cfb zeitgeistZeitgeist
OFFSEASON · SUMMER 2026 · COMMITMENT SEASON
Heisman / Players / C.J. Nunnally /Purdue

C.J. Nunnally

DL · Purdue · Sr · #91

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

42 TACKLES · 5 SACKS

2026 RETURNINGReturning to Purdue for 2026

2026 Outlook

Returning to Purdue for 2026

2026 Depth chart

Projected starter

Defensive line · Purdue

Returning around him

  • 54% of 2024 offensive production back (Solid continuity)
  • Transfer portal: +5 net (29 in / 24 out)

2026 Award watch

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

Purdue · Last season: 2-10 · Talent rank #54 · 2026 recruiting class #99

DL · PURDUE · BIG TEN

C.J. Nunnally

  • 4
  • #91
  • 6-3 | 265 lb
  • Douglasville, GA

CFB Zeitgeist Score

72

Solid starter in the position cohort. Carried by sacks at the 96th percentile.

Heisman Heat

#10412

<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 DEFENSE AWARD

Nagurski

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
2 teams
2023–2025
NFL
NFL Draft
Not drafted (yet)

Identity & Role

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

PositionDL
Class4
Jersey91
Measurements6-3 | 265 lb
HometownDouglasville, GA
Primary teamPurdue

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#10412Latest modeled ballot order
Season forecast#11233Where 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 C.J. Nunnally

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 C.J. Nunnally

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 12g
42Tackles
10.5Tackles for loss
5Sacks
Per game
4Tackles
0.9Tackles for loss
0.4Sacks
Projected (13g)
46Tackles
11.4Tackles for loss
5.4Sacks

To hit 80-tackle season (currently 42): needs 38/game over remaining 1.

To hit 100-tackle season (currently 42): needs 58/game over remaining 1.

To hit 6-sack season (currently 5): needs 1/game over remaining 1.

To hit 10-sack season (currently 5): needs 5/game over remaining 1.

Why this is a rare defensive case

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

C.J. Nunnally is trying to climb the steepest award hill in college football: a defensive candidacy. The hook is the disruption profile on Purdue's defense, with 5.0 sacks, 10.5 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.

Current place #10412 0.0% win | 0.0% finalist
Role load -- Role share still loading
Profile quirk Transfer path 0 portal moves

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 42 29 solo | #834/4942 (83rd pct)
TFL 10.5 Backfield disruption | #91/4972 (98th pct)
Sacks 5.0 Pass-rush finish | #102/4972 (98th pct)
Player identity What kind of player is this?

30-second read

What kind of player is this?

High-disruption defender | High-volume tackler against FBS defenders.

High-disruption defenderHigh-volume tackler

2025 Season · Final

2025 season snapshot | final

Tackling & Disruption

TOT
42 83rd
SOLO
29 88th
TFL
10.5 98th
SACK
5.0 98th
QBH
8 98th

Coverage & Takeaways

PD
1 43rd
INT
1 65th

Game Log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 12 games

Box score · CFBD
WkOppTKLSOLOTFLSACKINTPDNote
Wk 1W 31-0vs Ball State110.00.00
Wk 2W 34-17vs Southern Illinois222.02.002 sacks
Wk 3L 17-33vs USC110.00.00
Wk 4L 30-56@ Notre Dame320.00.00
Wk 6L 27-43vs Illinois631.51.00
Wk 7L 20-27@ Minnesota442.01.00
Wk 8L 0-19@ Northwestern321.00.00
Wk 9L 24-27vs Rutgers721.01.01Season-high 7 tackles
Wk 10L 16-21@ Michigan310.00.00
Wk 11L 10-34vs Ohio State320.00.010
Wk 12L 13-49@ Washington662.00.00
Wk 14L 3-56vs Indiana331.00.00
Total422910.55.011
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

2023Akron2-10HC: Joe Moorhead · Pass-leaning
2024Akron4-8HC: Joe Moorhead · Pass-leaning
2025Purdue2-10HC: Barry Odom · Balanced
SeasonTeam
2025Purdue422910.55.011--
2024Akron552412.06.0------
2023Akron583112.05.02----
Career3 loaded seasons1558434.516.031--
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 1 0 pick-six TD | #308/869 (65th pct)
Pass breakups 1 Coverage disruption | #1241/2184 (43rd pct)
QB pressures 8 Quarterback hurries | #41/1878 (98th pct)
Open full stat explorer
0 metrics visible Showing all metrics
Group Metric Value Rank Pct Why it matters
Defense Total tackles 42 #834/4942 83rd pct Volumevs FBS DEF
Defense TFL 10.5 #91/4972 98th pct Disruptionvs FBS DEF
Defense Sacks 5.0 #102/4972 98th pct Disruptionvs FBS DEF
Defense Interceptions 1 #308/869 65th pct Takeawaysvs FBS DEF
Defense Pass breakups 1 #1241/2184 43rd pct Coveragevs FBS DEF
Defense QB hurries 8 #41/1878 98th pct Disruptionvs FBS DEF
Defense Solo tackles 29 #559/4584 88th pct Volumevs FBS DEF
Defense Fumbles recovered 1 #103/736 86th pct Takeawaysvs FBS DEF
Ball Security Fumbles lost 0 #1/773 100th pct Turnoversvs 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 Lombardi 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 · 12 games

