cfb zeitgeistZeitgeist
OFFSEASON · SUMMER 2026 · COMMITMENT SEASON
Heisman / Players / Ian Mathews /Georgia State

Ian Mathews

DE · Georgia State · Sr · #11

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

18 TACKLES · 0 SACKS

2026 RETURNINGReturning to Georgia State for 2026

2026 Outlook

Returning to Georgia State for 2026

2026 Depth chart

Projected starter

Defensive end · Georgia State

Returning around him

  • 68% of 2024 offensive production back (Solid continuity)
  • 1 Georgia State player drafted to NFL
  • Transfer portal: -6 net (33 in / 39 out)

2026 Award watch

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

Georgia State · Last season: 1-11 · Talent rank #77 · 2026 recruiting class #67

DE · GEORGIA STATE · SUN BELT

Ian Mathews

  • 4
  • #11
  • 6-4 | 290 lb
  • Columbus, GA

CFB Zeitgeist Score

39

Mid-pack in the position cohort. Carried by qb hurries at the 72nd percentile.

Heisman Heat

#15032

<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

R06 · Starter

Starter. A locked-in starting role.

Not on team2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Career Arc

HS
Recruit
★★★
#670 national
CFB
College
Georgia State
2025
NFL
NFL Draft
Not drafted (yet)

Identity & Role

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

PositionDE
Class4
Jersey11
Measurements6-4 | 290 lb
HometownColumbus, GA
Primary teamGeorgia State

Recruiting Pedigree

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

Top pedigree 3-star No. 670 recruit
Composite rating 0.8707 HighSchool
Signed with -- 2021
Origin Pacelli Columbus, GA, USA
Class Profile Context
2021 3-star | 0.8707 No. 670 recruit | HighSchool

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#15032Latest modeled ballot order
Season forecast#15121Where 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.

NIL · Recruiting · NFL Draft

Market value, pedigree & pro outcome

Recruit stars

★★★☆☆

to —

Composite

0.8707

#670 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

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 Ian Mathews

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 Ian Mathews

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 6g
18Tackles
2Tackles for loss
0Sacks
Per game
3Tackles
0.3Tackles for loss
0Sacks
Projected (13g)
39Tackles
4.3Tackles for loss
0Sacks

To hit 80-tackle season (currently 18): needs 8.9/game over remaining 7.

To hit 100-tackle season (currently 18): needs 11.7/game over remaining 7.

To hit 6-sack season (currently 0): needs 0.9/game over remaining 7.

To hit 10-sack season (currently 0): needs 1.4/game over remaining 7.

Why this is a rare defensive case

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

Ian Mathews is trying to climb the steepest award hill in college football: a defensive candidacy. The hook is the disruption profile on Georgia State'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 #15032 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 18 6 solo | #2161/4942 (56th 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?

Defensive contributor against FBS defenders.

Balanced profile

2025 Season · Final

2025 season snapshot | final

Tackling & Disruption

TOT
18 56th
SOLO
6 43rd
TFL
2.0 71st
SACK
0.0 65th
QBH
2 66th

Coverage & Takeaways

PD
1 43rd

Game Log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 6 games

Box score · CFBD
WkOppTKLSOLOTFLSACKINTPDNote
Wk 1L 7-63@ Ole Miss420.00.00Season-high 4 tackles
Wk 2L 16-38vs Memphis431.00.00
Wk 3W 37-21vs Murray State311.00.00
Wk 4L 21-70@ Vanderbilt000.00.01
Wk 6L 7-14vs James Madison300.00.00
Wk 9L 31-38vs South Alabama400.00.00
Total1862.00.01
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

2025Georgia State1-11HC: Dell McGee · Pass-leaning
SeasonTeam
2025Georgia State1862.00.01----
Career1 loaded season1862.00.01----
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 1 Coverage disruption | #1241/2184 (43rd pct)
QB pressures 2 Quarterback hurries | #647/1878 (66th pct)
Open full stat explorer
0 metrics visible Showing all metrics
Group Metric Value Rank Pct Why it matters
Defense Total tackles 18 #2161/4942 56th 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 1 #1241/2184 43rd pct Coveragevs FBS DEF
Defense QB hurries 2 #647/1878 66th pct Disruptionvs FBS DEF
Defense Solo tackles 6 #2592/4584 43rd 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 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 · 6 games

