CFB Zeitgeist Score
38
Mid-pack in the position cohort. Carried by rec yards at the 70th percentile.
Michael Jackson III
Filling the Shoesas of 2026-06-22
Michael Jackson III arrives at Purdue with a new fit to prove and an old chapter behind him.
570REC YDS63REC1REC TD
TEAM RECEIVING YARDS LEADER
570
Team leader in receiving yards (570).
Read the story so far
AI narrative · updated 2026-06-22 · compiled from CFB Zeitgeist data
2026 Outlook
Returning to Purdue for 2026
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Wide receiver · Purdue
Returning around him
- 54% of 2024 offensive production back (Solid continuity)
- Transfer portal: +5 net (29 in / 24 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Purdue · Last season: 2-10 · Talent rank #54 · 2026 recruiting class #99
WR · PURDUE · BIG TEN
Michael Jackson III
- 4
- #2
- 6-0 | 205 lb
- Las Vegas, NV
Heisman Heat
#1404
<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 WR AWARD
Biletnikoff
—
CONSENSUS
All-American
—
Player Standing · 17 rungs
Tier 2 · StarterR07 · Impact starter
Impact starter. Producing measurable value above replacement.
Not on team2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Development Trajectory · receiving yards
2021–2025+391%
Up 391% from first season to most-recent.
Career Arc
HS
Recruit
—
CFB
College
3 teams
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 |
|---|---|---|
| No recruiting profile is on file for this player. | ||
Transfer Arc
Portal movement changes role, context, and perception. This keeps that path in one place.
| Season | Move | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Georgia -> Purdue | 3-star | 0.8500 | Immediate |
| 2024 | USC -> Georgia | 3-star | 0.8800 | Immediate |
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.
Achievements
- Program Benchmark 5.5% Program Benchmark Season leader for the program at the player's position across the headline volume metric (passing yards / rushing yards / receiving yards). Held by 5.5% of the 2025 pool. Team leader in receiving yards (570).
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.
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 Michael Jackson III
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 Michael Jackson III
No rival-bucket mentions in the current season.
2025 Signature · 2025 season
Receiving yards (total)
570
yds
All FBS WRs, min 20 receptions
National rank #163 of 531
Percentile vs All FBS WRs, min 20 receptions 69th
Why it matters
#163 of 531 All FBS WRs in receiving yards — 570 yards on 63 receptions.
Vs cohort
This player 570 (69th)
HIGH · n=63 cohort 531
- Also strong
- Receiving TDs#402 / 531
- Yards per reception#467 / 531
Signature Moment
Week 6 vs Illinois — 94 receiving_yards_total
Result L 27-43
The week the volume broke through — put up 94 yds vs Illinois.
Season Pace · Projection
Where the receiving totals stand
Through 12g
570Rec yards
63Receptions
1Rec TDs
Per game
47.5Rec yards
5Receptions
0Rec TDs
Projected (13g)
617.5Rec yards
68Receptions
1Rec TDs
To hit 700-yard receiver (currently 570): needs 130/game over remaining 1.
To hit 1,000-yard receiver (currently 570): needs 430/game over remaining 1.
✓ Hit 60-catch season · finished with 63.
To hit 80-catch season (currently 63): needs 17/game over remaining 1.
To hit 8 receiving TDs (currently 1): needs 7/game over remaining 1.
To hit 10 receiving TDs (currently 1): needs 9/game over remaining 1.
What made this player interesting
The fast read on the thing that makes this player more than a generic stat line.
Michael Jackson III's story is about how role and output meet each other. For Purdue, the card already shows enough current-season production to explain why he is on the serious-player board, and the next layer is determining whether the profile is just very good or actually distinctive.
2025 Season · Final
Traditional stats first. Advanced context underneath.
Last season
WR 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?
Target magnet | All-purpose weapon against FBS receiving peers.
