CFB Zeitgeist Score
78
All-Conference in the position cohort. Carried by sacks at the 80th percentile.
Marsel McDuffie
Below the discourse floor — the honest stats-only state.
112 TACKLES · 2 SACKS
2026 Outlook
Returning to UNLV for 2026
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Linebacker · UNLV
Returning around him
- 15% of 2024 offensive production back (Heavy turnover)
- Transfer portal: +0 net (15 in / 15 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
UNLV · Last season: 10-4 · Talent rank #51 · 2026 recruiting class #95
LB · UNLV · MOUNTAIN WEST
Marsel McDuffie
- 4
- #8
- 6-1 | 245 lb
- Grand Prairie, TX
Heisman Heat
#6006
<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 LB AWARD
Butkus
—
CONSENSUS
All-American
—
Player Standing · 17 rungs
Tier 2 · StarterR07 · Impact starter
Impact starter. Producing measurable value above replacement.
Not on team2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career arc · Season-by-season Standing
4 seasons on the ladder
2022
UNLV · LB
—
2023
UNLV · LB
—
2024
UNLV · LB
—
★
2025
UNLV · LB
R09 · All-Conference HM / 2nd team
Recognized
Career Arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
UNLV
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Identity & Role
The durable bio layer: position, size, hometown, and roster role.
Recruiting Pedigree
How big the prospect was before college, and whether the later career arc beat that expectation.
| Class | Profile | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 3-star | 0.8315 | No. 1704 recruit | HighSchool | UNLV |
Transfer Arc
Portal movement changes role, context, and perception. This keeps that path in one place.
| 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 16Heisman Futures
Not yet listed on major futures markets.
No achievements unlocked yet this season.
Selector Grid · 2025
AP—
FWAA—
AFCA—
WCFF—
SN—
SI—
NIL · Recruiting · NFL Draft
Market value, pedigree & pro outcome
Recruit stars
★★★☆☆
to UNLV
Composite
0.8315
#1704 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
PENDINGThe 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 Marsel McDuffie
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 Marsel McDuffie
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.
Season Pace · Projection
Where the defensive totals stand
Through 14g
112Tackles
5.5Tackles for loss
2Sacks
Per game
8Tackles
0.4Tackles for loss
0.1Sacks
Final
112Tackles
5.5Tackles for loss
2Sacks
✓ Hit 80-tackle season · finished with 112.
✓ Hit 100-tackle season · finished with 112.
Why this is a rare defensive case
The fast read on the thing that makes this player more than a generic stat line.
Marsel McDuffie is trying to climb the steepest award hill in college football: a defensive candidacy. The hook is the disruption profile on UNLV's defense, with 2.0 sacks, 5.5 tackles for loss, and 2 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.
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
Player identity What kind of player is this?
30-second read
What kind of player is this?
High-disruption defender | Coverage splash | High-volume tackler against FBS defenders.
2025 Season · Final
2025 season snapshot | final
Tackling & Disruption
TOT
112 100th
SOLO
55 99th
TFL
5.5 90th
SACK
2.0 90th
QBH
2 66th
Coverage & Takeaways
PD
3 76th
INT
2 87th
Game Log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 14 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 38-31vs Idaho State | 6 | 3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Wk 1 | W 38-21@ Sam Houston | 6 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 30-23vs UCLA | 7 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 4 | W 41-38@ Miami (OH) | 10 | 3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Wk 6 | W 31-17@ Wyoming | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 7 | W 51-48vs Air Force | 12 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 12 tackles |
| Wk 8 | L 31-56@ Boise State | 6 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 10 | L 35-40vs New Mexico | 11 | 6 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 11 | W 42-10@ Colorado State | 8 | 3 | 1.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 12 | W 29-26vs Utah State | 10 | 5 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 13 | W 38-10vs Hawai'i | 8 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 14 | W 42-17@ Nevada | 6 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 15 | L 21-38@ Boise State | 9 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Bowl | L 10-17@ Ohio | 9 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 112 | 55 | 5.5 | 2.0 | 2 | 3 |
Season-by-season tables Career rows + per-season box score
Traditional history
Traditional Stats
Season rows up top, career context at the bottom.
Season context · Team result + system
2022UNLV5-7HC: Marcus Arroyo · Balanced
2023UNLV9-5HC: Barry Odom · Run-leaning
2024UNLV11-3HC: Barry Odom · Run-heavy
2025UNLV10-4HC: Dan Mullen · Run-leaning
Advanced layer Usage, value, and context
Advanced metrics second
Advanced Metrics
Usage, value, and opponent-adjusted context.
TFL, sacks, and QB hurries are grouped together because defensive Heisman cases are usually built on visible havoc, not on tackle counts alone.
Pass breakups, interceptions, and forced fumbles matter because national awards voters respond to plays that change possessions and highlight reels.
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.
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.
Open full stat explorer
| Group | Metric | Value | Rank | Pct | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Defense | Total tackles | 112 | #22/4942 | 100th pct | Volumevs FBS DEF |
| Defense | TFL | 5.5 | #477/4972 | 90th pct | Disruptionvs FBS DEF |
| Defense | Sacks | 2.0 | #491/4972 | 90th pct | Disruptionvs FBS DEF |
| Defense | Interceptions | 2 | #114/869 | 87th pct | Takeawaysvs FBS DEF |
| Defense | Pass breakups | 3 | #521/2184 | 76th pct | Coveragevs FBS DEF |
| Defense | QB hurries | 2 | #647/1878 | 66th pct | Disruptionvs FBS DEF |
| Defense | Solo tackles | 55 | #41/4584 | 99th pct | Volumevs FBS DEF |
| Defense | INT return yards | 10 | #411/578 | 29th pct | Takeawaysvs FBS DEF |
| Defense | INT return avg | 5.0 | #432/578 | 25th pct | Takeawaysvs FBS DEF |
| Defense | Fumbles recovered | 3 | #1/736 | 100th 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.
