Junior Vandeross

Senior wide receiver for Toledo. 2025: 82 catches, 1,008 receiving yards, 11 TD.

WR · Toledo · Sr. · #2

5′8″ · 182 lb · Tampa, FL

CFB Index 87 · #11 of 485 WRsHigh confidenceReturning to Toledo for 2026

Next upSat Sep 19 · 3 pm ETvs TempleGlass BowlToledo by 6

The numbers

1,008

receiving yards · 2025

82 catches · 11 TD · 12.3 per catch

Best game: 5 rec, 122 yds, 1 TD, vs Western Kentucky

Statement game12 rec · 194 yds · 1 TDvs Pittsburgh (FBS) · W 48-46

Top 1% catches game since 2021.

His career numbers, season by season

The story

4 wide receiver for Toledo. 2025: 82 catches, 1,008 receiving yards, 11 TD.

Signed as a 3-star recruit to Toledo in 2022.
957 receiving yards in 2024. Then 1,008 in 2025.

His career, year by year

How he plays

Wins underneath on volume and route precision.

TD rate: 88th percentile.

The full scouting read

Junior Vandeross

WR · Toledo · Sr · #2

Wins underneath on volume and route precision. Junior Vandeross has been at Toledo through two head coaches in four seasons. The receipt: 127 rec yds, 7 receptions against Ball State — Week 13, 2025.

Low coverage — composed from the verified record.

positional archetype classification
head-coach lineage
game log

2025 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2022Toledo9-5HC: Jason Candle · Run-leaning

2023Toledo11-3HC: Jason Candle · Run-leaning

2024Toledo8-5HC: Jason Candle · Balanced

2025Toledo8-5HC: Robert Weiner · Run-leaning

Where this profile ranks vs the WR cohort

Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles

87All-Conference level #11 of 485?

High confidence12 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: td rate (88th percentile). Strength: receptions (98th percentile).

Real play-by-play efficiency

TD rate#95 / 798 · 88th pct

6.1%

Explosive rate#242 / 798 · 70th pct

13.2%

EPA / target#261 / 798 · 67th pct

0.53

Yards / catch#366 / 798 · 54th pct

11.8

Catch rate#383 / 798 · 52nd pct

68.4%

Box-score rates (7)

Receptions#9 / 558 · 98th pct

Rec TDs#9 / 558 · 98th pct

Rec yards#21 / 558 · 96th pct

1008

Long catch#83 / 558 · 85th pct

Yards / catch#317 / 558 · 42nd pct

12.3

Rush TDs#67 / 287 · 39th pct

Rush yards#190 / 287 · 32nd pct

Season trend

Last seasonThis season

EPA / target

35th → 67th percentile

Explosive rate

37th → 70th percentile

Catch rate

45th → 52nd percentile

TD rate

27th → 88th percentile

Yards / catch

31st → 54th 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).

Situational

Situational · Share of own targets (PBP, 2025)

Third-down role

24%27 of his 114 targets came on third down · Receiver median is 24%

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2025 season · 13 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	REC/g	YDS/g	YPR	TD/g
Home6g	6.8	98.2	14.9	1.5
Road7g	5.9	59.9	10.2	0.3

First half vs Second half

	REC/g	YDS/g	YPR	TD/g
Weeks 1-77g	6.3	77.3	12.0	0.9
Weeks 8+6g	6.3	77.8	12.7	0.8

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Mike Jacobs

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

Awards

Player standing · 2025

Part-time starter

Splitting first-team reps — starts some weeks, rotates others.

our read surprisingly productive for a receiver with no award recognition yet — top-1% reception volume, top-4% overall receiving production.2025 profile

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

87 · #11 of 485 WRs

Three-star recruit. Now #11 at the position.

2026 outlook

In the mix for All-MAC

Based on 2025: #1 of 38 Mid-American WRs

How the All-MAC estimate is computed

49% estimated, 95% confidence interval 43–54%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player.

