cfb zeitgeistZeitgeist
OFFSEASON · SUMMER 2026 · COMMITMENT SEASON
Heisman / Players / Brandon High /California

Brandon High

RB · California · So · #5

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

98 RUSH YDS · 1 RUSH TD · 23 CARRIES

2026 RETURNINGReturning to California for 2026

2026 Outlook

Returning to California for 2026

2026 Depth chart

Projected starter

Running back · California

Returning around him

  • 22% of 2024 offensive production back (Heavy turnover)
  • 1 California player drafted to NFL
  • Transfer portal: -4 net (32 in / 36 out)

2026 Award watch

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

California · Last season: 7-6 · Talent rank #36 · 2026 recruiting class #69

RB · CALIFORNIA · ACC

Brandon High

  • 2
  • #5
  • 5-10 | 220 lb
  • Spring, TX

CFB Zeitgeist Score

12

Below cohort in the position cohort. Carried by yards / carry at the 24th percentile.

Heisman Heat

#370

<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 RB AWARD

Doak Walker

CONSENSUS

All-American

Player Standing · 17 rungs

Tier 2 · Starter

R05 · Part-time starter

Part-time starter. Splitting first-team reps.

Not on team2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Development Trajectory · rushing yards

2023–2025
14.02023
4952024
98.02025

+600%

Up 600% from first season to most-recent.

Career Arc

HS
Recruit
No recruit profile
CFB
College
2 teams
2023–2025
NFL
NFL Draft
Not drafted (yet)

Identity & Role

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

PositionRB
Class2
Jersey5
Measurements5-10 | 220 lb
HometownSpring, TX
Primary teamCalifornia

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 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#370Latest modeled ballot order
Season forecast#576Where 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.

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 Brandon High

Fan sentiment · Season 2025 conversation window

Belief Meter

47

Reading The Room

Sample 30 mentions
Confidence MEDIUM

Top Take

Trajectory

Cohort divergence mapbearishbullishheatedcalmOwn fans: 30 mentions · belief -7 · "California High School Football Standout Tragically Dies by Suicide, Authorities"Own fansRivals: 6 mentions · belief +70 · "So i had a last minute decision of changing my major from Biology to BFA and hon"RivalsNational: 6 mentions · belief +44 · "The cumulative link to the preseason rankings can be found [here]( https://www.r"National
  • Own fans · n=30
  • Rivals · n=6
  • National · n=6

Rival Radar

How rival fanbases talk about Brandon High

Obsession score 4
Rival mentions 6
Weeks on radar 2
Peak moment Week 0 · 5 mentions
Grudging respect 67% Neutral 16% Mockery 17%

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 rushing totals stand

projecting to 13-game
Through 5g
98Rush yards
23Carries
1Rush TDs
Per game
19.6Rush yards
5Carries
0Rush TDs
Projected (13g)
254.8Rush yards
60Carries
3Rush TDs

To hit 750-yard season (currently 98): needs 81.5/game over remaining 8.

To hit 1,000-yard season (currently 98): needs 112.8/game over remaining 8.

To hit 1,500-yard season (currently 98): needs 175.2/game over remaining 8.

To hit 10 rushing TDs (currently 1): needs 1.1/game over remaining 8.

To hit 15 rushing TDs (currently 1): needs 1.8/game over remaining 8.

To hit 20 rushing TDs (currently 1): needs 2.4/game over remaining 8.

What made this player interesting

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

Brandon High's story is about how role and output meet each other. For California, 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 #370 0.0% win | 0.0% finalist
Role load 6.9% Overall usage share
Profile quirk Transfer path 0 portal moves

2025 Season · Final

Traditional stats first. Advanced context underneath.

Last season

RB season snapshot

2025 season snapshot | final

2025 season snapshot | finalData: CFBD player stats + local Heisman modelPeer context: same position + same level
Scrimmage yards 103 98 rush | 5 rec | #436/735 (41st pct)
Rush TD 1 23 carries | #323/739 (56th pct)
Yards/carry 4.3 Per-rush efficiency | #435/735 (41st pct)
Player identity What kind of player is this?

30-second read

What kind of player is this?

Backfield contributor against FBS RB peers.

Balanced profile

2025 Season · Final

2025 season snapshot | final

Rushing

CAR
23 42nd
YDS
98 41st
YPC
4.3 41st
TD
1 56th

Receiving

REC
1 16th
YDS
5 10th
YPR
5.0 26th
TD
0 70th

Game Log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 5 games

Box score · CFBD
WkOppCARYDSAVGTDLONGNote
Wk 1W 34-15@ Oregon State10414.1122Season-high 41 yds
Wk 2W 35-3vs Texas Southern551.004
Wk 3W 27-14vs Minnesota33411.3018
Wk 4L 0-34@ San Diego State4153.809
Wk 5W 28-24@ Boston College133.003
Total23984.6122
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

2023UTSA9-4HC: Jeff Traylor · Run-leaning
2024UTSA7-6HC: Jeff Traylor · Balanced, fast tempo
2025California7-6HC: Justin Wilcox · Pass-leaning
SeasonTeam
2025California23984.31--
2024UTSA934955.38--
2023UTSA6142.30--
Career3 loaded seasons1226075.09--
SeasonTeam
2025California155.00--
2024UTSA6589.70--
2023UTSA----------
Career3 loaded seasons7639.00--
Advanced layer Usage, value, and context

Advanced metrics second

Advanced Metrics

Usage, value, and opponent-adjusted context.

