Senior tight end for Georgia Southern. 2023: 16 catches, 173 receiving yards, 2 TD.
6′7″ · 245 lb · Lima, OH
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
Recruiting
TE recruit
No. 699 nationally · Signed with Kentucky
No college snaps yet.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 tight end for Georgia Southern. 2023: 16 catches, 173 receiving yards, 2 TD.
Keaton Upshaw
Shows up in the passing game from any alignment. Across four seasons and two programs, two head coaches: Mark Stoops and Clay Helton. The receipt: 66 rec yds, 4 receptions against James Madison — Week 7, 2023.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
How it ended
Four seasons at Georgia Southern, 499 receiving yards — his college career is complete.
His career
He was on the field for 4 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
Career arc
Coaching lineage · 2019–2023
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Chad Lunsford → Clay Helton. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Season context · Team result + system
Where this profile ranks vs the TE cohort
Box-score percentiles
Concern: long catch (19th percentile).
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Splits · Per-game
2023 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home3g | 1.3 | 18.0 | 14.7 | 0.3 |
| Road5g | 2.4 | 23.8 | 7.4 | 0.2 |
First half vs Second half
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-74g | 2.8 | 30.8 | 10.2 | 0.2 |
| Weeks 8+4g | 1.2 | 12.5 | 10.0 | 0.2 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Clay Helton
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Player standing · 2023
Earning real snaps in the rotation without a starting job.
Recognition
Production · CFB Index Score
Three-star recruit. Now #114 at the position.
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Georgia Southern | 16 | 173 | 10.8 | 2 | -- |
| 2022 | Kentucky | 4 | 50 | 12.5 | 0 | -- |
| 2020 | Kentucky | 16 | 198 | 12.4 | 3 | -- |
| 2019 | Kentucky | 7 | 78 | 11.1 | 1 | -- |
| Career | 43 | 499 | 11.6 | 6 | -- |
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
Game log · Week-by-week
2023 season · 8 games
| Wk | Opp | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 3 | L 14-35@ Wisconsin | 3 | 19 | 6.3 | 0 | 9 | |
| Wk 4 | W 40-3@ Ball State | 3 | 30 | 10.0 | 1 | 14 | |
| Wk 5 | W 38-28vs Coastal Carolina | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | 0 | 8 | |
| Wk 7 | L 13-41@ James Madison | 4 | 66 | 16.5 | 0 | 27 | Season-high 66 yds |
| Wk 8 | W 38-28vs UL Monroe | 2 | 20 | 10.0 | 1 | 14 | |
| Wk 11 | L 33-38@ Marshall | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Wk 12 | L 17-20vs Old Dominion | 1 | 26 | 26.0 | 0 | 26 | |
| Wk 13 | L 27-55@ App State | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Total | 16 | 173 | 10.1 | 2 | 27 |
Play style
No single go-to route — the receiving numbers show up inline and split out alike.
CFB Index positional classification
Player DNA
No single go-to route — the receiving numbers show up inline and split out alike.
His 2023 production profile sits closest to Kurt Rafdal’s 2021 season.
Matches Kurt on
Through 2 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Tommy Tremble’s path through Notre Dame.
Matches Tommy on
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Cole Spence's senior season at Vanderbilt (2025).
Matches Cole on
Differs from Cole on
Player DNA