One of 52 players who were elite at two different things in 2025. See the others ›

Career stats

Season	Team
2025	Toledo	82	1,008	12.3	11	--
2024	Toledo	85	957	11.3	5	--
2023	Toledo	47	664	14.1	4	--
2022	Toledo	1	18	18.0	0	--
Career		215	2,647	12.3	20	--

Season	Team
2025	Toledo	2	5	--	26	--
2024	Toledo	2	10	--	--	--
2023	Toledo	3	38	50	4	--
2022	Toledo	--	--	44	--	--
Career		7	53	94	30	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2025

W 45–21

vs Western Kentucky

5 rec · 122 yds · 1 TD

Dominant 24-point win at home against Western Kentucky.

With T. Gleason — 155 yds · 2 TD · 0 INT · QBR 92.0 · 21 rush yds (4 car) · C. Trayanum — 163 rush yds (14 car) · 2 TD

Signature plays

Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|

The plays that mattered most

fact

Week 13 · Ball State · 3&13 · Q4 · EPA +6.93(12:14) No Huddle-Shotgun #4 T.Gleason pass complete deep left to #2 J.Vandeross III caught at BSU30, for 63 yards to the BSU00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 12:05, 1ST DOWN #45 D.Cunanan kick attempt good (H: #36 E.Duran, LS: #40 J.Roe)
Week 2 · Western Kentucky · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA +5.78Tucker Gleason pass complete to Junior Vandeross III for 71 yds for a TD (Dylan Cunanan KICK)
Week 8 · Kent State · 3&10 · Q2 · EPA +3.96Tucker Gleason pass complete to Junior Vandeross III for 32 yds to the KENT 34 for a 1ST down
Week 14 · Central Michigan · 3&16 · Q2 · EPA +3.95(08:16) No Huddle-Shotgun #4 T.Gleason pass complete short middle to #2 J.Vandeross III caught at CMU43, for 24 yards to the CMU35 (#12 J.Kwiatkowski), 1ST DOWN
Week 13 · Ball State · 2&4 · Q3 · EPA +3.36(10:24) No Huddle-Shotgun #4 T.Gleason pass complete deep middle to #2 J.Vandeross III caught at BSU06, for 42 yards to the BSU00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 10:18, 1ST DOWN #45 D.Cunanan kick attempt good (H: #36 E.Duran, LS: #40 J.Roe)
Week 11 · Northern Illinois · 3&18 · Q2 · EPA +3.25(05:36) No Huddle-Shotgun #4 T.Gleason pass complete short middle to #2 J.Vandeross III caught at NIU15, for 26 yards to the NIU05 (#33 T.Powell), 1ST DOWN
Week 9 · Washington State · 2&10 · Q2 · EPA +3.12(00:16) No Huddle-Shotgun #4 T.Gleason pass complete short middle to #2 J.Vandeross III caught at WSU05, for 24 yards to the WSU00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 00:13, 1ST DOWN #45 D.Cunanan kick attempt good (H: #36 E.Duran, LS: #40 J.Roe)
Week 7 · Bowling Green · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA +3.07Tucker Gleason pass complete to Junior Vandeross III for 39 yds to the BGSU 36 for a 1ST down
Week 1 · Kentucky · 3&8 · Q1 · EPA +2.83Tucker Gleason pass complete to Junior Vandeross III for 14 yds to the UK 38 for a 1ST down
Week 3 · Morgan State · 2&10 · Q2 · EPA +2.83Tucker Gleason pass complete to Junior Vandeross III for 12 yds for a TD (C. Jones Run For Two-point Conversion)

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 13 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	Note
Wk 1	L 16-24@ Kentucky	7	88	12.6	1	22
Wk 2	W 45-21vs Western Kentucky	5	122	24.4	1	71
Wk 3	W 60-0vs Morgan State	6	45	7.5	2	15	2 TD catches
Wk 4	L 13-14@ Western Michigan	4	3	0.8	0	4
Wk 5	W 45-3vs Akron	9	122	13.6	2	28	2 TD catches
Wk 7	L 23-28@ Bowling Green	6	100	16.7	0	39
Wk 8	W 45-10vs Kent State	8	76	9.5	1	32
Wk 9	L 7-28@ Washington State	7	52	7.4	1	24
Wk 11	W 42-3vs Northern Illinois	6	97	16.2	1	28
Wk 12	W 24-3@ Miami (OH)	6	44	7.3	0	15
Wk 13	W 38-9vs Ball State	7	127	18.1	2	63	Season-high 127 yds
Wk 14	W 21-3@ Central Michigan	4	71	17.8	0	24
Bowl	L 22-27@ Louisville	7	61	8.7	0	19
Total		82	1008	12.4	11	71