Usage Value Context
Rushing WEPA

Opponent-adjusted rushing value. It helps separate empty volume from carries that actually move the scoreboard.

Role share

How much of the team's offense flows through this back once rushing work and receiving work are combined.

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.

Receiving work 1 5 rec yds | #467/552 (16th pct)
Usage 6.9% 15.1% rush share | #441/738 (40th pct)
Rushing WEPA +0.41 Opponent-adjusted rush value | #2/362 (100th pct)
Open full stat explorer
0 metrics visible Showing all metrics
Group Metric Value Rank Pct Why it matters
Rushing Rushing yards 98 #436/735 41st pct Volumevs FBS RB
Rushing Rush TD 1 #323/739 56th pct Scoringvs FBS RB
Rushing Yards / carry 4.3 #435/735 41st pct Efficiencyvs FBS RB
Receiving Receptions 1 #467/552 16th pct Volumevs FBS RB
Receiving Receiving yards 5 #495/548 10th pct Volumevs FBS RB
Value Rushing WEPA +0.41 #2/362 100th pct Opponent-adjusted rushing value | 89 weighted playsvs FBS RB
Usage Role share 6.9% #441/738 40th pct Share of team offensevs FBS RB
Rushing Carries 23 #426/739 42nd pct Volumevs FBS RB
Rushing Rushing LONG 22 #375/733 49th pct Metricvs FBS RB
Receiving Receiving LONG 5 #482/540 11th pct Metricvs FBS RB
Receiving Yards / catch 5.0 #406/548 26th pct Efficiencyvs FBS RB
Receiving Receiving TD 0 #169/552 70th pct Scoringvs FBS RB
Usage Rush share 15.1% #345/738 53rd pct Ground-game usagevs FBS RB
Usage 1st-down usage 9.5% #369/738 50th pct Early-down loadvs FBS RB
Usage Standard-down usage 8.5% #404/738 45th pct Base-situation sharevs FBS RB
Usage 2nd-down usage 5.9% #525/738 29th pct Middle-down loadvs FBS RB
Usage 3rd-down usage 4.2% #478/738 35th pct Money-down loadvs FBS RB
Usage Passing-down usage 2.9% #574/738 22nd pct Known-passing sharevs FBS RB
Usage Pass share 0.5% #552/738 25th pct Air-game usagevs FBS RB
Ball Security Fumbles lost 1 #78/256 70th pct Turnoversvs FBS RB

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 · 5 games

Home/Road · Win/Loss · Season halves

Home vs Road

YDS/gYPCTD/g
Home2g19.56.20.0
Road3g19.73.60.3

Win vs Loss

YDS/gYPCTD/g
Wins4g20.84.80.2
Losses1g15.03.80.0

First half vs Second half

YDS/gYPCTD/g
Weeks 1-75g19.64.60.2

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

Savant · Box-rate percentiles

Where this profile ranks vs the RB cohort

12Below cohort
8 metrics · season cumulative

Concern: carries (0th).

Fumbles lost#55 / 201 · 49th pct
1fumb
Yards / carry#257 / 349 · 24th pct
4.3rush
Long run#295 / 349 · 14th pct
22rush
Rush TDs#284 / 349 · 13th pct
1rush
Rec yards#329 / 338 · 3rd pct
5rece
Receptions#327 / 338 · 2nd pct
1rece
Rush yards#350 / 349 · 0th pct
98rush
Carries#350 / 349 · 0th pct
23rush

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

Advanced Savant · RB · 2024

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 · 8 metrics
Brandon HighCaliforniaJordan BrunsonMiami (OH)· 52% simChavon WrightNorthern Illinois· 50% simTae MeadowsTroy· 49% sim
Fumbles lost
49
High
49
Brunson
49
Wright
49
Meadows
Yards / carry
24
High
41
Brunson
33
Wright
29
Meadows
Long run
14
High
73
Brunson
49
Wright
53
Meadows
Rush TDs
13
High
50
Brunson
62
Wright
72
Meadows
Rec yards
3
High
3
Brunson
10
Wright
38
Meadows
Receptions
2
High
2
Brunson
32
Wright
45
Meadows
Rush yards
0
High
80
Brunson
84
Wright
74
Meadows
Carries
0
High
85
Brunson
92
Wright
84
Meadows

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

DNA Match awaiting data — similarity scores compute once season stats clear the volume gate for this position cohort.

Supporting Cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2025 season

Head Coach

Justin Wilcox

Pass share

57.0%

502 pass / 379 run

Plays / game

67.8

13 games

OL sack rate (allowed)

8.2%

353 dropbacks · PBP

Scheme: Pass-leaning.

Coaching Lineage · 2023–2025

1 coach
2023
Justin Wilcox
California
2024
Justin Wilcox
California
2025
Justin Wilcox
California

Played his entire career under Justin Wilcox.

Bio · Recruiting · Transfer · Roster

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

HometownSpring, TX
Height5'10"
Weight220 lb
Class2
PositionRB
Jersey5

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 UTSA RB2 #370 #576 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W16 snapshot | American Athletic
2023 UTSA RB2 #2244 #2034 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W19 snapshot | American Athletic

Roster Timeline

Team, conference, and class by season.

Season Team Conference Pos Class Bio
2025 California ACC RB 2 No. 5 | 5-10 | 220 lb | Spring, TX
2024 UTSA American Athletic RB 2 No. 5 | 5-10 | 220 lb | Spring, TX
2023 UTSA American Athletic RB 2 No. 5 | 5-10 | 220 lb | Spring, TX