CFB Zeitgeist Score
66
Solid starter in the position cohort. Carried by rec yards at the 85th percentile.
Eli Finley
Below the discourse floor — the honest stats-only state.
445 REC YDS · 38 REC · 0 REC TD
2026 Outlook
Returning to Louisiana Tech for 2026
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Tight end · Louisiana Tech
Returning around him
- 54% of 2024 offensive production back (Solid continuity)
- Transfer portal: -13 net (11 in / 24 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Louisiana Tech · Last season: 8-5 · Talent rank #116 · 2026 recruiting class #111
TE · LOUISIANA TECH · CONFERENCE USA
Eli Finley
- 3
- #84
- 6-6 | 244 lb
- Heath, TX
Heisman Heat
#4979
<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 TE AWARD
Mackey
—
CONSENSUS
All-American
—
Player Standing · 17 rungs
Tier 2 · StarterR07 · Impact starter
Impact starter. Producing measurable value above replacement.
Not on team2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career arc · Season-by-season Standing
2 seasons on the ladder
2023
Louisiana Tech · TE
—
★
2025
Louisiana Tech · TE
R09 · All-Conference HM / 2nd team
Recognized
Development Trajectory · receiving yards
2023–2025+4350%
Up 4350% from first season to most-recent.
Career Arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
Louisiana Tech
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 3-star | 0.8511 | No. 1367 recruit | HighSchool | Louisiana Tech |
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.
Achievements
- Program Benchmark 5.5% Program Benchmark Season leader for the program at the player's position across the headline volume metric (passing yards / rushing yards / receiving yards). Held by 5.5% of the 2025 pool. Team leader in receiving yards (445).
Selector Grid · 2025
AP—
FWAA—
AFCA—
WCFF—
SN—
SI—
NIL · Recruiting · NFL Draft
Market value, pedigree & pro outcome
Recruit stars
★★★☆☆
to Louisiana Tech
Composite
0.8511
#1367 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 Eli Finley
Fan sentiment ·
Belief Meter
—
Awaiting per-cohort signal
Top Take
“”
Trajectory
Per-cohort trajectory lands when historical bucket data is aggregated.
Cohort divergence map
- National · n=2
Rival Radar
How rival fanbases talk about Eli Finley
No rival-bucket mentions in the current season.
2025 Signature · 2025 season
Yards per reception
11.7
yds
All FBS WRs, min 20 receptions
National rank #306 of 531
Percentile vs All FBS WRs, min 20 receptions 42nd
Why it matters
#306 of 531 All FBS WRs at 11.7 yards per reception (38 catches).
Vs cohort
This player 11.7 (42th)
HIGH · n=38 cohort 531
- Also strong
- Receiving yards (total)#264 / 531
- Receiving TDs#476 / 531
Signature Moment
Week 4 vs Southern Miss — 155 ypr
Result W 30-20
The week the volume broke through — put up 155 yds vs Southern Miss.
Season Pace · Projection
Where the receiving totals stand
Through 11g
445Rec yards
38Receptions
0Rec TDs
Per game
40.5Rec yards
3Receptions
0Rec TDs
Projected (13g)
525.9Rec yards
45Receptions
0Rec TDs
To hit 700-yard receiver (currently 445): needs 127.5/game over remaining 2.
To hit 1,000-yard receiver (currently 445): needs 277.5/game over remaining 2.
To hit 60-catch season (currently 38): needs 11/game over remaining 2.
To hit 80-catch season (currently 38): needs 21/game over remaining 2.
To hit 8 receiving TDs (currently 0): needs 4/game over remaining 2.
To hit 10 receiving TDs (currently 0): needs 5/game over remaining 2.
Why the honors trail matters
The fast read on the thing that makes this player more than a generic stat line.
The useful clue on this card is not just the Heisman rank, but the broader honors spine. Eli Finley already has 1 loaded recognition item, which helps distinguish a player who is merely productive from one who is already earning selector-level validation.
2025 Season · Final
Traditional stats first. Advanced context underneath.
Last season
TE 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?
Target magnet against FBS receiving peers.
