cfb zeitgeistZeitgeist
OFFSEASON · SUMMER 2026 · COMMITMENT SEASON
Heisman / Players / Blake Cotton /Utah

Blake Cotton

CB · Utah · Sr · #10

Below the discourse floor — the honest stats-only state.

27 TACKLES · 0 SACKS

2026 RETURNINGReturning to Utah for 2026

2026 Outlook

Returning to Utah for 2026

2026 Depth chart

Projected starter

Cornerback · Utah

Returning around him

  • 14% of 2024 offensive production back (Heavy turnover)
  • 3 Utah players drafted to NFL
  • Transfer portal: -3 net (17 in / 20 out)

2026 Award watch

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

Utah · Last season: 11-2 (AP #15) · Talent rank #44 · 2026 recruiting class #40

CB · UTAH · BIG 12

Blake Cotton

  • 4
  • #10
  • 6-2 | 190 lb
  • Sherman Oaks, CA

CFB Zeitgeist Score

48

Mid-pack in the position cohort. Carried by passes defended at the 96th percentile.

Heisman Heat

Awaiting

Not on the live Heisman board this week.

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

TOP DB AWARD

Jim Thorpe

CONSENSUS

All-American

Player Standing · 17 rungs

Tier 2 · Starter

R07 · Impact starter

Impact starter. Producing measurable value above replacement.

Not on team2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Career Arc

HS
Recruit
No recruit profile
CFB
College
Utah
2025
NFL
NFL Draft
Not drafted (yet)

Identity & Role

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

PositionCB
Class4
Jersey10
Measurements6-2 | 190 lb
HometownSherman Oaks, CA
Primary teamUtah

Recruiting Pedigree

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

Top pedigree Not on file No matched recruiting profile in the loaded archive
Composite rating -- Composite rating unavailable for this player
Signed with -- Commitment history unavailable
Origin -- Hometown and high school unavailable
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.

Portal moves 1 Programs changed on file
Latest destination Utah 2025
Transfer stars 3-star CFBD transfer rating context
Eligibility Immediate Dec 19, 2024
Season Move Context
2025 UC Davis -> Utah 3-star | 0.8800 | Immediate

Heisman Lens

Where the model places this player relative to the rest of the Heisman field.

Current nowcast--Latest modeled ballot order
Season forecast--Where the full season sim points
Win probability--Chance to actually win the trophy
Finalist probability--Chance to make the finalist tier
Ballot probability--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.

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.

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 Blake Cotton

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 Blake Cotton

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 defensive totals stand

projecting to 13-game
Through 11g
27Tackles
2Tackles for loss
0Sacks
Per game
2Tackles
0.2Tackles for loss
0Sacks
Projected (13g)
32Tackles
2.4Tackles for loss
0Sacks

To hit 80-tackle season (currently 27): needs 26.5/game over remaining 2.

To hit 100-tackle season (currently 27): needs 36.5/game over remaining 2.

To hit 6-sack season (currently 0): needs 3/game over remaining 2.

To hit 10-sack season (currently 0): needs 5/game over remaining 2.

Why this is a rare defensive case

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

Blake Cotton is trying to climb the steepest award hill in college football: a defensive candidacy. The hook is the disruption profile on Utah's defense, with 0.0 sacks, 2.0 tackles for loss, and -- 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.

Current place -- -- win | -- finalist
Role load -- Role share still loading
Profile quirk Defensive rarity 0.0 sacks | 2.0 TFL

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
Total tackles 27 19 solo | #1543/4942 (69th pct)
TFL 2.0 Backfield disruption | #1443/4972 (71st pct)
Sacks 0.0 Pass-rush finish | #1762/4972 (65th pct)
Player identity What kind of player is this?

30-second read

What kind of player is this?

Coverage splash against FBS defenders.

Coverage splash

2025 Season · Final

2025 season snapshot | final

Tackling & Disruption

TOT
27 69th
SOLO
19 76th
TFL
2.0 71st
SACK
0.0 65th

Coverage & Takeaways

PD
7 96th

Game Log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 11 games

Box score · CFBD
WkOppTKLSOLOTFLSACKINTPDNote
Wk 1W 43-10@ UCLA320.00.00
Wk 2W 63-9vs Cal Poly100.00.00
Wk 4L 10-34vs Texas Tech330.00.01
Wk 7W 42-10vs Arizona State210.00.01
Wk 8L 21-24@ BYU000.00.01
Wk 9W 53-7vs Colorado111.00.00
Wk 10W 45-14vs Cincinnati100.00.01
Wk 12W 55-28@ Baylor661.00.00Season-high 6 tackles
Wk 13W 51-47vs Kansas State430.00.02
Wk 14W 31-21@ Kansas110.00.01
BowlW 44-22vs Nebraska520.00.00
Total27192.00.07
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

2025Utah11-2HC: Kyle Whittingham · Run-heavy
SeasonTeam
2025Utah27192.00.07----
Career1 loaded season27192.00.07----
Advanced layer Usage, value, and context

Advanced metrics second

Advanced Metrics

Usage, value, and opponent-adjusted context.

Usage Value Context
Disruption stats

TFL, sacks, and QB hurries are grouped together because defensive Heisman cases are usually built on visible havoc, not on tackle counts alone.

Coverage splash

Pass breakups, interceptions, and forced fumbles matter because national awards voters respond to plays that change possessions and highlight reels.

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.

INT -- -- pick-six TD
Pass breakups 7 Coverage disruption | #85/2184 (96th pct)
QB pressures 0 Quarterback hurries
Open full stat explorer
0 metrics visible Showing all metrics
Group Metric Value Rank Pct Why it matters
Defense Total tackles 27 #1543/4942 69th pct Volumevs FBS DEF
Defense TFL 2.0 #1443/4972 71st pct Disruptionvs FBS DEF
Defense Sacks 0.0 #1762/4972 65th pct Disruptionvs FBS DEF
Defense Pass breakups 7 #85/2184 96th pct Coveragevs FBS DEF
Defense Solo tackles 19 #1095/4584 76th pct Volumevs 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

StatusAwaiting tracker

The Thorpe 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 · 11 games

Home/Road · Win/Loss · Season halves

Home vs Road

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Home7g2.40.10.00.7
Road4g2.50.20.00.5

Win vs Loss

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Wins9g2.70.20.00.6
Losses2g1.50.00.01.0

First half vs Second half

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Weeks 1-75g2.80.00.00.4
Weeks 8+6g2.20.30.00.8

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

Savant · Box-rate percentiles

Where this profile ranks vs the CB cohort

48Mid-pack
6 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: passes defended (96th). Concern: qb hurries (22nd).

Passes defended#85 / 2975 · 96th pct
7defe
Solo tackles#1095 / 2975 · 62nd pct
19defe
Tackles for loss#1424 / 2975 · 47th pct
2.0defe
Tackles#1543 / 2975 · 47th pct
27defe
Sacks#1575 / 2975 · 24th pct
0.0defe
QB hurries#1662 / 2975 · 22nd pct
0defe

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

Advanced Savant · CB · 2025

Percentile Card

Advanced opponent-adjusted percentile bars are coming soon for this player.

P4G5All FBS
EPA / dropback
awaiting
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.

Advanced opponent-adjusted metrics are coming soon for this player. Selected cohort: P4.

Peer Comparator · Fingerprint match

Three closest profiles by box-rate percentile

3 peers · 6 metrics
Blake CottonUtahTahj Ra-ElPurdue· 73% simTyler MartinMassachusetts· 73% simDalton JohnsonArizona· 70% sim
Passes defended
96
Cotton
91
Ra-El
67
Martin
96
Johnson
Solo tackles
62
Cotton
100
Ra-El
87
Martin
97
Johnson
Tackles for loss
47
Cotton
56
Ra-El
63
Martin
47
Johnson
Tackles
47
Cotton
99
Ra-El
98
Martin
98
Johnson
Sacks
24
Cotton
24
Ra-El
24
Martin
63
Johnson
QB hurries
22
Cotton
22
Ra-El
22
Martin
22
Johnson

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

Player DNA

The Ball Hawk

Reads the quarterback's eyes and takes the ball away.

CB

His 2025 production profile sits closest to Jaheim Jenkins’s 2025 season.

Jaheim Jenkins

87%match

Jacksonville State · 2025

#2

Omari Porter

Rice · 2025

81%
#3

Torey Richardson

UTEP · 2021

80%
#4

Abdul Muhammad

Middle Tennessee · 2025

80%
#5

Allan George

Vanderbilt · 2021

78%

Matches Jaheim on

Class year
Height
Weight

Not enough data yet for this comparison.

As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Caleb Offord's junior season at Kennesaw State (2025).

Caleb Offord

86%match

Kennesaw State · 2025

#2

Jermari Harris

Iowa · 2024

All-Big Ten
85%
#3

Jaheim Jenkins

Jacksonville State · 2025

85%
#4

Virdel Edwards II

Hawai'i · 2023

83%
#5

Chigozie Anusiem

Colorado State · 2022

82%

Matches Caleb on

Class year
Height
PD rate

Differs from Caleb on

Tackle volume (lower)

Supporting Cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2025 season

Head Coach

Kyle Whittingham

Pass share

39.8%

371 pass / 562 run

Plays / game

71.8

13 games

OL sack rate (allowed)

4.2%

289 dropbacks · PBP

Scheme: Run-heavy.

Coaching Lineage · 2025

1 coach
2025
Kyle Whittingham
Utah

Played his entire career under Kyle Whittingham.

Bio · Recruiting · Transfer · Roster

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

HometownSherman Oaks, CA
Height6'2"
Weight190 lb
Class4
PositionCB
Jersey10

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
This player hasn’t appeared on a Heisman ballot tracked by the model.

Roster Timeline

Team, conference, and class by season.

Season Team Conference Pos Class Bio
2025 Utah Big 12 CB 4 No. 10 | 6-2 | 190 lb | Sherman Oaks, CA