How he plays

Play style

Runs precise routes in tight quarters. Volume player who keeps chains moving.

CFB Index positional classification

Money down · 3rd-down role

Money down

fact

15/283rd-down conversions

1.213rd-down EPA/target

0.42Other-downs EPA/target

19 of 28 caught on third down (67.9%) — EPA/target 1.21 vs 0.42 elsewhere (15 conversions).

Catch rate is disclosed context only, never the gate — conversions and EPA/target are. Interception targets carry no attribution row at any source, so EPA/target here is unfixably, slightly inflated.

2026 Outlook

Toledo

Preseason read · May 27

2026 Depth chart

Returning starter

Wide receiver · Toledo · editorial

Returning around him

66% of 2024 offensive production back (Solid continuity)
2 Toledo players drafted to NFL
Transfer portal: -5 net (33 in / 38 out)

2026 Award watch

Biletnikoff

Toledo · Last season: 8-5 · Talent rank #116 · 2026 recruiting class #121

DNA match

Player DNA

Slot Technician

Runs precise routes in tight quarters. Volume player who keeps chains moving.

His 2025 production profile sits closest to Jamaal Pritchett’s 2024 season.

Jamaal Pritchett

79%match

South Alabama · 2024

All-Sun Belt

Victor Snow

Buffalo · 2025

All-MAC

73%

Giles Jackson

Washington · 2024

72%

Jaden Williams

Texas State · 2024

71%

Junior Vandeross

Toledo · 2024

70%

Matches Jamaal on

EPA / play (adj)

Total EPA (college ability)

Reception volume

Differs from Jamaal on

TD rate (higher)

Through 3 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Anthony Lowe’s path through Gardner-Webb.

Anthony Lowe

100%match

Gardner-Webb · 2025

Taylor Grimes

Incarnate Word · 2022

98%

Ma'jon Wright

Arizona · 2020

97%

Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman

Northwestern · 2020

95%

Yamir Knight

SMU · 2025

94%

Matches Anthony on

Yards per reception

As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Kamdyn Benjamin's senior season at Tulsa (2024).

Kamdyn Benjamin

81%match

Tulsa · 2024

All-AAC

Phillip Brooks III

Kansas State · 2023

70%

Erik Brooks

Fresno State · 2023

69%

Victor Snow

Buffalo · 2025

All-MAC

66%

Malik Rutherford

Georgia Tech · 2024

66%

Matches Kamdyn on

Yards / reception

Weight

EPA / play (adj)

Differs from Kamdyn on

TD rate (higher)

Reception volume (higher)

Player DNA

Players who play like Junior Vandeross

Alred Luke

Missouri State · 2025

85%

Giles Jackson

Washington · 2024

79%

Jacob De Jesus

UNLV · 2024

74%

Marcus Bellon

Nevada · 2024

73%

Cade Harris

Air Force · 2024

73%

The receiver room · Toledo

#2Junior VanderossWR · Sr.1,008 receiving yards · 2025
#5Terrell Crosby Jr.WR · Sr.194 receiving yards · 2025
#81Eric HolleyWR · Sr.186 receiving yards · 2025
#12Bryson HammerWR · Jr.41 receiving yards · 2025
#14Tashi BracefulWR · So.36 receiving yards · 2025

11 more on the roster · Toledo team page

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

20225 games

2025 snapshot

Situational

Splits & context

Awards

Part-time starter

Career stats

Signature game

Signature plays

Game log

How he plays

DNA match

Slot Technician

Players who play like Junior Vandeross

The receiver room · Toledo