2025 Season · Final
2025 season snapshot | final
Receiving
REC
38 96th
YDS
445 95th
YPR
11.7 70th
TD
0 46th
Game Log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 11 games
| Wk | Opp | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 24-0vs SE Louisiana | 4 | 59 | 14.8 | 0 | 23 | |
| Wk 2 | L 7-23@ LSU | 4 | 18 | 4.5 | 0 | 6 | |
| Wk 4 | W 30-20vs Southern Miss | 6 | 155 | 25.8 | 0 | 73 | Season-high 155 yds |
| Wk 7 | L 7-35@ Kennesaw State | 3 | 21 | 7.0 | 0 | 9 | |
| Wk 9 | L 27-28vs Western Kentucky | 5 | 36 | 7.2 | 0 | 13 | |
| Wk 10 | W 55-14vs Sam Houston | 3 | 45 | 15.0 | 0 | 23 | |
| Wk 11 | L 24-25@ Delaware | 3 | 11 | 3.7 | 0 | 6 | |
| Wk 12 | L 3-28@ Washington State | 3 | 21 | 7.0 | 0 | 14 | |
| Wk 13 | W 34-28vs Liberty | 5 | 58 | 11.6 | 0 | 21 | |
| Wk 14 | W 42-30@ Missouri State | 1 | 17 | 17.0 | 0 | 17 | |
| Bowl | W 23-14vs Coastal Carolina | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 | 4 | |
| Total | 38 | 445 | 10.7 | 0 | 73 |
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
2023Louisiana Tech3-9HC: Sonny Cumbie · Balanced
2025Louisiana Tech8-5HC: Sonny Cumbie · Run-heavy
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Louisiana Tech | 38 | 445 | 11.7 | 0 | -- |
| 2023 | Louisiana Tech | 2 | 10 | 5.0 | 0 | -- |
| Career | 2 loaded seasons | 40 | 455 | 11.4 | 0 | -- |
Advanced layer Usage, value, and context
Advanced metrics second
Advanced Metrics
Usage, value, and opponent-adjusted context.
The tight end's share of the passing offense, which helps distinguish a featured receiving tight end from a secondary option.
A blended usage view that shows how often the offense flows through the tight end compared with other same-level peers.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Receiving | Receptions | 38 | #20/475 | 96th pct | Volumevs FBS TE |
| Receiving | Receiving yards | 445 | #27/475 | 95th pct | Volumevs FBS TE |
| Receiving | Receiving TD | 0 | #257/475 | 46th pct | Scoringvs FBS TE |
| Receiving | Yards / catch | 11.7 | #142/475 | 70th pct | Efficiencyvs FBS TE |
| Usage | Pass share | 16.1% | #16/468 | 97th pct | Air-game usagevs FBS TE |
| Receiving | Receiving LONG | 73 | #6/475 | 99th pct | Metricvs FBS TE |
| Usage | 3rd-down usage | 11.7% | #12/468 | 98th pct | Money-down loadvs FBS TE |
| Usage | Passing-down usage | 11.2% | #12/468 | 98th pct | Known-passing sharevs FBS TE |
| Usage | Role share | 6.1% | #47/468 | 90th pct | Share of team offensevs FBS TE |
| Usage | 2nd-down usage | 4.8% | #125/468 | 74th pct | Middle-down loadvs FBS TE |
| Usage | 1st-down usage | 4.3% | #112/468 | 76th pct | Early-down loadvs FBS TE |
| Usage | Standard-down usage | 4.0% | #120/468 | 75th pct | Base-situation sharevs FBS TE |
| Usage | Rush share | 0.0% | #58/468 | 88th pct | Ground-game usagevs FBS TE |
Player Standing
Universal 17-step ladder. Tier pills below; accolade streams nested.
ALL-CONF HM
On-team2-deepStartingRecognizedEliteApex
ALL-CONF HM · Rung 9 of 16
Why he’s here
All-Conference honorable mention / 2nd team — the recognition has started.
What moves him up
A best-at-position run lifts to 1st team.
What moves him down
A back-end conference finish drops out of the honor list.
