026 Outlook

Returning to Texas Tech for 2026

2026 Depth chart

Projected starter

Defensive line · Texas Tech

Returning around him

  • 59% of 2024 offensive production back (Solid continuity)
  • 9 Texas Tech players drafted to NFL
  • Transfer portal: +0 net (21 in / 21 out)

2026 Award watch

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

Texas Tech · Last season: 12-2 (AP #4) · Talent rank #29 · 2026 recruiting class #48

DL · TEXAS TECH · BIG 12

Jayden Cofield

  • 2
  • #51
  • 6-2 | 315 lb
  • Austin, TX

CFB Zeitgeist Score

48

Mid-pack in the position cohort. Carried by sacks at the 74th percentile.

Heisman Heat

#12745

<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 DEFENSE AWARD

Nagurski

CONSENSUS

All-American

Player Standing · 17 rungs

Tier 2 · Starter

R05 · Part-time starter

Part-time starter. Splitting first-team reps.

Not on team2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Career Arc

HS
Recruit
★★★
#823 national
CFB
College
Texas Tech
2023–2025
NFL
NFL Draft
Not drafted (yet)

Identity & Role

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

PositionDL
Class2
Jersey51
Measurements6-2 | 315 lb
HometownAustin, TX
Primary teamTexas Tech

Recruiting Pedigree

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

Top pedigree 3-star No. 823 recruit
Composite rating 0.8711 HighSchool
Signed with -- 2023
Origin Manor Manor, TX, USA
Class Profile Context
2023 3-star | 0.8711 No. 823 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#12745Latest modeled ballot order
Season forecast#12664Where 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

0.8711

#823 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 Jayden Cofield

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 Jayden Cofield

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 9g
25Tackles
5Tackles for loss
1.5Sacks
Per game
3Tackles
0.6Tackles for loss
0.2Sacks
Projected (13g)
36Tackles
7.2Tackles for loss
2.2Sacks

To hit 80-tackle season (currently 25): needs 13.8/game over remaining 4.

To hit 100-tackle season (currently 25): needs 18.8/game over remaining 4.

To hit 6-sack season (currently 1.5): needs 1.1/game over remaining 4.

To hit 10-sack season (currently 1.5): needs 2.1/game over remaining 4.

Why this is a rare defensive case

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

Jayden Cofield is trying to climb the steepest award hill in college football: a defensive candidacy. The hook is the disruption profile on Texas Tech's defense, with 1.5 sacks, 5.0 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 #12745 0.0% win | 0.0% finalist
Role load -- Role share still loading
Profile quirk Defensive rarity 1.5 sacks | 5.0 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 25 10 solo | #1667/4942 (66th pct)
TFL 5.0 Backfield disruption | #553/4972 (89th pct)
Sacks 1.5 Pass-rush finish | #724/4972 (85th pct)
Player identity What kind of player is this?

30-second read

What kind of player is this?

High-disruption defender against FBS defenders.

High-disruption defender

2025 Season · Final

2025 season snapshot | final

Tackling & Disruption

TOT
25 66th
SOLO
10 56th
TFL
5.0 89th
SACK
1.5 85th

Game Log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 9 games

Box score · CFBD
WkOppTKLSOLOTFLSACKINTPDNote
Wk 1W 67-7vs Arkansas-Pine Bluff310.00.00
Wk 2W 62-14vs Kent State222.00.00
Wk 3W 45-14vs Oregon State320.00.00
Wk 6W 35-11@ Houston100.00.00
Wk 7W 42-17vs Kansas310.00.00
Wk 9W 42-0vs Oklahoma State500.50.00Season-high 5 tackles
Wk 12W 48-9vs UCF321.50.50
Wk 14W 49-0@ West Virginia421.01.00
Wk 15W 34-7vs BYU100.00.00
Total25105.01.50
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

2023Texas Tech7-6HC: Joey McGuire · Balanced
2025Texas Tech12-2HC: Joey McGuire · Balanced
SeasonTeam
2025Texas Tech25105.01.5------
2023Texas Tech110.00.0------
Career2 loaded seasons26115.01.5------
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 0 Coverage disruption
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 25 #1667/4942 66th pct Volumevs FBS DEF
Defense TFL 5.0 #553/4972 89th pct Disruptionvs FBS DEF
Defense Sacks 1.5 #724/4972 85th pct Disruptionvs FBS DEF
Defense Solo tackles 10 #1996/4584 56th 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 Lombardi 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 · 9 games