Home/Road · Win/Loss · Season halves

Home vs Road

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Home7g3.30.80.60.1
Road5g3.81.00.20.0

Win vs Loss

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Wins2g1.51.01.00.0
Losses10g3.90.80.30.1

First half vs Second half

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Weeks 1-76g2.80.90.70.0
Weeks 8+6g4.20.80.20.2

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

Savant · Box-rate percentiles

Where this profile ranks vs the DL cohort

72Solid starter
8 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: qb hurries (98th). Strength: tackles for loss (96th).

QB hurries#41 / 2975 · 98th pct
8defe
Tackles for loss#91 / 2975 · 97th pct
10.5defe
Sacks#102 / 2975 · 96th pct
5.0defe
Solo tackles#559 / 2975 · 80th pct
29defe
Tackles#834 / 2975 · 71st pct
42defe
Passes defended#1191 / 2975 · 48th pct
1defe
Forced fumbles#36 / 687 · 47th pct
0fumb
Interceptions#304 / 817 · 31st pct
1inte

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

Advanced Savant · DL · 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
C.J. NunnallyPurdueAmare CampbellPenn State· 86% simOumar DiomandeUConn· 86% simMaverick BaranowskiMinnesota· 85% sim
QB hurries
98
Nunnally
88
Campbell
92
Diomande
82
Baranowski
Tackles for loss
97
Nunnally
96
Campbell
93
Diomande
95
Baranowski
Sacks
96
Nunnally
89
Campbell
96
Diomande
89
Baranowski
Solo tackles
80
Nunnally
100
Campbell
100
Diomande
98
Baranowski
Tackles
71
Nunnally
99
Campbell
99
Diomande
98
Baranowski
Passes defended
48
Nunnally
48
Campbell
48
Diomande
48
Baranowski
Forced fumbles
47
Nunnally
47
Campbell
Interceptions
31
Nunnally

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

Player DNA

The 3-Tech Penetrator

Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.

IDL

His 2025 production profile sits closest to Ashton Gillotte’s 2024 season.

Ashton Gillotte

89%match

Louisville · 2024

All-ACCNFL Rd 3 · Pk 2
#2

Rondell Bothroyd

Wake Forest · 2021

88%
#3

Walter Haire

Bowling Green · 2021

88%
#4

John Morgan

Arkansas · 2023

87%
#5

Denis Jaquez Jr.

Syracuse · 2025

86%

Matches Ashton on

Weight
Height
Sack rate

Not enough data yet for this comparison.

As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Jereme Robinson's junior season at Kansas (2022).

Jereme Robinson

90%match

Kansas · 2022

#2

Elijah O'Neal

Arizona State · 2025

89%
#3

Jatorian Hansford

South Florida · 2022

88%
#4

Ezra Christensen

New Mexico State · 2025

87%
#5

Walter Haire

Bowling Green · 2022

86%

Matches Jereme on

Class year
Height
Weight

Supporting Cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2025 season

Head Coach

Barry Odom

Pass share

52.0%

404 pass / 373 run

Plays / game

64.8

12 games

OL sack rate (allowed)

4.9%

348 dropbacks · PBP

Scheme: Balanced.

Coaching Lineage · 2023–2025

2 coaches
2023
Ryan Walters
Purdue
2024
Ryan Walters
Purdue
2025
Barry Odom
Purdue
era →

Coaching transition mid-career: Ryan Walters → Barry Odom. 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.

HometownDouglasville, GA
Height6'3"
Weight265 lb
Class4
PositionDL
Jersey91

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 Akron DL4 #10412 #11233 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W16 snapshot | Mid-American
2023 Akron DL4 #9950 #10756 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W19 snapshot | Mid-American

Roster Timeline

Team, conference, and class by season.

Season Team Conference Pos Class Bio
2025 Purdue Big Ten DL 4 No. 91 | 6-3 | 265 lb | Douglasville, GA
2024 Akron Mid-American DL 4 No. 91 | 6-3 | 265 lb | Douglasville, GA
2023 Akron Mid-American DL 4 No. 91 | 6-3 | 265 lb | Douglasville, GA