cfb zeitgeistZeitgeist
OFFSEASON · SUMMER 2026 · COMMITMENT SEASON
Heisman / Players / Ta'Quan Roberson /Buffalo

Ta'Quan Roberson

QB · Buffalo · Sr · #2

Filling the Shoesas of 2026-06-22

Ta'Quan Roberson is a cornerstone for Buffalo — measured against the line he joined.

2,520PASS YDS17PASS TD125RUSH YDS

PASSING VALUE · WEPA

+0.22

via your WEPA model · 2025 · 362 plays

Read the story so far

Ta'Quan Roberson arrived as a 4-star prospect, the No.287 recruit nationally. He lines up at QB for Buffalo.

On the field, the headline is 2,520 pass yds, with 17 pass td.

He inherited the QB job from CJ Ogbonna.

The number to watch: +0.22 — passing value · wepa.

QB successioncontinuity
  • Inherited fromCJ Ogbonna
Why nowThe 2026 outlook is the live story — the offseason looks forward.
  • season totals
  • via your WEPA model · 2025 · 362 plays
  • throne-line + Filling-the-Shoes

AI narrative · updated 2026-06-22 · compiled from CFB Zeitgeist data

2026 RETURNINGReturning to Buffalo for 2026

2026 Outlook

Returning to Buffalo for 2026

Updated May 27

2026 Depth chart

Returning starter

Quarterback · Buffalo

Returning around him

  • 66% of 2024 offensive production back (Solid continuity)
  • 1 Buffalo player drafted to NFL
  • Transfer portal: +0 net (16 in / 16 out)

2026 Award watch

No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)

Buffalo · Last season: 5-7 · Talent rank #112 · 2026 recruiting class #92

QB · BUFFALO · MID-AMERICAN

Ta'Quan Roberson

  • 4
  • #2
  • 6-0 | 200 lb
  • Orange, NJ

CFB Zeitgeist Score

42

Mid-pack in the position cohort. Carried by pass tds at the 68th percentile.

Heisman Heat

#672

<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 QB AWARD

Davey O'Brien

CONSENSUS

All-American

Player Standing · 17 rungs

Tier 2 · Starter

R07 · Impact starter

Impact starter. Producing measurable value above replacement.

Not on team2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Development Trajectory · passing yards

2021–2025
85.02021
10.02022
2,0752023
2,5202025

+2865%

Up 2865% from first season to most-recent.

Career Arc

HS
Recruit
★★★★
#287 national
CFB
College
2 teams
2021–2025
NFL
NFL Draft
Not drafted (yet)

Identity & Role

The durable bio layer: position, size, hometown, and roster role.

PositionQB
Class4
Jersey2
Measurements6-0 | 200 lb
HometownOrange, NJ
Primary teamBuffalo

Recruiting Pedigree

How big the prospect was before college, and whether the later career arc beat that expectation.

Top pedigree 4-star No. 287 recruit
Composite rating 0.9045 HighSchool
Signed with Penn State 2019
Origin DePaul Catholic Wayne, NJ, USA
Class Profile Context
2019 4-star | 0.9045 No. 287 recruit | HighSchool | Penn State

Transfer Arc

Portal movement changes role, context, and perception. This keeps that path in one place.

Portal moves 0 No portal entry on file
Latest destination -- --
Transfer stars -- CFBD transfer rating context
Eligibility -- Transfer date TBD
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 16
Current nowcast#672Latest modeled ballot order
Season forecast#515Where the full season sim points
Win probability0.0%Chance to actually win the trophy
Finalist probability0.0%Chance to make the finalist tier
Ballot probability0.0%Chance to appear anywhere on a ballot
Best official finish--Best completed Heisman placement on file

Heisman Futures

Not yet listed on major futures markets.

Achievements

  • Volume King 1.3% Volume King 2,500+ passing yards, 1,200+ rushing yards, or 900+ receiving yards in a single season (position-appropriate threshold). Held by 1.3% of the 2025 pool. 2520 passing yards — clears the 2,500-QB volume bar.
  • 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 passing yards (2520).

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.

NIL · Recruiting · NFL Draft

Market value, pedigree & pro outcome

Recruit stars

★★★★☆

to Penn State

Composite

0.9045

#287 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

PENDING

The 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 Ta'Quan Roberson

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 Ta'Quan Roberson

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.

A 3-act season arc returns once this player has six or more games on the ledger.

Season Pace · Projection

Where the passing totals stand

projecting to 13-game
Through 11g
2,520Pass yards
17Pass TDs
12INT
Per game
229.1Pass yards
2Pass TDs
1INT
Projected (13g)
2,978Pass yards
20Pass TDs
14INT

To hit 3,000-yard season (currently 2,520): needs 240/game over remaining 2.

To hit 4,000-yard season (currently 2,520): needs 740/game over remaining 2.

To hit 25 passing TDs (currently 17): needs 4/game over remaining 2.

To hit 30 passing TDs (currently 17): needs 6.5/game over remaining 2.

To hit 35 passing TDs (currently 17): needs 9/game over remaining 2.

What made this player interesting

The fast read on the thing that makes this player more than a generic stat line.

Ta'Quan Roberson's story is about how role and output meet each other. For Buffalo, 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.

Current place #672 0.0% win | 0.0% finalist
Role load 53.1% Overall usage share
Profile quirk Blue-chip pedigree No. 287 recruit

2025 Season · Final

Traditional stats first. Advanced context underneath.

Last season

QB season snapshot

2025 season snapshot | final

2025 season snapshot | finalData: CFBD player stats + local Heisman modelPeer context: same position + same level
Pass yards 2,520 17 TD | 12 INT | #59/382 (85th pct)
Completion rate 57.9% 206/356 completions | #250/383 (35th pct)
Yards/attempt 7.1 Explosiveness through the air | #165/382 (57th pct)
Player identity What kind of player is this?

30-second read

What kind of player is this?

High-volume passer against FBS QB peers. The quickest read is whether the profile wins on volume, efficiency, explosiveness, or rushing value.

High-volume passer

2025 Season · Final

2025 season snapshot | final

Passing Efficiency

CMP
206 84th
ATT
356 88th
CMP%
57.9% 35th
Y/A
7.1 57th

Passing Production

YDS
2,520 85th
TD
17 86th
INT
12 3rd

Rushing

CAR
83 82nd
YDS
125 71st
YPC
1.5 32nd
TD
3 77th

Game Log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 11 games

Box score · CFBD
WkOppCMP/ATTYDSTDINTYPAQBRNote
Wk 1L 10-23@ Minnesota12/20107105.437.9
Wk 2W 45-6vs St. Francis (PA)10/20133116.773.0
Wk 3W 31-28@ Kent State28/40318318.066.73 TD passes
Wk 4L 17-21vs Troy9/15104006.932.7
Wk 6W 31-30vs Eastern Michigan19/38272307.236.63 TD passes
Wk 8W 28-21@ Massachusetts36/55403217.355.7Season-high 403 yds
Wk 9L 16-24vs Akron23/36266147.416.54 INTs — rough day
Wk 10W 28-3@ Bowling Green13/24136115.744.9
Wk 12L 19-38@ Central Michigan16/33208116.316.0
Wk 13L 20-37vs Miami (OH)24/48303226.334.2
Wk 14L 26-31vs Ohio16/272702110.047.1
Total206/356252017127.041.9
Season-by-season tables Career rows + per-season box score

Traditional history

Traditional Stats

Season rows up top, career context at the bottom.

Season rows Career row

Season context · Team result + system

2021Penn State1-11HC: Lou Spanos · Balanced
2022UConn6-7HC: Jim Mora · Run-heavy, slow tempo
2023UConn3-9HC: Jim Mora · Balanced
2025Buffalo5-7HC: Pete Lembo · Balanced
SeasonTeam
2025Buffalo20635657.9%2,5207.11712126.3----
2023UConn19733858.3%2,0756.1126118.0----
2022UConn1250.0%105.00092.0----
2021UConn112839.3%853.01262.3----
Career4 loaded seasons41572457.3%4,6906.53020119.9----
SeasonTeam
2025Buffalo831251.53--
2023UConn461202.62--
2022UConn382.71--
2021UConn12242.00--
Career4 loaded seasons1442771.96--
Advanced layer Usage, value, and context

Advanced metrics second

Advanced Metrics

Usage, value, and opponent-adjusted context.

Usage Value Context
Passing WEPA

Opponent-adjusted passing value. Positive numbers mean the quarterback is adding more value through the air than a neutral peer would in the same environment.

Role share

How much of the offense runs through the quarterback once passing and rushing responsibility are blended together.

Peer percentile

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.

Traditional first

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.

Rush impact 125 3 rush TD | #120/408 (71st pct)
Usage 53.1% 89.7% pass share | 15.4% rush share | #55/428 (87th pct)
Passing WEPA +0.22 Opponent-adjusted passing value | #130/200 (36th pct)
Open full stat explorer
0 metrics visible Showing all metrics
Group Metric Value Rank Pct Why it matters
Passing Passing yards 2,520 #59/382 85th pct Volumevs FBS QB
Passing Pass TD 17 #57/407 86th pct Scoringvs FBS QB
Passing Completions 206 #61/383 84th pct Volumevs FBS QB
Passing Completion % 57.9% #250/383 35th pct Efficiencyvs FBS QB
Passing Yards / attempt 7.1 #165/382 57th pct Efficiencyvs FBS QB
Rushing Rushing yards 125 #120/408 71st pct Volumevs FBS QB
Value Passing WEPA +0.22 #130/200 36th pct Opponent-adjusted passing value | 362 weighted playsvs FBS QB
Usage Role share 53.1% #55/428 87th pct Share of team offensevs FBS QB
Passing Attempts 356 #51/407 88th pct Volumevs FBS QB
Passing Interceptions 12 #395/407 3rd pct Turnoversvs FBS QB
Rushing Carries 83 #75/408 82nd pct Volumevs FBS QB
Rushing Rushing LONG 40 #69/391 83rd pct Metricvs FBS QB
Rushing Rush TD 3 #94/408 77th pct Scoringvs FBS QB
Rushing Yards / carry 1.5 #277/407 32nd pct Efficiencyvs FBS QB
Usage Pass share 89.7% #66/428 85th pct Air-game usagevs FBS QB
Usage Passing-down usage 64.8% #80/428 82nd pct Known-passing sharevs FBS QB
Usage 3rd-down usage 60.6% #97/428 78th pct Money-down loadvs FBS QB
Usage 1st-down usage 53.4% #14/428 97th pct Early-down loadvs FBS QB
Usage 2nd-down usage 48.6% #92/428 79th pct Middle-down loadvs FBS QB
Usage Standard-down usage 47.3% #49/428 89th pct Base-situation sharevs FBS QB
Usage Rush share 15.4% #99/428 77th pct Ground-game usagevs FBS QB
Value Rushing WEPA +0.06 #136/140 4th pct Opponent-adjusted rushing value | 50 weighted playsvs FBS QB
Ball Security Fumbles lost 4 #237/258 9th pct Turnoversvs FBS QB

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

StatusAwaiting tracker

Heisman model tracks the top FBS contenders weekly; this player hasn't entered the watch list yet.

Splits · Per-game

2025 season · 11 games

Home/Road · Win/Loss · Season halves

Home vs Road

YDS/gTD/gYPAINT/g
Home6g2251.57.41.3
Road5g2341.66.50.8

Win vs Loss

YDS/gTD/gYPAINT/g
Wins5g2522.07.00.8
Losses6g2101.27.01.3

First half vs Second half

YDS/gTD/gYPAINT/g
Weeks 1-75g1871.66.80.4
Weeks 8+6g2641.57.21.7

Pocket and defense-quality (clean vs. pressure) splits are coming soon.

Savant · Box-rate percentiles

Where this profile ranks vs the QB cohort

42Mid-pack
8 metrics · season cumulative

Concern: interceptions (4th).

Pass yards#59 / 183 · 68th pct
2520pass
Pass TDs#57 / 183 · 68th pct
17pass
Rush yards#93 / 183 · 49th pct
125rush
Rush TDs#86 / 183 · 49th pct
3rush
Yards / att#92 / 183 · 49th pct
7.1pass
Completion %#144 / 183 · 22nd pct
57.9%pass
Fumbles lost#154 / 174 · 8th pct
4fumb
Interceptions#171 / 183 · 5th pct
12pass

Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.

Pass Profile · Completion depth (PBP)

Where the throws are landing

108/186 (58.1%) · 8 TD · 3 INT

Short

0–9 yds
51%of completions
55 comp5.1 yds avg1 TD

Middle

10–19 yds
34%of completions
37 comp14.0 yds avg2 TD

Deep

20+ yds
15%of completions
16 comp31.3 yds avg5 TD

Overall 58.1% completion on 186 attempts · 16 deep completions averaging 31.3 yds.

Advanced Savant · QB · 2024

Percentile Card

Concerns: EPA / dropback.

P4G5All FBS
EPA / dropback0.220
23th pct
CPOE
awaiting
Success rate
awaiting
Explosive rate (20+)
awaiting
aDOT
awaiting
Deep-ball accuracy
awaiting
Pressure-to-sack
awaiting
3rd-down EPA
awaiting
Red-zone TD rate
awaiting
Play-action EPA
awaiting
Scramble EPA
awaiting
Turnover-worthy play rate
awaiting

Advanced Savant

Opponent-adjusted advanced metrics with a cohort filter.

wepa_passing0.22Below (<p25) (n=94)
wepa_rushing0.06Below (<p25) (n=72)

Peer Comparator · Fingerprint match

Three closest profiles by box-rate percentile

3 peers · 8 metrics
Ta'Quan RobersonBuffaloBen FinleyAkron· 90% simNoah KimEastern Michigan· 87% simRyan BrownePurdue· 82% sim
Pass yards
68
Roberson
65
Finley
76
Kim
56
Browne
Pass TDs
68
Roberson
75
Finley
72
Kim
33
Browne
Rush yards
49
Roberson
52
Finley
59
Kim
61
Browne
Rush TDs
49
Roberson
39
Finley
74
Kim
59
Browne
Yards / att
49
Roberson
38
Finley
46
Kim
23
Browne
Completion %
22
Roberson
6
Finley
42
Kim
29
Browne
Fumbles lost
8
Roberson
8
Finley
18
Kim
18
Browne
Interceptions
5
Roberson
22
Finley
10
Kim
14
Browne

Closest peers by overall box-score percentile profile at the same position.

Player DNA

The Pocket Passer

Balanced passer who operates within the system. Profile sits near league average across dimensions.

QB

His 2025 production profile sits closest to Layne Hatcher’s 2021 season.

Layne Hatcher

73%match

Arkansas State · 2021

#2

Dylan Morris

Washington · 2021

71%
#3

Spencer Sanders

Oklahoma State · 2022

All-Big 12
70%
#4

Mitch Griffis

Wake Forest · 2023

69%
#5

Braedyn Locke

Wisconsin · 2024

68%

Matches Layne on

Completion %
INT rate
Weight

Differs from Layne on

Recruiting rating (higher)
Rush yards / carry (higher)

Not enough data yet for this comparison.

As a graduate, his production profile tracks closest to Zevi Eckhaus's graduate season at Washington State (2025).

Zevi Eckhaus

65%match

Washington State · 2025

#2

Preston Stone

Northwestern · 2025

All-Big Ten
63%
#3

Kaidon Salter

Colorado · 2025

All-Conference USA
53%
#4

Parker Navarro

Ohio · 2025

All-MAC
52%
#5

Nick Vattiato

Middle Tennessee · 2025

50%

Matches Zevi on

INT rate

Differs from Zevi on

Completion % (lower)
Rush usage (lower)
Weight (lower)

Supporting Cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2025 season

Head Coach

Pete Lembo

Pass share

49.8%

409 pass / 413 run

Plays / game

68.5

12 games

OL sack rate (allowed)

7.4%

338 dropbacks · PBP

Scheme: Balanced.

Coaching Lineage · 2021–2025

2 coaches
2021
Maurice Linguist
Buffalo
2022
Maurice Linguist
Buffalo
2023
Maurice Linguist
Buffalo
2025
Pete Lembo
Buffalo
era →

Coaching transition mid-career: Maurice Linguist → Pete Lembo. Worth noting in scheme + development context.

Bio · Recruiting · Transfer · Roster

Off-field context — switch tabs to drill into recruit profile, transfer arc, or roster timeline.

HometownOrange, NJ
Height6'0"
Weight200 lb
Class4
PositionQB
Jersey2

Trophy Case · Detail

Every honor on the ledger, broken out by stream and selector.

Honors

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 Kansas State QB4 #672 #515 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W16 snapshot | Big 12
2023 UConn QB4 #373 #587 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W19 snapshot | FBS Independents
2022 UConn QB4 #1292 #1334 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W20 snapshot | FBS Independents
2021 UConn QB4 #1854 #2228 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W20 snapshot | FBS Independents

Roster Timeline

Team, conference, and class by season.

Season Team Conference Pos Class Bio
2025 Buffalo Mid-American QB 4 No. 2 | 6-0 | 200 lb | Orange, NJ
2024 Kansas State Big 12 QB 4 No. 2 | 6-0 | 200 lb | Orange, NJ
2023 UConn FBS Independents QB 4 No. 2 | 6-0 | 200 lb | Orange, NJ
2022 UConn FBS Independents QB 4 No. 2 | 6-0 | 200 lb | Orange, NJ
2021 UConn FBS Independents QB 4 No. 2 | 6-0 | 200 lb | Orange, NJ
2021 Penn State Big Ten QB 4 No. 2 | 6-0 | 200 lb | Orange, NJ