Accolade streams
Status—Awaiting tracker
The Mackey 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 vs Road
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home6g | 4.0 | 59.5 | 13.1 | 0.0 |
| Road5g | 2.8 | 17.6 | 7.8 | 0.0 |
Win vs Loss
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wins6g | 3.3 | 56.3 | 14.7 | 0.0 |
| Losses5g | 3.6 | 21.4 | 5.9 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-75g | 3.6 | 51.4 | 11.2 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+6g | 3.3 | 31.3 | 10.2 | 0.0 |
Pocket and defense-quality (clean vs. pressure) splits are coming soon.
Savant · Box-rate percentiles
Where this profile ranks vs the TE cohort
66Solid starter
Elite: long catch (96th). Strength: receptions (88th). Concern: rec tds (6th).
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Advanced Savant · TE · 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
Eli FinleyLouisiana TechJaren KanakOklahoma· 90% simEli RaridonNotre Dame· 86% simSam RoushStanford· 83% sim
Long catch
Receptions
Rec yards
Yards / catch
Rec TDs
Closest peers by overall box-score percentile profile at the same position.
Player DNA
The Complete TE
Dual-threat: blocks when needed, catches when needed. Coveted on both sides.
TE
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Luke Schoonmaker’s 2022 season.
Luke Schoonmaker
71%match
All-Big TenNFL Rd 2 · Pk 27
#2
Mason Taylor
66%
#3
Keleki Latu
63%
#4
Mason Taylor
62%
#5
Tanner McLachlan
NFL Rd 6
61%
Matches Luke on
Height
Total EPA (college ability)
Weight
Differs from Luke on
TD rate (lower)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Gabe Burkle's junior season at Iowa State (2025).
Gabe Burkle
74%match
#2
Max Klare
All-Big TenNFL Rd 2 · Pk 29
74%
#3
Gunnar Oakes
73%
#4
Mason Taylor
70%
#5
Ben Yurosek
66%
Matches Gabe on
Yards / reception
Total EPA (college ability)
Weight
Differs from Gabe on
Reception volume (higher)
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Sonny Cumbie
Pass share
37.1%
311 pass / 527 run
Plays / game
64.5
13 games
OL sack rate (allowed)
9.4%
234 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy.
Coaching Lineage · 2023–2025
1 coach2023
Sonny Cumbie
Louisiana Tech
2025
Sonny Cumbie
Louisiana Tech
Played his entire career under Sonny Cumbie.
Bio · Recruiting · Transfer · Roster
Off-field context — switch tabs to drill into recruit profile, transfer arc, or roster timeline.
HometownHeath, TX
Height6'6"
Weight244 lb
Class3
PositionTE
Jersey84
No fields populated yet.
No fields populated yet.
Current teamLouisiana Tech
ConferenceConference USA
Joined2025
Career arc3 season(s)
Trophy Case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
🎖
ALL-CONFERENCE
All-Conf mention (2025)
All-Conference USA
Trophy Case · Detail
Every honor on the ledger, broken out by stream and selector.
1 all-conference honor
Conference-level recognition helps anchor whether a player is merely statistically loud or actually viewed as elite within his competitive lane.
Honors Timeline
Season-end distinction and week-by-week recognition on one timeline.
| Season | Honor | Scope | Team / Selector | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | All-Conference USA | all_conference | Louisiana Tech | Conference USA | TE |
Heisman By Year
Modeled rank and official finish by season.
| Season | Team | Role | Latest Model | Forecast | Win | Finalist | Official Finish | Points | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Louisiana Tech | TE3 | #4979 | #5492 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W16 snapshot | Conference USA |
| 2023 | Louisiana Tech | TE3 | #5414 | #6004 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W19 snapshot | Conference USA |
Roster Timeline
Team, conference, and class by season.
| Season | Team | Conference | Pos | Class | Bio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Louisiana Tech | Conference USA | TE | 3 | No. 84 | 6-6 | 244 lb | Heath, TX |
| 2024 | Louisiana Tech | Conference USA | TE | 3 | No. 84 | 6-6 | 244 lb | Heath, TX |
| 2023 | Louisiana Tech | Conference USA | TE | 3 | No. 84 | 6-6 | 244 lb | Heath, TX |