Category: College Football

2023 SIS Preseason ACC All-Conference Team

As we approach the beginning of the 2023 college football season, we want to highlight some of the top players in each conference by announcing our SIS Preseason All-Conference teams. We used our all-encompassing player value stat, Total Points, along with other metrics and our scouting work as leading references in putting together our selections.

You can learn more about Total Points and the statistics referenced here.

Offense

Position	Name	School
QB	Drake Maye	North Carolina
RB	Trey Benson	Florida State
WR	Jamari Thrash	Louisville
WR	Ali Jennings	Virginia Tech
TE	Oronde Gadsden II	Syracuse
FLEX	Jaylin Lane	Virginia Tech
OT	Jeremiah Byers	Florida State
OT	Graham Barton	Duke
OG	Dylan McMahon	North Carolina State
OG	Christopher Bleich	Syracuse
OC	Matt Lee	Miami

Heisman hopeful Drake Maye leads the ACC after leading the country in Total Points. Trey Benson took over the starting job in Week 7 and didn’t look back putting up the same amount of Total Points over those seven games as the second-best ACC running back did over the entire season. Oronde Gadsden II was the best receiving tight end in the country last season.

All three receivers are new to the conference transferring in from Georgia State, Old Dominion, and Middle Tennessee State. Louisville’s Jamari Thrash was fourth nationally in yards per target. Virginia Tech’s Ali Jennings finished fourth nationally in Total Points per target. Jaylin Lane was first team All-CUSA last season finishing sixth nationally in YAC.

At UTEP last year Jeremiah Byers had the second lowest Blown Block% in the nation among offensive tackles. Matt Lee was tied for the lowest Blown Block% amongst centers in the country last season, playing for Central Florida.

Duke’s Graham Barton was fifth among ACC offensive tackles in Total Points. Dylan McMahon and Christopher Bleich were tied for second in lowest Run Blown Block% by a guard in the ACC (minimum 500 snaps).

Defense

Position	Name	School
DT	Braden Fiske	Florida State
DT	DeWayne Carter	Duke
EDGE	Jared Verse	Florida State
EDGE	Jasheen Davis	Wake Forest
LB	Cedric Gray	North Carolina
LB	Barrett Carter	Clemson
CB	Aydan White	North Carolina State
CB	Derrick Canteen	Virginia Tech
S	Chelen Garnes	Wake Forest
S	RJ Mickens	Clemson
FLEX	Jeremiah Trotter Jr.	Clemson

Florida State’s dip into the transfer portal paid dividends last season with Jared Verse leading the ACC in Pressure% among defensive lineman. This year they went back to the portal for Western Michigan defensive tackle Braden Fiske, who led all MAC interior lineman in Total Points.

Duke’s DeWayne Carter led the ACC defensive tackles in Total Points last season. Jasheen Davis from Wake Forest was second among ACC edges in hurries with 26. Cedric Gray was the lone bright spot on North Carolina’s defense finishing second nationally in tackles with 151.

Clemson has a trio of defenders led by Barrett Carter. Carter’s greatest value came against the pass where he was third nationally in Pass Defense Total Points among linebackers. Jeremiah Trotter Jr. made his impact against the run where he was seventh nationally in Total Points per play. RJ Mickens was fifth amongst ACC safeties against the pass.

North Carolina State’s Aydan White was an easy selection as he was second nationally in Total Points. Derrick Canteen was an honorable mention for the Sun Belt last season. He finished second among Sun Belt cornerbacks in Pass Defense Total Points. Chelen Garnes was valuable against the run, finishing fourth in Total Points.

Specialists

Position	Name	School
K	Ben Sauls	Pittsburgh
P	Ben Kiernan	North Carolina
Returner	Trebor Pena	Syracuse

Ben Sauls had an outstanding season converting all 47 extra points and connecting on 20-of-24 field goals. Ben Kiernan had a strong season for North Carolina finishing top five in the ACC for punt yards average, net yards average, and punts inside the 20. Trebor Pena was a dual threat return man averaging 23.3 yards on kickoffs and 8.6 on punts.

Honorable Mention

Position	Name	School
WR	Johnny Wilson	Florida State
OG	William Barnes	North Carolina
CB	Nate Wiggins	Clemson
Returner	M.J. Devonshire	Pittsburgh

Florida State’s Johnny Wilson is one of the top returning ACC WRs. Wilson was fourth nationally in ADoC. Williams Barnes was not called for a holding penalty last season. Opponents only completed 39.3% of passes against Nate Wiggins.

June 22, 2023

2023 SIS Preseason AAC All-Conference Team

You can learn more about Total Points and the statistics referenced here.

Offense

Position	Name	School
QB	Frank Harris	UTSA
RB	Blake Watson	Memphis
WR	Luke McCaffrey	Rice
WR	Joshua Cephus	UTSA
TE	Oscar Cardenas	UTSA
FLEX	De’Corian Clark	UTSA
OT	Rashad Green	Tulane
OT	Marcus Bryant	SMU
OG	Gabe Blair	North Texas
OG	Prince Pines	Tulane
OC	Sincere Haynesworth	Tulane

Frank Harris of UTSA has not played a game as a member of the AAC yet, but he was an easy choice at quarterback. Harris finished fifth nationally in Total Points and looks primed for another repeat as fellow first teamers Joshua Cephus, De’Corian Clark, and Oscar Cardenas returned too.

Blake Watson takes the top spot at running back, transferring to Memphis after spending five seasons at Old Dominion. After spending three years attempting to be a quarterback, Luke McCaffrey found his calling at receiver.

Tulane has the best offensive line in the conference with Sincere Haynesworth, Rashad Green, and Prince Pines finishing top five in Total Points for AAC offensive lineman. Gabe Blair had the third lowest Blown Block% in the country amongst guards. Marcus Bryant is the top returning left tackle in the conference.

Defense

Position	Name	School
DT	Patrick Jenkins	Tulane
DT	Nick Booker-Brown	UTSA
EDGE	Jaylon Allen	Memphis
EDGE	Jacob Busic	Navy
LB	Myron Morrison	Rice
LB	Colin Ramos	Navy
CB	Jarius Monroe	Tulane
CB	Jalen McMurray	Temple
S	Jonathan McGill	SMU
S	Julius Wood	ECU
FLEX	Jahari Rogers	SMU

Patrick Jenkins and Jarius Monroe represent the Green Wave on defense. Jenkins was a force on the interior while Monroe led the team with three interceptions and 11 passes defensed.

Jacob Busic and Colin Ramos will lead the way for Navy’s defense. Busic led all edges in the AAC in Pass Rushing Total Points while Ramos was second amongst all AAC linebackers in Run Defense Total Points.

North Carolina State transfer defensive tackle Nick Booker-Brown made an immediate impact with the Roadrunners. Memphis’ Jaylon Allen proved stingy against the run with 10 tackles for loss last season. Myron Morrison was sixth in Total Points per snap amongst all linebackers.

Jalen McMurray is Temple’s lone representative having finished fourth in total points for AAC cornerbacks. East Carolina’s lone representative Julius Wood was a force against the run finishing third amongst AAC safeties in Run Defense Total Points.

SMU is represented by Stanford transfer Jonathan McGill and cornerback Jahari Rogers. Rogers was the sixth best corner in the country against the pass on a per snap basis.

Specialists

Position	Name	School
K	Collin Rogers	SMU
P	Lucas Dean	UTSA
Returner	Key’Shawn Smith	SMU

Collin Rogers was perfect under 49 yards last season going 56-56 on extra points and 16-16 on field goals. Lucas Dean is the sixth and final Roadrunner on the team averaging 45.0 yards a boot last season Mustang Key’Shawn Smith, who was All-ACC last season for Miami, edges out Lawrence Keys III at the returner spot.

June 19, 2023

The 2023 QB Conversation: How Teammate and Schematic Context Impacts It

Every year, another group of interesting quarterbacks. Every year, another conundrum about how to project them effectively, given how complex the position is and how different the context around them will be in the NFL.

C.J. Stroud is a great example of the context part of this. He’s thrown to the likes of Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Jaxon Smith-Njigba over the last two years. It’s not surprising that Stroud has put up big numbers.

So with this group of four top prospects—Stroud of Ohio State, Bryce Young of Alabama, Anthony Richardson of Florida, and Will Levis of Kentucky—I want to try to identify some of the bits of context that might be relevant to their evaluation.

Establishing a Starting Point

It’s probably good to just start with a standard measure of total production to align on how to compare these players. Ignoring any kinds of situational factors, we can take EPA as a good measure of overall production, and then we’ll get to trying to split out the individual contributions in a second.

QB Passing EPA Ranks, 2022

(out of 98 QBs with 250 attempts)

	Pass EPA Rank
C.J. Stroud	4
Bryce Young	6
Anthony Richardson	52
Will Levis	55

That makes for some pretty obvious tiers as passers.

Richardson has the extra dimension with elite running ability, and obviously that’s not included here. This is just to show that Stroud and Young stand on their own from a passing production standpoint (which is, naturally, the most relevant kind of production for a QB).

It’s difficult to advocate for Will Levis from a production perspective. His candidacy for a top pick relies on things a data analyst is ill-equipped to evaluate. So keep that in mind as we compare him to the rest of the crew.

Now, let’s get onto trying to evaluate the offenses these players generated this production from.

Teammates

Let’s start with the interlocking parts of the players around each of these players. The Total Points system endeavors to disentangle the performance of each player, so let’s use that.

Here are the team ranks in Total Points per play by the pass catchers and pass blockers around each of these prospects in 2022.

Team Total Points per Play FBS Ranks

	Receiving	Pass Blocking
Ohio State (Stroud)	2nd	54th
Alabama (Young)	11th	76th
Florida (Richardson)	26th	18th
Kentucky (Levis)	16th	16th

Richardson’s receiving corps was definitely the most limited among this group. Their on-target catch rate was below average, which wasn’t true of the other three schools. It’s the same with contested-catch situations: Florida receivers came down with just 25% of such throws, compared to an FBS average of 32%.

None of these players had poor offensive lines that might tilt our evaluations, but Levis and Richardson did benefit from pretty stout pass blocking overall. That’s something to keep in mind when looking at their pressure rates, which are both higher than average. That suggests they’re inviting pressure to an extent that could prove troublesome at the next level.

Easy Completions

Another big talking point is how often quarterbacks are given really easy throws that can inflate their numbers. The screen game is one example of this, but so is throwing to a lot of open windows. In theory we want players who don’t rely too much on these plays.

While only Levis was given specifically more screens than average, all of these prospects had their fair share of easy throws in 2022. Only Stroud ended up with fewer total easy throws than the FBS average.

Top Prospects’ Easy Pass Rates, 2022

	Screen%	Wide Open % (Non-Screen)	Total
C.J. Stroud	10%	14%	24%
Bryce Young	11%	19%	30%
Anthony Richardson	9%	21%	30%
Will Levis	16%	13%	29%
FBS Average	13%	14%	27%

On these easy throws, Richardson’s accuracy numbers are the worst of the group. That could be seen as a large problem with his mechanics, or as low-hanging fruit to achieve quick improvement.

If we’re trying to choose the “winner” of this comparison, we might give Stroud the advantage for having fewer “gimmes”.

Simplifying Reads

Scheme can help by creating open throwing lanes, but it can also streamline the decisions the quarterback has to make. We know the hallmarks: play action, RPOs, and designed rollouts. Deceive the defense, split the field up, sharpen your focus to a limited number of players on both sides of the ball.

Team Offense Play Type Percentages and Ranks, 2022

	Play Action %	RPO %	Designed Rollout %
Ohio State (Stroud)	19% (39)	14% (95)	11% (17)
Alabama (Young)	18% (57)	32% (14)	3% (112)
Florida (Richardson)	31% (1)	29% (22)	12% (16)
Kentucky (Levis)	17% (65)	10% (113)	7% (58)

Richardson stands out here, but in a way that is probably somewhat consistent with how he’d be used at the NFL level. (Well, maybe not quite so many RPOs, since both he and Young used them at a rate higher than any NFL team.) It makes sense to get him on the move on designed rollouts to leverage his athleticism outside the pocket, but he was productive as a passer in those situations, too.

Stroud has benefited from the simpler reads that come from designed rollouts, ranking in the top 10 in Independent Quarterback Rating each of the last two years on those plays. He’s not the same athlete as Richardson, so the threat to the defense isn’t the same, but it’s something that the team that drafts him probably would like to integrate.

If we take out all these scheme elements and just try to isolate “straight up” pass plays, we’re sort of squinting to see what the player can do without some of the bumpers (to use a bowling reference). And when we do that, we get a result that looks a lot like the initial findings we had up top: Young and Stroud >>>.

QB Ranks without Play Action, RPO, or Rollouts, 2022

(out of 101 QBs with 150 attempts)

	Total Points / Play	IQR
C.J. Stroud	2	7
Bryce Young	1	2
Anthony Richardson	38	87
Will Levis	66	59

Looking as far back as 2018, Young and Stroud each have two seasons in the top ten in the Total Points per play split (over 400 player seasons qualify). They’re joined exclusively by first round picks at the top: Kyler Murray, Justin Fields, and Mac Jones have the three best seasons.

Young coming at the top here is particularly compelling because of how RPO-dependent the Alabama offense is. Even if we remove those elements—which we know to be utilized less at the next level—he shows outstanding performance worthy of a top selection.

It’s an interesting contrast with Stroud, whose production is hard to claim is superior, but who arguably did so with fewer schematic supports to lean on.

March 15, 2023

Study: Combine Measurements and Total Points – Do they Correlate?

After a week of workouts, drills, and interviews, combine week has come to an end and NFL teams are now deep in draft evaluation. Some players have had record-setting performances, while others might have more work to do at their Pro Day to shoot their name up big boards. The data is now there for everyone to analyze, but the question is:

What do these combine numbers actually mean?

There has been a lot of discussion over the past few years as to whether or not combine results translate to a better performance on the field. Does the height, weight, arm length, hand size, 40-yard dash time, number of 225-lb. bench presses, vertical jump measurement, broad jump measurement, 20-yard shuttle run time, or 3-cone drill time of a player truly predict immediate future performance for a 1st- or 2nd-year player in the NFL?

There have been studies done in the past (here and here) in finding correlations from combine measurements to draft order, salary, and player performance. In regards to the latter, player performance was measured in total yards, yards in rates, and quarterback rating.

At SIS, we can use our Total Points metric as the proxy to player performance to find correlations to combine measurements. For the purpose of this article, combine data from players who participated between 2016-2020 was collected and compared to the respective player’s first two-year Total Points sum. Correlations were computed between both Total Points and categorical Total Points (ex. Passing Total Points) based on positions to find any signal for a specific skill.

Without any further ado, let’s dive into the numbers…

Quarterbacks

When it comes to quarterbacks, it is not a big surprise that Total Points and Passing Total Points are very similar. The main skill the quarterback has to perform is throwing the football, so seeing that these two align for most measurements make sense.

Three measurements that stand out from the rest in terms of correlating to Total Points. The broad jump takes the cake as the highest correlated at 0.39 (0.35 Pasing Total Points), followed by the three cone drill at 0.33 (faster times lead to more Total Points) and the 40-yard dash at 0.23.

Contradicting some of the discourse about quarterback hand-size, this measurement has a 0 correlation to Passer Points. Turns out Kenny Pickett might have a chance after all!

Running Backs

When looking strictly at Rushing Total Points, there are three measurements that clear the 0.2 correlation threshold. Weight, vertical jump, and broad jump measurements correlate the most to Rushing Total Points.

This suggests that explosiveness and leg strength translate well to the next level and can be a potential indicator of running back performance. Across the board, being bigger and faster correlates with success.

When it comes to Receiving Total Points, the 40-yard dash and the broad jump correlate the most by far. This suggests that the ‘explosive pass-catcher out of the backfield’ moniker truly does exist.

Looking at Pass Block Total Points for running backs, the three cone drill and vertical jump seem to predict some success at the next level.

Wide Receiver

The vertical jump and bench reps stand out as the two highest correlated measurements to Receiving Total Points. Even though the average Run Blocking Total Points value among receivers is small, height, weight, arm length, and the shuttle run correlate the most out of these measurements when projecting success.

No measurements for Receiving Total Points reach the 0.2 threshold. One point to note is that pass blocking correlations in height and weight for receivers are much higher than those for the running backs.

Offensive Linemen

Pass Blocking and Run Blocking Total Points correlations for offensive linemen are similar for each measurement, with the 40-yard dash, arm length, and height having some difference between the two. Surprisingly, height and arm length seem to correlate more with run blocking than pass blocking.

Overall, the 40-yard dash, three cone drill, vertical jump, and broad jump are the highest correlations when it comes to offensive line play. Bench reps have a low correlation, once again showing that leg strength and explosiveness predict higher success.

Tight Ends

For tight ends, the 40-yard dash and the broad jump have high correlations to Total Points, as they both nearly reach the 0.4 correlation threshold. The vertical jump does not fall that far behind either.

The difference in broad jump, shuttle times, and three cone times between tight ends and receivers in Receiving Total Points is interesting. The get-off speed for a tight end might result in higher Total Points, which can be measured in explosiveness from the legs.

Defensive Linemen

Moving along to defense, we start with the defensive line. All of the speed measurements, height, weight, vertical jump, and broad jump correlate well to Pass Rush Total Points. This is very different when compared to Run Defense Total Points, as the higher the weight and more bench reps, the higher the Total Points value.

All in all, an athletic freak on the defensive line when getting to the passer seems to be a good thing to have. On run defense, a strongly built defensive linemen is the key for success. The contrast between these two skill sets in one position group is the biggest from this analysis.

Linebackers

Once again, for the linebacker position, athletic freaks tend to have the most success. All but 3 measurements reach the 0.2 correlation threshold for Pass Rush Total Points. After being significant for defensive linemen, the shuttle run and three cone times correlate to 0 and below, respectively, for linebackers. From a run defense perspective, the vertical jump and 40-yard dash times show the strongest correlations. Finally, both the 40-yard dash and shuttle runs are where the highest correlations are for linebacker pass coverage.

Defensive Backs

There are no correlations for Pass Coverage Total Points that reach the 0.2 threshold for defensive backs. The 40-yard dash and arm length are the two highest correlations for Pass Coverage Total Points. On run defense, only the 40-yard dash reached the 0.2 threshold.

Conclusion

Overall, there are no correlations that exceed the 0.4 threshold across any position, measurement, and Total Points category. This is consistent with the previous studies that suggest there is no strong correlation between measurements and skill sets.

Two measurements that seem to find themselves at the top of most positions were the vertical jump and broad jump.

A strong and explosive lower body tends to predict more success, generally speaking, when looking at Total Points. On defense, speed is the key, as 40-yard dash, three cone, and shuttle times were some of the highest correlated measurements for all 3 defensive skills.

All in all, don’t be fooled by the insane numbers seen at the combine. Yes, some are more meaningful than others, but there is a lot more that factors into having success in the NFL.

March 8, 2023

2022 SIS MAC All-Conference Team

It’s finally time to release our SIS All-Conference teams. We used our all-encompassing player value stat, Total Points, along with other metrics and our scouting work as leading references in putting together our team of selections for 2022, plus a few honorable mentions.

You can learn more about Total Points and the statistics referenced here.

These picks are meant to honor this season’s best-of-the-best in the Mid-American Conference.

Offense

Position	Name	School
QB	Kurtis Rourke	Ohio
RB	Carson Steele	Ball State
WR	Dante Cephas	Kent State
WR	Sam Wiglusz	Ohio
TE	Brady Hunt	Ball State
FLEX	Devontez Walker	Kent State
OT	Davis Heinzen	Central Michigan
OT	Marcellus Marshall	Kent State
OG	Deiyantei Powell-Woods	Central Michigan
OG	Vinny Sciury	Toledo
OC	Jack Hasz	Buffalo

When talking about the 2022 MAC season, we must start with Ohio’s “Maple Missile” Kurtis Rourke. Rourke led all MAC QBs in Total Points with 97, taking a massive step forward from his 3FR season, while missing the final 3 games of the season. One reason for the progress was the addition of former Ohio State walk-on Sam Wiglusz. Wiglusz, playing primarily in the slot, was Rourke’s No. 1 target, contributing 893 yards and 11 TDs.

Kent State’s high-paced attack was led by receivers Dante Cephas and Devontez Walker during the 2022 season. Cephas was 2nd in the MAC in Total Points as a receiver with 24, while Walker led the conference with 921 yards receiving and 11 TDs on 103 targets.

Carson Steele was arguably the best player in the MAC in 2022, compiling 1,531 yards and 14 TDs. What put the nation on notice was Steele’s ability to break through tackles and first contact, finishing the year with 1,113 yards after contact and 65 broken tackles. Steele was a dominant player for the Cardinals in 2022, earning a Power-5 transfer to UCLA.

Defense

Position	Name	School
DT	Braden Fiske	Western Michigan
DT	Devonte O’Malley	Northern Illinois
EDGE	Andre Carter	Western Michigan
EDGE	Jose Ramirez	Eastern Michigan
LB	Zaire Barnes	Western Michigan
LB	Dyontae Johnson	Toledo
CB	Quinyon Mitchell	Toledo
CB	Nic Jones	Ball State
S	Trey Jones	Central Michigan
S	Marcus Fuqua	Buffalo
FLEX	Joshua Scott	Eastern Michigan

Coming off an 8-sack year in 2021, Eastern Michigan’s Jose Ramirez became a house-hold name in 2022, finishing the year tied-3rd in the nation with 11 sacks, each one unassisted. Ramirez became the nightmare for QBs, earning a deserved 1st-Team honor.

Let’s stick with the pass rush as Western Michigan possessed two dynamic pass rushers themselves in Braden Fiske and Andre Carter. Fiske and Carter managed 6 and 6.5 sacks, respectively, in 2022, while both maintained a pressure rate greater than 9%.

Specialists

Position	Name	School
K	Alex McNulty	Buffalo
P	Luke Elzinga	Central Michigan
Returner	Keegan Wilburn	Ohio

Keegan Wilburn finished 2nd in the nation in kickoff return yards, and also returned one for a touchdown. Wilburn was one of the most explosive returners in the nation, and we expect to see another big year out of him next year. Luke Elzinga was a productive punter for CMU with 22 punts inside the 20 and 20 forced fair catches. Alex McNulty was a weapon for Buffalo from anywhere on the field. He made 85% of his kicks in 2022, which led the MAC.

Honorable Mentions

Name	School
Marquez Cooper	Kent State
Cole Tucker	Northern Illinois
Jamal Turner	Toledo
Karl Brooks	Bowling Green
Thomas Incoom	Central Michigan
Zachary Ford	Toledo

Karl Brooks and Thomas Incoom finished right behind EMU’s Ramirez in sacks, with 10 and 11 sacks respectively. Both also possessed pressure rates greater than 10% (13.8% and 10.9%, respectively). On the offensive side, Jamal Turner for Toledo finished the year with 8 TDs, making him the go-to scoring option for the MAC Champion Rockets.

Total Points, stats, and ranks as of 2/7/2023

February 9, 2023

2022 SIS All-Pac-12 Teams

You can learn more about Total Points and the statistics referenced here.

These picks are meant to honor this season’s best-of-the-best in the Pac-12 Conference.

Offense

Position	Name	School
QB	Caleb Williams	USC
RB	Zach Charbonnet	UCLA
WR	Dorian Singer	Arizona
WR	Rome Odunze	Washington
TE	Dalton Kincaid	Utah
FLEX	Bucky Irving	Oregon
OT	TJ Bass	Oregon
OT	Braeden Daniels	Utah
OG	Jon Gaines II	UCLA
OG	Atonio Mafi	UCLA
OC	Alex Forsyth	Oregon

Heisman winner Caleb Williams is the lone representative from the Trojan offense on our Pac-12 team this season. Williams finished 2022 with a whopping 237 Total Points, which was good enough to finish second out of all players in the nation by only one point (see the ACC All-Conference team to find out who scored the most). Williams still has one more year at USC with Lincoln Riley and will look to further build upon his already illustrious collegiate career.

Zach Charbonnet and Bucky Irving were amongst the best running backs in a conference loaded with backfield talent, as they each tied for the conference lead in Total Points among running backs. Charbonnet led the Pac-12 in rushing yards and yards after contact while Irving boasted the highest Broken+Missed Tackle Rate in all of the FBS.

When it comes to the big guys, it is no surprise that our Pac-12 offensive line features two players each from UCLA (Jon Gaines II and Atonio Mafi) and Oregon (TJ Bass and Alex Forsyth), who helped pave the way for our All-Conference running backs. Braeden Daniels rounds out our unit as he represents Utah’s dominant OL.

No Pac-12 All-Conference team would be complete without the pass catchers. Dorian Singer and Rome Odunze proved themselves to be elite weapons in 2022 and will look to improve their numbers in 2023 as they will be returning to college next season.

Defense

Position	Name	School
DT	James Rawls	Oregon State
DT	Junior Tafuna	Utah
EDGE	Jeremiah Martin	Washington
EDGE	Tuli Tuipulotu	USC
LB	Daiyan Henley	Washington State
LB	Kyrei Fisher-Morris	Oregon State
CB	Chau Smith-Wade	Washington State
CB	Clark Phillips III	Utah
S	Cole Bishop	Utah
S	Calen Bullock	USC
FLEX	Christian Gonzalez	Oregon

We have a star-studded squad for our Pac-12 All-Conference Defensive Team. Utah is very well-represented, pacing the conference with 3 of our 11 total selections. USC also supplied a couple studs on this list, notably Tuli Tuipulotu, who led the country in total sacks last season while also putting up 32 Total Points, only one behind the conference leader, Washington’s Jeremiah Martin.

Specialists

Position	Name	School
K	Joshua Karty	Stanford
P	Eddie Czaplicki	Arizona State
Returner	Anthony Gould	Oregon State

When it comes to specialists, the Pac-12 did not disappoint. Stanford’s Joshua Karty led the conference in Total Points by a good margin, mostly due to him going a perfect 18-of-18 on FGs with 13 of his makes coming from 40+ yards. Eddie Czaplicki paced the conference’s punters in Total Points while finishing 2nd in punt average and having the longest punt at 75 yards.

As far as returners go, Oregon State’s Anthony Gould separated himself as the league’s premier returner despite only returning one kickoff. However, he led the Pac-12 in total punt return yards and had the only two punt return touchdowns the conference saw in 2022.

Honorable Mentions

Name	School
Michael Penix Jr.	Washington
Jacob Cowing	Arizona
Sataoa Laumea	Utah
Keaton Bills	Utah
Duke Clemens	UCLA
Mohamoud Diabate	Utah
Mekhi Blackmon	USC
Derrick Langford	Washington State
Rejzohn Wright	Oregon State

Michael Penix Jr. balled out in his first season at Washington to the tune of 178 Total Points, which was good enough for 2nd in the Pac-12 and 4th in all of FBS. He will look to improve on those numbers next year in his second season in Washington.

Jacob Cowing finished the season 2nd amongst Pac-12 wide receivers in 2022 and Utah furthered their offensive line representation with Sataoa Laumea and Keaton Bills earning honorable mentions.

On the defensive side, linebacker Mohamoud Diabate and ballhawking defensive back Mekhi Blackmon also caught our eyes as major playmakers in the conference.

Total Points, stats, and ranks as of 2/7/2023

February 9, 2023

2022 SIS Sun Belt All-Conference Team

You can learn more about Total Points and the statistics referenced here.

These picks are meant to honor this season’s best-of-the-best in the Sun Belt.

Offense

Position	Name	School
QB	Grayson McCall	Coastal Carolina
RB	Frank Gore Jr.	Southern Mississippi
WR	Ali Jennings III	Old Dominion
WR	Jamari Thrash	Georgia State
TE	Seydou Traore	Arkansas State
FLEX	Khalan Laborn	Marshall
OT	Cooper Hodges	Appalachian State
OT	Grant Betts	Troy
OG	Khalil Crowder	Georgia Southern
OG	Will McDonald	Coastal Carolina
OC	Logan Langemeier	Georgia Southern

Coastal Carolina’s Grayson McCall leads the conference in Total Points with 112, even though he missed 2 games because of injury. Old Dominion’s Ali Jennings III led all receivers in the conference with 31 Total Points and was tied for the conference lead in receiving TDs with 9.

Frank Gore Jr. dominated the rest of the conference’s running backs, leading with 55 Total Points and his Broken+Missed Tackle rate of 31.6 % was 2nd in the FBS among all players with at least 200 rushes. Khalan Laborn was no slouch either as he ranked 9th in the FBS with 1,531 yards and tied for 10th with 16 rushing TDs.

Georgia Southern’s Khalil Crowder led all OL in the conference in Total Points with 34. Appalachian State’s Cooper Hodges followed closely behind with 33 and Crowder’s teammate, Logan Langemeier, led all OCs in the conference with 32 Total Points.

Defense

Position	Name	School
DT	T.J. Jackson	Troy
DT	James Carpenter	James Madison
EDGE	Owen Porter	Marshall
EDGE	Jordan Revels	Texas State
LB	Charlie Gray	Marshall
LB	Logan Doublin	Appalachian State
CB	Reddy Steward	Troy
CB	Steven Gilmore	Marshall
S	Jay Stanley	Southern Mississippi
S	Andre Sam	Marshall
FLEX	Micah Abraham	Marshall

Troy’s T.J. Jackson led all DT in the Sun Belt in Total Points with 38 and was a big reason why he was named 2nd Team for our All-American Team. Owen Porter of Marshall was the top edge defender in the Sun Belt with 55 Total Points. He ranked 2nd in the conference in sacks with 9.5 and 2nd in total pressures with 39. Reddy Steward led all DBs in the Sun Belt with 78 Total Points and his Passer Rating Against of 47.3 was 11th among CBs in the FBS with a minimum of 50 targets.

Specialists

Position	Name	School
K	Dominic Zvada	Arkansas State
P	Ethan Duane	Old Dominion
Returner	Johnnie Lang	Arkansas State

Dominic Zvada went a near perfect 17-of-18 and his FG% of 94.4 was tied for 6th-best in the FBS for kickers with a minimum of 15 attempts. Ethan Duane’s 28 punts inside the 20 was tied for 6th-best. Johnnie Lang led the nation with 888 KR yards while adding 1 TD.

Honorable Mentions

Name	School
Kyle Vantrease	Georgia Southern
La’Damian Webb	South Alabama
Derrick Canteen	Georgia Southern
Quavian White	Georgia State
Darrell Luter Jr.	South Alabama
Bralen Trahan	Louisiana
Yam Banks	South Alabama

Kyle Vantrease was 2nd in the conference in TP with 102 and threw for the 5th-most yards in the FBS. South Alabama’s Yam Banks was in conversation for the 1st Team and his 6 INTs, which was T-2nd in the FBS, is a big reason why.

Total Points, stats, and ranks as of 2/7/2023

February 9, 2023

2022 SIS All-Independents Teams

You can learn more about Total Points and the statistics referenced here.

These picks are meant to honor this season’s best-of-the-best among the FBS Independents.

Offense

Position	Name	School
QB	Jaren Hall	BYU
RB	Dae Dae Hunter	Liberty
RB	Audric Estime	Notre Dame
WR	Demario Douglas	Liberty
TE	Michael Mayer	Notre Dame
FLEX	Joshua Lingenfelter	Army
OT	Joe Alt	Notre Dame
OT	Blake Fisher	Notre Dame
OG	Connor Finucane	Army
OG	Josh Lugg	Notre Dame
OC	Connor Bishop	Army

Jaren Hall had more Passing Total Points than every other Independent QB COMBINED. The group of independents makes this team slightly unique as there were 4 highly effective running backs and a pair of top tight ends so this team utilizes a heavy personnel package. Among backs (RB and FB), Dae Dae Hunter and Audric Estime were 1st and 2nd respectively in Rushing Total Points by a wide margin. Army RBs Ay’Jaun Marshall and Braheam Murphy earned significant Total Points as run blockers which kept them in contention.

Demario Douglas had nearly 50 more targets than the next most-targeted receiver and he led the Independents in Blocked Tackles + Missed Tackles.

Michael Mayer was one of the easiest selections in any conference as he was far and away the most impactful pass-catcher among the Independents and finished with the 5th-most Total Points among ALL Independent players.

Joshua Lingenfelter was used almost exclusively as a run-blocker, but he was extremely effective in that role, earning more Run Blocking Total Points than every LINEMAN, with the exception of his teammate Connor Finucane.

The entire OL is made up of Army and Notre Dame players as Joe Alt, Connor Finucane, Josh Lugg, Connor Bishop, and Blake Fisher were top-5 in Blocking Total Points in order.

Defense

Position	Name	School
DT	Jayson Ademilola	Notre Dame
DT	Kendy Charles	Liberty
EDGE	Durrell Johnson	Liberty
EDGE	Isaiah Foskey	Notre Dame
LB	Jalen Mackie	UMass
LB	Brandon Bouyer-Randle	UConn
CB	Tre Wortham	UConn
CB	Syrus Dumas	New Mexico State
CB	Benjamin Morrison	Notre Dame
S	Marquel Broughton	Army
FLEX	TaRiq Bracy	Notre Dame

Jayson Ademilola and Kendy Charles were 1st and 2nd in both Pass Rushing Total Points and Overall Total Points among DTs. Durrell Johnson and Isaiah Foskey both finished the season top-3 among Independent players in pressures and Pass Rushing Total Points and Johnson also led the FBS in TFLs. Jalen Mackie and Brandon Bouyer-Randle were the only 2 LBs to obtain 14+ Total Points in both Pass Defense Total Points and Run Defense Total Points.

Syrus Dumas was 2nd among Independent defenders in EPA with -14.2. Benjamin Morrison and TaRiq Bracy were 1st and 2nd in Coverage Total Points with Morrison snagging 6 INTs as well. Marquel Broughton led all Independent defenders in Run Defense Total Points. Tre Wortham gave up 6 TDs in coverage, but was 3rd among Independent defenders with 4 INTs, T-4th in passes defensed, and gave up under 7 yards per target to make the team.

Specialists

Position	Name	School
K	Blake Grupe	Notre Dame
P	Jon Sot	Notre Dame
Returner	Shedro Louis	Liberty

Blake Grupe went 14-of-19 on FGs and 49-of-49 on extra points to lead Independent players in scoring. Jon Sot was 2nd in punt average and had 10 punts inside the 10. Shedro Louis had the highest kickoff return average (minimum 3 returns) and took one kickoff back for a touchdown.

Honorable Mentions

Name	School
Ay’Jaun Marshall	Army
Braheam Murphy	Army

Total Points, stats, and ranks as of 2/1/2023

February 8, 2023

2022 SIS Big 12 All-Conference Teams

You can learn more about Total Points and the statistics referenced here.

These picks are meant to honor this season’s best-of-the-best in the Big 12.

Offense

Position	Name	School
QB	Max Duggan	TCU
RB	Bijan Robinson	Texas
WR	Quentin Johnston	TCU
WR	Malik Knowles	Kansas State
TE	Ja’Tavion Sanders	Texas
FLEX	Kendre Miller	TCU
OT	Christian Duffie	Kansas State
OT	Caleb Rogers	Texas Tech
OG	Hadley Panzer	Kansas State
OG	Steve Avila	TCU
OC	Hayden Gillum	Kansas State

TCU’s Max Duggan burst onto the scene after not initially being named the starting QB. He led the Horned Frogs to their first CFP appearance and ultimately to the National Championship game. Duggan not only led the conference with 145 Total Points, but he also led in yards (3,698) and TDs (32).

Bijan Robinson was a consistent force in the conference. He accumulated 74 Total Points, which not only led the conference, but led all FBS running backs by a significant margin. He also finished 5th nationally in yards (1,578) and rushing TDs (18), and he created the 2nd-highest Broken+Missed Tackle rate (33.3%) among players with at least 150 rushes.

Kansas State boasted one of the top offensive lines in the conference with three players, Christian Duffie, Hadley Panzer, and Hayden Gillum, leading the Big 12 at each of their positions in TP with 39, 39, and 41, respectively.

Defense

Position	Name	School
DT	Jaylon Hutchings	Texas Tech
DT	Moro Ojomo	Texas
EDGE	Tyree Wilson	Texas Tech
EDGE	Felix Anudike-Uzomah	Kansas State
LB	Jaylan Ford	Texas
LB	O’Rien Vance	Iowa State
CB	Tre’vius Hodges-Tomlinson	TCU
CB	Julius Brents	Kansas State
S	Jason Taylor II	Oklahoma State
S	Kendal Daniels	Oklahoma State
FLEX	Josh Newton	TCU

TCU’s Tre’vius Hodges-Tomlinson was one of the league’s best defenders this season and earned a spot on our All-America squad. He led all FBS CBs in Total Points by a wide margin with 110 and allowed a FBS low 26.1% completion rate, which led to a 23.0 Passer Rating Against (ranking 4th nationally).

Texas’s Jaylan Ford had a career year in which he finished atop the conference in Total Points (57), interceptions (4), and tied forced fumbles (3) for linebackers. Texas Tech’s Tyree Wilson put together another great season, accumulating 43 Total Points, 7 sacks, and 45 pressures (tied 8th nationally).

Specialists

Position	Name	School
K	Tanner Brown	Oklahoma State
P	Ty Zentner	Kansas State
Returner	Derius Davis	TCU

Tanner Brown’s 21 FG made were tied for 11th-most in FBS, going 21-of-22 which is 3rd in the FBS for FG% with a minimum of 15 attempts. Ty Zentner’s 13 punts inside the 10 ranks tied for 5th in the FBS. Derius Davis was one of 4 players with 2 kick/punt returns this season, where he was 1 of 2 players to have both of his return TDs on punts.

Honorable Mentions

Name	School
Deuce Vaughn	Kansas State
Xavier Hutchinson	Iowa State
Ben Sinnott	Kansas State
Mason Fairchild	Kansas
Cooper Beebe	Kansas State
Will McDonald IV	Iowa State
Dylan Horton	TCU

Dylan Horton finished atop the conference in sacks with 10.5 which puts him tied at 7th in all FBS. Another member of the Kansas State OL Cooper Beebe just missed the first team honors, but he was 1 of only 2 OL in all of FBS to allow the fewest blown blocks (4) with at least 500 snaps.

Total Points, stats, and ranks as of 2/6/2023

February 8, 2023

2022 SIS ACC All-Conference Teams

You can learn more about Total Points and the statistics referenced here.

These picks are meant to honor this season’s best-of-the-best in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Offense

Position	Name	School
QB	Drake Maye	North Carolina
RB	Trey Benson	Florida State
WR	Tyler Hudson	Louisville
WR	Josh Downs	North Carolina
TE	Oronde Gadsden II	Syracuse
FLEX	Zay Flowers	Boston College
OT	Dakota Davis	Syracuse
OT	Jordan McFadden	Clemson
OG	Ed Montilus	North Carolina
OG	Christopher Bleich	Syracuse
OC	Bryan Hudson	Louisville

North Carolina’s Drake Maye is the leader of the offensive group and for good reason. He finished 10th in Heisman voting and was voted as our 2nd-Team All-American quarterback. Maye finished with 5,019 total yards and 45 touchdowns as a redshirt freshman. Teammate Josh Downs caught 11 of those touchdowns. Downs came in as an honorable mention for our All-American team.

Florida State’s Trey Benson didn’t start the season as a starter but once given the reins had an excellent season finishing with 1,326 total yards and 10 touchdowns.

Syracuse right tackle Dakota Davis leads the offensive line group in Total Points. North Carolina’s Ed Montilus led the conference in Pass Blocking Total Points for guards.

Defense

Position	Name	School
DT	DeWayne Carter	Duke
DT	Tyler Davis	Clemson
EDGE	Yasir Abdullah	Louisville
EDGE	KJ Henry	Clemson
LB	Cedric Gray	North Carolina
LB	Drake Thomas	NC State
CB	Aydan White	NC State
CB	Anthony Johnson	Virginia
S	Darius Joiner	Duke
S	Tanner Ingle	NC State
FLEX	Barrett Carter	Clemson

Cedric Gray and Tanner Ingle both made our All-American teams. Gray finished 2nd in the country with 141 total tackles. Yasir Abdullah is the leader of the edge group with a conference leading 9.5 sacks. Aydan White is the most intriguing player as he led all ACC defenders in Total Points.

Specialists

Position	Name	School
K	Christopher Dunn	NC State
P	Ben Kiernan	North Carolina
Returner	Key’Shawn Smith	Miami

Lou Groza Award winner and SIS 1st-Team All-American Christopher Dunn had an excellent season as he missed only one kick. Ben Kiernan led the conference averaging 46.6 yards per punt. Key’Shawn Smith led all kick returners averaging 30.5 yards per kick (minimum 10 returns).

Honorable Mentions

Name	School
Israel Abanikanda	Pittsburgh
A.T. Perry	Wake Forest
Matthew Bergeron	Syracuse
D’Mitri Emmanuel	Florida State

Israel Abanikanda had a prolific season rushing for 1,431 yards and 20 touchdowns highlighted by his 320 yards and six touchdowns against Virginia Tech.

Total Points, stats, and ranks as of 02/06/2023

February 8, 2023