CFB Zeitgeist Score
74
Solid starter in the position cohort. Carried by tackles for loss at the 96th percentile.
Baron Hopson
Below the discourse floor — the honest stats-only state.
139 TACKLES · 0.5 SACKS
2026 Outlook
Returning to Kennesaw State for 2026
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Linebacker · Kennesaw State
Returning around him
- 46% of 2024 offensive production back (Moderate turnover)
- Transfer portal: +10 net (29 in / 19 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Kennesaw State · Last season: 10-4 · Talent rank #132 · 2026 recruiting class #137
LB · KENNESAW STATE · CONFERENCE USA
Baron Hopson
- 4
- #44
- 6-1 | 215 lb
- Leesburg, GA
Heisman Heat
#14734
<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 · StarterR05 · Part-time starter
Part-time starter. Splitting first-team reps.
Not on team2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career Arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
Kennesaw State
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 | 0.8574 | No. 992 recruit | HighSchool |
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—
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 —
Composite
0.8574
#992 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 Baron Hopson
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 Baron Hopson
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
139Tackles
10Tackles for loss
0.5Sacks
Per game
10Tackles
0.7Tackles for loss
0Sacks
Final
139Tackles
10Tackles for loss
0.5Sacks
✓ Hit 80-tackle season · finished with 139.
✓ Hit 100-tackle season · finished with 139.
Why this is a rare defensive case
The fast read on the thing that makes this player more than a generic stat line.
Baron Hopson is trying to climb the steepest award hill in college football: a defensive candidacy. The hook is the disruption profile on Kennesaw State's defense, with 0.5 sacks, 10.0 tackles for loss, and 1 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
139 100th
SOLO
67 100th
TFL
10.0 98th
SACK
0.5 70th
QBH
2 66th
Coverage & Takeaways
PD
6 93rd
INT
1 65th
Game Log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 14 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 9-10@ Wake Forest | 11 | 6 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 9-56@ Indiana | 5 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 27-13vs Merrimack | 6 | 2 | 1.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | W 28-21vs Arkansas State | 14 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 2 | |
| Wk 5 | W 24-16vs Middle Tennessee | 11 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | W 35-7vs Louisiana Tech | 10 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | W 45-26@ Florida International | 12 | 9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 2 | |
| Wk 10 | W 33-20vs UTEP | 10 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.5 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 11 | W 24-21@ New Mexico State | 8 | 6 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 12 | L 26-35@ Jacksonville State | 10 | 4 | 1.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 13 | W 41-34vs Missouri State | 8 | 3 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Wk 14 | W 48-42@ Liberty | 16 | 12 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 16 tackles |
| Wk 15 | W 19-15@ Jacksonville State | 6 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Bowl | L 6-41@ Western Michigan | 12 | 3 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 139 | 67 | 10.0 | 0.5 | 1 | 6 |
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
2025Kennesaw State10-4HC: Jerry Mack · Run-leaning
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Kennesaw State | 139 | 67 | 10.0 | 0.5 | 6 | 1 | -- |
| Career | 1 loaded season | 139 | 67 | 10.0 | 0.5 | 6 | 1 | -- |
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 | 139 | #4/4942 | 100th pct | Volumevs FBS DEF |
| Defense | TFL | 10.0 | #103/4972 | 98th pct | Disruptionvs FBS DEF |
| Defense | Sacks | 0.5 | #1501/4972 | 70th pct | Disruptionvs FBS DEF |
| Defense | Interceptions | 1 | #308/869 | 65th pct | Takeawaysvs FBS DEF |
| Defense | Pass breakups | 6 | #144/2184 | 93rd pct | Coveragevs FBS DEF |
| Defense | QB hurries | 2 | #647/1878 | 66th pct | Disruptionvs FBS DEF |
| Defense | Solo tackles | 67 | #3/4584 | 100th pct | Volumevs FBS DEF |
| Defense | INT return avg | 7.0 | #406/578 | 30th pct | Takeawaysvs FBS DEF |
| Defense | INT return yards | 7 | #437/578 | 25th pct | Takeawaysvs FBS DEF |
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
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 | 9.8 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.3 |
| Road8g | 10.0 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
Win vs Loss
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wins10g | 10.1 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 0.6 |
| Losses4g | 9.5 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 9.9 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
| Weeks 8+7g | 10.0 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 0.6 |
Pocket and defense-quality (clean vs. pressure) splits are coming soon.
Savant · Box-rate percentiles
Where this profile ranks vs the LB cohort
74Solid starter
Elite: solo tackles (99th). Strength: tackles (99th).
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
Baron HopsonKennesaw StateBryce BoettcherOregon· 90% simAndon ThomasArmy· 90% simKeaton ThomasBaylor· 90% sim
Solo tackles
Tackles
Tackles for loss
Passes defended
QB hurries
Sacks
Interceptions
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 Shaun Dolac’s 2022 season.
Shaun Dolac
74%match
All-MAC
#2
Jeremy Banks
69%
#3
Joe Sparacio
All-MAC
68%
#4
Kyle Harmon
All-Mountain West
67%
#5
Matt Salopek
All-MAC
66%
Matches Shaun on
Tackle volume
TFL rate
Differs from Shaun on
Class year (higher)
Weight (lower)
Sack rate (lower)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Kyle Harmon's sophomore season at San José State (2021).
Kyle Harmon
82%match
All-Mountain West
#2
Jackson Mitchell
78%
#3
Jeremy Banks
76%
#4
Bumper Pool
All-SEC
72%
#5
Darren Anders
All-MAC
72%
Matches Kyle on
TFL rate
Tackle volume
Weight
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Jerry Mack
Pass share
44.2%
422 pass / 533 run
Plays / game
68.2
14 games
OL sack rate (allowed)
7.4%
282 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Coaching Lineage · 2025
1 coach2025
Jerry Mack
Kennesaw State
Played his entire career under Jerry Mack.
Bio · Recruiting · Transfer · Roster
Off-field context — switch tabs to drill into recruit profile, transfer arc, or roster timeline.
HometownLeesburg, GA
Height6'1"
Weight215 lb
Class4
PositionLB
Jersey44
No fields populated yet.
No fields populated yet.
Current teamKennesaw State
ConferenceConference USA
Joined2025
Career arc2 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 | Kennesaw State | LB4 | #14734 | #14890 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W16 snapshot | Conference USA |
Roster Timeline
Team, conference, and class by season.
| Season | Team | Conference | Pos | Class | Bio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Kennesaw State | Conference USA | LB | 4 | No. 44 | 6-1 | 215 lb | Leesburg, GA |
| 2024 | Kennesaw State | Conference USA | LB | 4 | No. 44 | 6-1 | 215 lb | Leesburg, GA |