2025 Season · Final
2025 season snapshot | final
Receiving
REC
63 96th
YDS
570 85th
YPR
9.0 25th
TD
1 64th
Rushing
CAR
3 64th
YDS
-5 8th
YPC
-1.7 12th
TD
0 81st
Returns
KR YDS
520 97th
KR AVG
23.6 78th
PR YDS
26 37th
PR AVG
3.3 18th
Game Log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 12 games
| Wk | Opp | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 31-0vs Ball State | 6 | 72 | 12.0 | 1 | 18 | |
| Wk 2 | W 34-17vs Southern Illinois | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 0 | 7 | |
| Wk 3 | L 17-33vs USC | 7 | 70 | 10.0 | 0 | 31 | |
| Wk 4 | L 30-56@ Notre Dame | 4 | 62 | 15.5 | 0 | 20 | |
| Wk 6 | L 27-43vs Illinois | 14 | 94 | 6.7 | 0 | 13 | Season-high 94 yds |
| Wk 7 | L 20-27@ Minnesota | 4 | 49 | 12.3 | 0 | 15 | |
| Wk 8 | L 0-19@ Northwestern | 5 | 36 | 7.2 | 0 | 13 | |
| Wk 9 | L 24-27vs Rutgers | 3 | 8 | 2.7 | 0 | 7 | |
| Wk 10 | L 16-21@ Michigan | 6 | 58 | 9.7 | 0 | 19 | |
| Wk 11 | L 10-34vs Ohio State | 3 | 15 | 5.0 | 0 | 9 | |
| Wk 12 | L 13-49@ Washington | 4 | 33 | 8.3 | 0 | 26 | |
| Wk 14 | L 3-56vs Indiana | 6 | 66 | 11.0 | 0 | 21 | |
| Total | 63 | 570 | 9.0 | 1 | 31 |
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
2021USC4-8HC: Donte Williams · Balanced, fast tempo
2022USC11-3HC: Lincoln Riley · Balanced
2023USC8-5HC: Lincoln Riley · Pass-leaning, slow tempo
2024Georgia11-3HC: Kirby Smart · Pass-leaning
2025Purdue2-10HC: Barry Odom · Balanced
Advanced layer Usage, value, and context
Advanced metrics second
Advanced Metrics
Usage, value, and opponent-adjusted context.
The player's share of a team's passing-game involvement. It is the fastest way to see whether the receiver is a true focal point or more of a complementary piece.
A blended workload view that accounts for catches, designed touches, and any return-game involvement that shapes the overall profile.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Receiving | Receptions | 63 | #44/1110 | 96th pct | Volumevs FBS WR |
| Receiving | Receiving yards | 570 | #169/1107 | 85th pct | Volumevs FBS WR |
| Receiving | Receiving TD | 1 | #396/1111 | 64th pct | Scoringvs FBS WR |
| Receiving | Yards / catch | 9.0 | #833/1106 | 25th pct | Efficiencyvs FBS WR |
| Returns | Kick return yards | 520 | #8/238 | 97th pct | Volumevs FBS WR |
| Returns | Punt return yards | 26 | #143/224 | 37th pct | Volumevs FBS WR |
| Usage | Pass share | 19.1% | #104/1137 | 91st pct | Air-game usagevs FBS WR |
| Rushing | Carries | 3 | #146/407 | 64th pct | Volumevs FBS WR |
| Rushing | Rushing LONG | 2 | #314/346 | 10th pct | Metricvs FBS WR |
| Rushing | Rush TD | 0 | #81/411 | 81st pct | Scoringvs FBS WR |
| Rushing | Yards / carry | -1.7 | #346/393 | 12th pct | Efficiencyvs FBS WR |
| Rushing | Rushing yards | -5 | #367/397 | 8th pct | Volumevs FBS WR |
| Receiving | Receiving LONG | 31 | #586/1105 | 47th pct | Metricvs FBS WR |
| Returns | Kick return avg | 23.6 | #52/236 | 78th pct | Efficiencyvs FBS WR |
| Returns | Kick returns | 22 | #7/243 | 98th pct | Volumevs FBS WR |
| Returns | Punt returns | 8 | #91/237 | 62nd pct | Volumevs FBS WR |
| Returns | Punt return avg | 3.3 | #182/222 | 18th pct | Efficiencyvs FBS WR |
| Usage | 2nd-down usage | 13.8% | #24/1137 | 98th pct | Middle-down loadvs FBS WR |
| Usage | Passing-down usage | 13.0% | #97/1137 | 92nd pct | Known-passing sharevs FBS WR |
| Usage | Role share | 10.5% | #78/1137 | 93rd pct | Share of team offensevs FBS WR |
| Usage | 3rd-down usage | 9.4% | #266/1137 | 77th pct | Money-down loadvs FBS WR |
| Usage | Standard-down usage | 9.3% | #88/1137 | 92nd pct | Base-situation sharevs FBS WR |
| Usage | 1st-down usage | 8.3% | #166/1137 | 85th pct | Early-down loadvs FBS WR |
| Usage | Rush share | 0.6% | #259/1137 | 77th pct | Ground-game usagevs FBS WR |
| Ball Security | Fumbles lost | 2 | #274/302 | 10th pct | Turnoversvs FBS WR |
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
Status—Awaiting tracker
Heisman model tracks the top FBS contenders weekly; this player hasn't entered the watch list yet.
