Jayden Higgins

Former wide receiver at Iowa State. 2024: 87 catches, 1,183 receiving yards, 9 TD.

WR · Iowa State · Sr. · #9

6′4″ · 210 lb · South Miami, FL

CFB Index 91 · #5 of 466 WRsHigh confidenceAll-ConferenceHouston — drafted 2025, Rd 2, Pick 2, #34 overall

The story

Former wide receiver at Iowa State. 2024: 87 catches, 1,183 receiving yards, 9 TD.

Drafted round 2 by the Houston in 2025.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Two seasons at Iowa State, 2,166 receiving yards — drafted at #34 overall by Houston.

His career

Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.

The week the volume broke through — put up 214 yds vs Memphis.Memphis · L 26-362023

202413 games

All-Big 12second

2025

Drafted by Houstonround 2, pick 34

Career arc

Recruit

—

No recruit profile

CFB

College

Iowa State

2023–2024

NFL

NFL Draft

R2 · #34

Houston · 2025

Trophy case · Confirmed honors

What the selectors said

2 honors · 1 category

🎖

ALL-BIG 12 · 2ND TEAM

All-Big 12 2nd team (2024)

Where He Ended Up · NFL

HoustonEntering 2nd NFL season

#34Rd 2 · Pick 2

HoustonEntering 2nd NFL season

View college career stats ↓

2024 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2 seasons under Matt Campbell — 18-9 over that span.

2023Iowa State7-6HC: Matt Campbell · Balanced, slow tempo

2024Iowa State11-3HC: Matt Campbell · Balanced

Where this profile ranks vs the WR cohort

Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles

91All-America level #5 of 466?

High confidence10 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: receptions (99th percentile). Strength: rec yards (99th percentile). Concern: long catch (27th percentile).

Real play-by-play efficiency

EPA / target#137 / 610 · 78th pct

1.13

TD rate#154 / 610 · 75th pct

9.3%

Yards / catch#189 / 610 · 69th pct

13.5

Explosive rate#240 / 610 · 61st pct

16.5%

Catch rate#344 / 610 · 44th pct

88.7%

Box-score rates (5)

Receptions#7 / 541 · 99th pct

Rec yards#8 / 541 · 99th pct

1183

Rec TDs#19 / 541 · 95th pct

Yards / catch#233 / 541 · 57th pct

13.6

Long catch#391 / 541 · 27th pct

Season trend

Last seasonThis season

EPA / target

96th → 78th percentile

Explosive rate

78th → 61st percentile

Catch rate

55th → 44th percentile

TD rate

77th → 75th percentile

Yards / catch

92nd → 69th percentile

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).

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2024 season · 13 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	REC/g	YDS/g	YPR	TD/g
Home7g	6.0	82.3	14.1	0.9
Road6g	7.5	101	13.6	0.5

First half vs Second half

	REC/g	YDS/g	YPR	TD/g
Weeks 1-76g	6.5	84.2	13.5	0.8
Weeks 8+7g	6.9	96.9	14.2	0.6

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Jimmy Rogers

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2024

All-Conference

Picked for an all-conference team by at least one selector.

our read the All-Conference honor is earned — and the box score backs it up emphatically: #5 of 466 FBS receivers by CFB Index Score.2024 profile

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

91 · #5 of 466 WRs

Career stats

Season	Team
2024	Iowa State	87	1,183	13.6	9	--
2023	Iowa State	53	983	18.5	6	--
Career		140	2,166	15.5	15	--

Signature plays

Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|

The plays that mattered most

fact

Week 10 · Texas Tech · 3&9 · Q1 · EPA +3.45Rocco Becht pass complete to Jayden Higgins for 24 yds to the TTU 32 for a 1ST down
Week 15 · Arizona State · 4&3 · Q4 · EPA +3.41Rocco Becht pass complete to Jayden Higgins for 25 yds to the ASU 25 for a 1ST down
Week 4 · Arkansas State · 3&8 · Q1 · EPA +3.32Rocco Becht pass complete to Jayden Higgins for 26 yds to the ARST 28 for a 1ST down
Week 15 · Arizona State · 3&9 · Q3 · EPA +3.27Rocco Becht pass complete to Jayden Higgins for 18 yds to the ASU 42 for a 1ST down
Week 13 · Utah · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA +3.07Rocco Becht pass complete to Jayden Higgins for 39 yds to the UTAH 36 for a 1ST down
Week 7 · West Virginia · 3&10 · Q2 · EPA +3.07Rocco Becht pass complete to Jayden Higgins for 18 yds to the ISU 49 for a 1ST down
Week 6 · Baylor · 3&8 · Q4 · EPA +3.03Rocco Becht pass complete to Jayden Higgins for 22 yds to the ISU 48 for a 1ST down
Week 6 · Baylor · 3&8 · Q3 · EPA +3.01Rocco Becht pass complete to Jayden Higgins for 11 yds for a TD (Kyle Konrardy KICK)
Week 10 · Texas Tech · 2&10 · Q2 · EPA +2.99Rocco Becht pass complete to Jayden Higgins for 20 yds for a TD (Kyle Konrardy KICK)
Week 7 · West Virginia · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA +2.98Rocco Becht pass complete to Jayden Higgins for 37 yds to the WVU 38 for a 1ST down

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2024 season · 13 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	Note
Wk 1	W 21-3vs North Dakota	5	75	15.0	1	21
Wk 2	W 20-19@ Iowa	8	68	8.5	1	18
Wk 4	W 52-7vs Arkansas State	4	65	16.3	1	26
Wk 5	W 20-0@ Houston	8	79	9.9	1	20
Wk 6	W 43-21vs Baylor	8	116	14.5	1	25
Wk 7	W 28-16@ West Virginia	6	102	17.0	0	37
Wk 8	W 38-35vs UCF	6	58	9.7	1	12
Wk 10	L 22-23vs Texas Tech	10	140	14.0	1	24	140-yard receiving day
Wk 11	L 36-45@ Kansas	7	88	12.6	0	24
Wk 12	W 34-17vs Cincinnati	6	69	11.5	0	19
Wk 13	W 31-28@ Utah	9	155	17.2	1	39	Season-high 155 yds
Wk 14	W 29-21vs Kansas State	3	53	17.7	1	21
Wk 15	L 19-45@ Arizona State	7	115	16.4	0	25
Total		87	1183	13.9	9	39

Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology