CFB Zeitgeist Score
16
Below cohort in the position cohort. Carried by interceptions at the 44th percentile.
Hunter Simmons
Filling the Shoesas of 2026-06-22
Hunter Simmons is a cornerstone for Wisconsin — measured against the line he joined.
664PASS YDS2PASS TD-22RUSH YDS
PASSING VALUE · WEPA
+0.19
via your WEPA model · 2025 · 123 plays
Read the story so far
AI narrative · updated 2026-06-22 · compiled from CFB Zeitgeist data
2026 Outlook
Returning to Wisconsin for 2026
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Quarterback · Wisconsin
Returning around him
- 40% of 2024 offensive production back (Moderate turnover)
- Transfer portal: +8 net (33 in / 25 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Wisconsin · Last season: 4-8 · Talent rank #28 · 2026 recruiting class #27
QB · WISCONSIN · BIG TEN
Hunter Simmons
- 4
- #15
- 215 lb
- Marion, IL
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 QB AWARD
Davey O'Brien
—
CONSENSUS
All-American
—
Player Standing · 17 rungs
Tier 2 · StarterR06 · Starter
Starter. A locked-in starting role.
Not on team2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career Arc
HS
Recruit
—
CFB
College
Wisconsin
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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.
| Season | Move | Context |
|---|---|---|
| No transfer portal moves on file for this player. | ||
Heisman Lens
Where the model places this player relative to the rest of the Heisman field.
Heisman 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 passing yards (664).
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
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 Hunter Simmons
Fan sentiment ·
Belief Meter
—
Awaiting per-cohort signal
Top Take
“”
Trajectory
Per-cohort trajectory lands when historical bucket data is aggregated.
Cohort divergence map
- Rivals · n=1
Rival Radar
How rival fanbases talk about Hunter Simmons
Only 1 rival mention(s) — below the 4-mention floor for a defensible read.
2025 Signature · 2025 season
ESPN QBR (season average)
41.1
QBR
P4 + Notre Dame QBs, min 2 games
National rank #84 of 92
Percentile vs P4 + Notre Dame QBs, min 2 games 9th
Why it matters
#84 of 92 P4 + Notre Dame QBs by ESPN QBR — 41.1 across 8 games.
Vs cohort
This player 41.1 (9th)
HIGH · n=8 cohort 92
- Also strong
- Third-down snap share#86 / 93
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 passing totals stand
Through 8g
664Pass yards
2Pass TDs
7INT
Per game
83Pass yards
0Pass TDs
1INT
Projected (13g)
1,079Pass yards
3Pass TDs
11INT
To hit 3,000-yard season (currently 664): needs 467.2/game over remaining 5.
To hit 4,000-yard season (currently 664): needs 667.2/game over remaining 5.
To hit 25 passing TDs (currently 2): needs 4.6/game over remaining 5.
To hit 30 passing TDs (currently 2): needs 5.6/game over remaining 5.
To hit 35 passing TDs (currently 2): needs 6.6/game over remaining 5.
What made this player interesting
The fast read on the thing that makes this player more than a generic stat line.
Hunter Simmons's story is about how role and output meet each other. For Wisconsin, 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.
2025 Season · Final
Traditional stats first. Advanced context underneath.
Last season
QB 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?
Pocket-leaning against FBS QB peers. The quickest read is whether the profile wins on volume, efficiency, explosiveness, or rushing value.
2025 Season · Final
2025 season snapshot | final
Passing Efficiency
CMP
62 57th
ATT
118 62nd
CMP%
52.5% 22nd
Y/A
5.6 25th
Passing Production
YDS
664 57th
TD
2 52nd
INT
7 23rd
Rushing
CAR
14 44th
YDS
-22 7th
YPC
-1.6 9th
TD
0 44th
Game Log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 8 games
| Wk | Opp | CMP/ATT | YDS | TD | INT | YPA | QBR | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 4 | L 10-27vs Maryland | 7/9 | 70 | 1 | 0 | 7.8 | 89.6 | |
| Wk 6 | L 10-24@ Michigan | 18/29 | 177 | 0 | 1 | 6.1 | 56.2 | Season-high 177 yds |
| Wk 7 | L 0-37vs Iowa | 8/21 | 82 | 0 | 2 | 3.9 | 0.8 | |
| Wk 8 | L 0-34vs Ohio State | 6/12 | 54 | 0 | 1 | 4.5 | 35.8 | |
| Wk 9 | L 7-21@ Oregon | 7/21 | 86 | 1 | 1 | 4.1 | 5.1 | |
| Wk 11 | W 13-10vs Washington | 2/3 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 5.3 | 76.5 | |
| Wk 13 | W 27-10vs Illinois | 2/4 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 4.3 | 44.6 | |
| Wk 14 | L 7-17@ Minnesota | 12/19 | 162 | 0 | 2 | 8.5 | 20.4 | |
| Total | 62/118 | 664 | 2 | 7 | 5.6 | 41.1 |
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
2025Wisconsin4-8HC: Luke Fickell · Run-heavy, slow tempo
| Season | Team | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Wisconsin | 62 | 118 | 52.5% | 664 | 5.6 | 2 | 7 | 93.5 | -- | -- |
| Career | 1 loaded season | 62 | 118 | 52.5% | 664 | 5.6 | 2 | 7 | 93.5 | -- | -- |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Wisconsin | 14 | -22 | -1.6 | 0 | -- |
| Career | 1 loaded season | 14 | -22 | -1.6 | 0 | -- |
Advanced layer Usage, value, and context
Advanced metrics second
Advanced Metrics
Usage, value, and opponent-adjusted context.
Opponent-adjusted passing value. Positive numbers mean the quarterback is adding more value through the air than a neutral peer would in the same environment.
How much of the offense runs through the quarterback once passing and rushing responsibility are blended together.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passing | Passing yards | 664 | #164/382 | 57th pct | Volumevs FBS QB |
| Passing | Pass TD | 2 | #198/407 | 52nd pct | Scoringvs FBS QB |
| Passing | Completions | 62 | #165/383 | 57th pct | Volumevs FBS QB |
| Passing | Completion % | 52.5% | #301/383 | 22nd pct | Efficiencyvs FBS QB |
| Passing | Yards / attempt | 5.6 | #289/382 | 25th pct | Efficiencyvs FBS QB |
| Rushing | Rushing yards | -22 | #380/408 | 7th pct | Volumevs FBS QB |
| Value | Passing WEPA | +0.19 | #152/200 | 24th pct | Opponent-adjusted passing value | 123 weighted playsvs FBS QB |
| Usage | Role share | 25.3% | #198/428 | 54th pct | Share of team offensevs FBS QB |
| Passing | Attempts | 118 | #155/407 | 62nd pct | Volumevs FBS QB |
| Passing | Interceptions | 7 | #316/407 | 23rd pct | Turnoversvs FBS QB |
| Rushing | Carries | 14 | #231/408 | 44th pct | Volumevs FBS QB |
| Rushing | Rushing LONG | 9 | #311/391 | 21st pct | Metricvs FBS QB |
| Rushing | Rush TD | 0 | #230/408 | 44th pct | Scoringvs FBS QB |
| Rushing | Yards / carry | -1.6 | #372/407 | 9th pct | Efficiencyvs FBS QB |
| Usage | Pass share | 56.8% | #172/428 | 60th pct | Air-game usagevs FBS QB |
| Usage | 3rd-down usage | 33.0% | #202/428 | 53rd pct | Money-down loadvs FBS QB |
| Usage | Passing-down usage | 29.0% | #206/428 | 52nd pct | Known-passing sharevs FBS QB |
| Usage | Standard-down usage | 23.5% | #188/428 | 56th pct | Base-situation sharevs FBS QB |
| Usage | 1st-down usage | 23.0% | #190/428 | 56th pct | Early-down loadvs FBS QB |
| Usage | 2nd-down usage | 21.6% | #207/428 | 52nd pct | Middle-down loadvs FBS QB |
| Usage | Rush share | 2.5% | #350/428 | 18th pct | Ground-game usagevs FBS QB |
| Ball Security | Fumbles lost | 1 | #69/258 | 74th pct | Turnoversvs FBS QB |
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
Heisman model tracks the top FBS contenders weekly; this player hasn't entered the watch list yet.
Splits · Per-game
2025 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | TD/g | YPA | INT/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home5g | 47.8 | 0.2 | 5.2 | 0.6 |
| Road3g | 142 | 0.3 | 6.2 | 1.3 |
Win vs Loss
| YDS/g | TD/g | YPA | INT/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wins2g | 16.5 | 0.0 | 4.8 | 0.0 |
| Losses6g | 105 | 0.3 | 5.8 | 1.2 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | TD/g | YPA | INT/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 110 | 0.3 | 5.9 | 1.0 |
| Weeks 8+5g | 67.0 | 0.2 | 5.3 | 0.8 |
Pocket and defense-quality (clean vs. pressure) splits are coming soon.
Savant · Box-rate percentiles
Where this profile ranks vs the QB cohort
16Below cohort
Concern: pass tds (3rd).
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Pass Profile · Completion depth (PBP)
Where the throws are landing
Short
0–9 yds57%of completions
21 comp5.7 yds avg
Middle
10–19 yds32%of completions
12 comp14.0 yds avg1 TD
Deep
20+ yds11%of completions
4 comp25.0 yds avg
Overall 52.9% completion on 70 attempts.
Advanced Savant · QB · 2025
Percentile Card
Concerns: EPA / dropback.
P4G5All FBS
Advanced Savant
Opponent-adjusted advanced metrics with a cohort filter.
wepa_passing0.19Below (<p25) (n=94)
Peer Comparator · Fingerprint match
Three closest profiles by box-rate percentile
Hunter SimmonsWisconsinNick VattiatoMiddle Tennessee· 68% simLogan FifeNew Mexico State· 68% simPreston StoneNorthwestern· 64% sim
Fumbles lost
Interceptions
Rush yards
Pass yards
Rush TDs
Yards / att
Completion %
Pass TDs
Closest peers by overall box-score percentile profile at the same position.
Player DNA
The Pocket Passer
Balanced passer who operates within the system. Profile sits near league average across dimensions.
QB
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Christian Veilleux’s 2023 season.
Christian Veilleux
62%match
#2
Bryson Lucero
49%
#3
Cole Pennington
55%
#4
Michael Penix Jr.
NFL Rd 1 · Pk 8
55%
#5
Gavin Hardison
53%
Matches Christian on
Yards / attempt
Rush yards / carry
Weight
Differs from Christian on
INT rate (higher)
TD rate (lower)
Through 1 college season, his career arc tracks closest to Bailey Fisher’s path through Gardner-Webb.
Bailey Fisher
99%match
#2
Matt Myers
97%
#3
Isaac Wilson
90%
#4
J.D. Head
89%
#5
Jiya Wright
89%
Matches Bailey on
Yards per attempt
Completion %
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Michael Penix Jr.'s sophomore season at Indiana (2021).
Michael Penix Jr.
62%match
Maxwell1st-team All-AmericanNFL Rd 1 · Pk 8
#2
Trexler Ivey
56%
#3
Evan Simon
56%
#4
Brady Olson
54%
#5
Gavin Wimsatt
45%
Matches Michael on
Weight
TD rate
Differs from Michael on
INT rate (higher)
Yards / attempt (higher)
EPA / dropback (adj) (higher)
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Luke Fickell
Pass share
39.7%
272 pass / 413 run
Plays / game
57.1
12 games
OL sack rate (allowed)
10.8%
249 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy, slow tempo.
Coaching Lineage · 2025
1 coach2025
Luke Fickell
Wisconsin
Played his entire career under Luke Fickell.
Bio · Recruiting · Transfer · Roster
Off-field context — switch tabs to drill into recruit profile, transfer arc, or roster timeline.
HometownMarion, IL
Weight215 lb
Class4
PositionQB
Jersey15
No fields populated yet.
No fields populated yet.
Current teamWisconsin
ConferenceBig Ten
Joined2025
Career arc1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Wisconsin | Big Ten | QB | 4 | No. 15 | 215 lb | Marion, IL |