ALL-CONF HM
On-team2-deepStartingRecognizedEliteApex
ALL-CONF HM · Rung 9 of 16
Why he’s here
All-Conference honorable mention / 2nd team — the recognition has started.
What moves him up
A best-at-position run lifts to 1st team.
What moves him down
A back-end conference finish drops out of the honor list.
Accolade streams
Status—Awaiting tracker
The Butkus 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 · 14 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home6g | 9.0 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.2 |
| Road8g | 7.2 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
Win vs Loss
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wins10g | 7.7 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.3 |
| Losses4g | 8.8 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 7.7 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.4 |
| Weeks 8+7g | 8.3 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
Pocket and defense-quality (clean vs. pressure) splits are coming soon.
Savant · Box-rate percentiles
Where this profile ranks vs the LB cohort
78All-Conference
Elite: tackles (99th). Strength: solo tackles (98th).
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Advanced Savant · LB · 2024
Percentile Card
Advanced opponent-adjusted percentile bars are coming soon for this player.
P4G5All FBS
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
Marsel McDuffieUNLVGavin MoulDelaware· 97% simMatt RoseStanford· 94% simJaxton EckNew Mexico· 94% sim
Tackles
Solo tackles
Tackles for loss
Sacks
Passes defended
Interceptions
QB hurries
Forced fumbles
Closest peers by overall box-score percentile profile at the same position.
Player DNA
The Every-Down Linebacker
Leads the team in tackles and rarely leaves the field.
LB
His 2025 production profile sits closest to K.C. Ossai’s 2024 season.
K.C. Ossai
74%match
All-Sun Belt
#2
Daniel Bolden
73%
#3
Jackson Sirmon
73%
#4
Noah Wilder
All-Conference USA
73%
#5
Jackson Mitchell
72%
Matches K.C. on
Sack rate
Class year
Weight
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Andrew Parker's senior season at App State (2023).
Andrew Parker
87%match
#2
Bryce Gallagher
All-Big Ten
86%
#3
K.C. Ossai
All-Sun Belt
84%
#4
Micah Davey
84%
#5
Nick Jackson
83%
Matches Andrew on
TFL rate
PD rate
Tackle volume
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Dan Mullen
Pass share
46.5%
423 pass / 487 run
Plays / game
65.0
14 games
OL sack rate (allowed)
7.8%
283 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Coaching Lineage · 2022–2025
3 coaches2022
Marcus Arroyo
UNLV
2023era →
Barry Odom
UNLV
2024
Barry Odom
UNLV
2025era →
Dan Mullen
UNLV
Played under 3 different head coaches: Marcus Arroyo, Barry Odom, and Dan Mullen. Multi-era developmental context.
Bio · Recruiting · Transfer · Roster
Off-field context — switch tabs to drill into recruit profile, transfer arc, or roster timeline.
HometownGrand Prairie, TX
Height6'1"
Weight245 lb
Class4
PositionLB
Jersey8
No fields populated yet.
No fields populated yet.
Current teamUNLV
ConferenceMountain West
Joined2025
Career arc5 season(s)
Trophy Case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
🎖
ALL-CONFERENCE
All-Conf mention (2025)
All-Mountain West
Trophy Case · Detail
Every honor on the ledger, broken out by stream and selector.
1 all-conference honor
Conference-level recognition helps anchor whether a player is merely statistically loud or actually viewed as elite within his competitive lane.
Honors Timeline
Season-end distinction and week-by-week recognition on one timeline.
| Season | Honor | Scope | Team / Selector | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | All-Mountain West | all_conference | UNLV | Mountain West | LB |
Heisman By Year
Modeled rank and official finish by season.
| Season | Team | Role | Latest Model | Forecast | Win | Finalist | Official Finish | Points | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | UNLV | LB4 | #6006 | #6721 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W16 snapshot | Mountain West |
| 2023 | UNLV | LB4 | #11893 | #11987 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W19 snapshot | Mountain West |
| 2022 | UNLV | LB4 | #14140 | #14160 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W20 snapshot | Mountain West |
| 2021 | UNLV | LB4 | #14015 | #14138 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W20 snapshot | Mountain West |
Roster Timeline
Team, conference, and class by season.
| Season | Team | Conference | Pos | Class | Bio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | UNLV | Mountain West | LB | 4 | No. 8 | 6-1 | 245 lb | Grand Prairie, TX |
| 2024 | UNLV | Mountain West | LB | 4 | No. 8 | 6-1 | 245 lb | Grand Prairie, TX |
| 2023 | UNLV | Mountain West | LB | 4 | No. 8 | 6-1 | 245 lb | Grand Prairie, TX |
| 2022 | UNLV | Mountain West | LB | 4 | No. 8 | 6-1 | 245 lb | Grand Prairie, TX |
| 2021 | UNLV | Mountain West | LB | 4 | No. 8 | 6-1 | 245 lb | Grand Prairie, TX |