Home/Road · Win/Loss · Season halves

Home vs Road

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Home7g2.90.60.10.0
Road2g2.50.50.50.0

Win vs Loss

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Wins9g2.80.60.20.0

First half vs Second half

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Weeks 1-75g2.40.40.00.0
Weeks 8+4g3.20.80.40.0

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

Savant · Box-rate percentiles

Where this profile ranks vs the DL cohort

48Mid-pack
7 metrics · season cumulative

Concern: passes defended (17th).

Tackles for loss#553 / 2975 · 80th pct
5.0defe
Sacks#707 / 2975 · 74th pct
1.5defe
Forced fumbles#36 / 687 · 47th pct
0fumb
Tackles#1667 / 2975 · 43rd pct
25defe
Solo tackles#1996 / 2975 · 31st pct
10defe
QB hurries#1662 / 2975 · 22nd pct
0defe
Passes defended#1916 / 2975 · 18th pct
0defe

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

Advanced Savant · DL · 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 · 7 metrics
Jayden CofieldTexas TechJonJon VaughnsUCLA· 65% simMichael MontgomerySouthern Miss· 63% simJohnny Chaney Jr.Florida International· 62% sim
Tackles for loss
80
Cofield
85
Vaughns
85
Montgomery
91
Jr.
Sacks
74
Cofield
63
Vaughns
89
Montgomery
89
Jr.
Forced fumbles
47
Cofield
47
Vaughns
47
Jr.
Tackles
43
Cofield
99
Vaughns
99
Montgomery
99
Jr.
Solo tackles
31
Cofield
96
Vaughns
82
Montgomery
100
Jr.
QB hurries
22
Cofield
22
Vaughns
22
Montgomery
55
Jr.
Passes defended
18
Cofield
48
Vaughns
67
Montgomery
48
Jr.

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

Player DNA

The Nose Anchor

Two-gap space-eater who occupies blockers and frees the linebackers.

IDL

His 2025 production profile sits closest to Ahmad Moten’s 2024 season.

Ahmad Moten

88%match

Miami · 2024

#2

David Stone

Oklahoma · 2025

82%
#3

James Hansen

Nevada · 2023

81%
#4

Kristian Williams

Missouri · 2022

81%
#5

William Echoles

Ole Miss · 2025

80%

Matches Ahmad on

Sack rate
Weight
Class year

Not enough data yet for this comparison.

As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Leonard Taylor's junior season at Miami (2023).

Leonard Taylor

82%match

Miami · 2023

#2

C.J. Fite

Arizona State · 2025

All-Big 12
71%
#3

Mason Graham

Michigan · 2024

Consensus All-AmericanNFL Rd 1 · Pk 5
68%
#4

Jayvon Parker

Washington · 2024

68%
#5

Christen Miller

Georgia · 2025

NFL Rd 2 · Pk 10
67%

Matches Leonard on

Class year
Sack rate
Weight

Supporting Cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2025 season

Head Coach

Joey McGuire

Pass share

47.6%

484 pass / 532 run

Plays / game

72.6

14 games

OL sack rate (allowed)

6.5%

336 dropbacks · PBP

Scheme: Balanced.

Coaching Lineage · 2023–2025

1 coach
2023
Joey McGuire
Texas Tech
2025
Joey McGuire
Texas Tech

Played his entire career under Joey McGuire.

Bio · Recruiting · Transfer · Roster

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

HometownAustin, TX
Height6'2"
Weight315 lb
Class2
PositionDL
Jersey51

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 Texas Tech DL2 #12745 #12664 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W16 snapshot | Big 12
2023 Texas Tech DL2 #12549 #12299 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W19 snapshot | Big 12

Roster Timeline

Team, conference, and class by season.

Season Team Conference Pos Class Bio
2025 Texas Tech Big 12 DL 2 No. 51 | 6-2 | 315 lb | Austin, TX
2024 Texas Tech Big 12 DL 2 No. 51 | 6-2 | 315 lb | Austin, TX
2023 Texas Tech Big 12 DL 2 No. 51 | 6-2 | 315 lb | Austin, TX