Splits · Per-game
2025 season · 12 games
Home vs Road
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home7g | 5.7 | 47.4 | 7.8 | 0.1 |
| Road5g | 4.6 | 47.6 | 10.6 | 0.0 |
Win vs Loss
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wins2g | 3.5 | 39.5 | 9.5 | 0.5 |
| Losses10g | 5.6 | 49.1 | 8.8 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 6.0 | 59.0 | 10.6 | 0.2 |
| Weeks 8+6g | 4.5 | 36.0 | 7.3 | 0.0 |
Pocket and defense-quality (clean vs. pressure) splits are coming soon.
Savant · Box-rate percentiles
Where this profile ranks vs the WR cohort
38Mid-pack
Elite: receptions (91st). Concern: fumbles lost (5th).
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Advanced Savant · WR · 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
Michael Jackson IIIPurdueChauncy CobbArkansas State· 83% simTrent WalkerOregon State· 81% simLewis BondBoston College· 75% sim
Receptions
Rec yards
Rush TDs
Rec TDs
Long catch
Yards / catch
Rush yards
Fumbles lost
Closest peers by overall box-score percentile profile at the same position.
Player DNA
The Possession Receiver
Reliable target who converts on critical downs. Not flashy; consistently productive.
WR
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Cam Pickett’s 2025 season.
Cam Pickett
77%match
#2
Johntay Cook II
76%
#3
Tyler Page
70%
#4
Demarcus Jones
68%
#5
Jarrin Pierce
67%
Matches Cam on
EPA / play (adj)
Weight
Differs from Cam on
Reception volume (higher)
Class year (higher)
TD rate (lower)
Through 4 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Tray Eafford’s path through Troy.
Tray Eafford
99%match
#2
Tony Poljan
99%
#3
Connor Wedington
98%
#4
Miequle Brock
97%
#5
Brandon Smith
97%
Matches Tray on
Yards per reception
As a graduate, his production profile tracks closest to Keagan Johnson's graduate season at New Mexico (2025).
Keagan Johnson
75%match
#2
Jalil Farooq
68%
#3
Cam Ross
67%
#4
TJ Sheffield
67%
#5
C.J. Daniels
66%
Matches Keagan on
Total EPA (college ability)
Reception volume
Weight
Differs from Keagan on
Yards / reception (lower)
TD rate (lower)
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Barry Odom
Pass share
52.0%
404 pass / 373 run
Plays / game
64.8
12 games
OL sack rate (allowed)
4.9%
348 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Coaching Lineage · 2021–2025
3 coaches2021
Jeff Brohm
Purdue
2022
Jeff Brohm
Purdue
2023era →
Ryan Walters
Purdue
2024
Ryan Walters
Purdue
2025era →
Barry Odom
Purdue
Played under 3 different head coaches: Jeff Brohm, Ryan Walters, and Barry Odom. Multi-era developmental context.
Bio · Recruiting · Transfer · Roster
Off-field context — switch tabs to drill into recruit profile, transfer arc, or roster timeline.
HometownLas Vegas, NV
Height6'0"
Weight205 lb
Class4
PositionWR
Jersey2
No fields populated yet.
No fields populated yet.
Current teamPurdue
ConferenceBig Ten
Joined2025
Career arc5 season(s)
Trophy Case · Detail
Every honor on the ledger, broken out by stream and selector.
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 | Georgia | WR4 | #1404 | #1260 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W16 snapshot | SEC |
| 2023 | USC | WR4 | #1554 | #1558 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W19 snapshot | Pac-12 |
| 2022 | USC | WR4 | #283 | #247 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W20 snapshot | Pac-12 |
| 2021 | USC | WR4 | #2059 | #2249 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W20 snapshot | Pac-12 |
Roster Timeline
Team, conference, and class by season.
| Season | Team | Conference | Pos | Class | Bio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Purdue | Big Ten | WR | 4 | No. 2 | 6-0 | 205 lb | Las Vegas, NV |
| 2024 | Georgia | SEC | WR | 4 | No. 2 | 6-0 | 205 lb | Las Vegas, NV |
| 2023 | USC | Pac-12 | WR | 4 | No. 2 | 6-0 | 205 lb | Las Vegas, NV |
| 2022 | USC | Pac-12 | WR | 4 | No. 2 | 6-0 | 205 lb | Las Vegas, NV |
| 2021 | USC | Pac-12 | WR | 4 | No. 2 | 6-0 | 205 lb | Las Vegas, NV |