Home/Road · Win/Loss · Season halves

Home vs Road

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Home4g3.50.50.00.0
Road2g2.00.00.00.5

Win vs Loss

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Wins1g3.01.00.00.0
Losses5g3.00.20.00.2

First half vs Second half

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Weeks 1-75g2.80.40.00.2
Weeks 8+1g4.00.00.00.0

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

Savant · Box-rate percentiles

Where this profile ranks vs the DE cohort

39Mid-pack
6 metrics · season cumulative

Concern: solo tackles (11th).

QB hurries#634 / 2975 · 72nd pct
2defe
Passes defended#1191 / 2975 · 48th pct
1defe
Tackles for loss#1424 / 2975 · 47th pct
2.0defe
Tackles#2161 / 2975 · 26th pct
18defe
Sacks#1575 / 2975 · 24th pct
0.0defe
Solo tackles#2560 / 2975 · 12th pct
6defe

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

Advanced Savant · DE · 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 · 6 metrics
Ian MathewsGeorgia StateBlake FletcherAir Force· 54% simTyler MartinMassachusetts· 52% simBryce LlewellynEastern Michigan· 51% sim
QB hurries
72
Mathews
92
Fletcher
22
Martin
72
Llewellyn
Passes defended
48
Mathews
67
Fletcher
67
Martin
86
Llewellyn
Tackles for loss
47
Mathews
28
Fletcher
63
Martin
80
Llewellyn
Tackles
26
Mathews
99
Fletcher
98
Martin
99
Llewellyn
Sacks
24
Mathews
24
Fletcher
24
Martin
24
Llewellyn
Solo tackles
12
Mathews
91
Fletcher
87
Martin
95
Llewellyn

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

Player DNA

The Versatile End

Holds up against run and pass without a single dominant trait.

EDGE

His 2025 production profile sits closest to Isaiah Mullens’s 2022 season.

Isaiah Mullens

84%match

Wisconsin · 2022

#2

Jabriel Rhodes-Nelson

Georgia State · 2025

75%
#3

Anthony Franklin

Stanford · 2022

75%
#4

Anthony Lucas

Texas A&M · 2022

73%
#5

Jalonnie Williams

Northern Illinois · 2025

73%

Matches Isaiah on

Sack rate
TFL rate
Height

Differs from Isaiah on

Class year (higher)

Not enough data yet for this comparison.

As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Mike Jarvis's sophomore season at Liberty (2025).

Mike Jarvis

95%match

Liberty · 2025

#2

Christian James

Vanderbilt · 2021

90%
#3

Jordan Davis

Mississippi State · 2022

89%
#4

Alex Huntley

South Carolina · 2021

89%
#5

Monkell Goodwine

South Carolina · 2025

88%

Matches Mike on

Class year
Height
Sack rate

Supporting Cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2025 season

Head Coach

Dell McGee

Pass share

56.5%

472 pass / 363 run

Plays / game

69.6

12 games

OL sack rate (allowed)

4.6%

373 dropbacks · PBP

Scheme: Pass-leaning.

Coaching Lineage · 2025

1 coach
2025
Dell McGee
Georgia State

Played his entire career under Dell McGee.

Bio · Recruiting · Transfer · Roster

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

HometownColumbus, GA
Height6'4"
Weight290 lb
Class4
PositionDE
Jersey11

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 Georgia State DE4 #15032 #15121 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W16 snapshot | Sun Belt
2022 Missouri DE4 #10743 #10626 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W20 snapshot | SEC

Roster Timeline

Team, conference, and class by season.

Season Team Conference Pos Class Bio
2025 Georgia State Sun Belt DE 4 No. 11 | 6-4 | 290 lb | Columbus, GA
2024 Georgia State Sun Belt DE 4 No. 11 | 6-4 | 290 lb | Columbus, GA
2022 Missouri SEC DE 4 No. 11 | 6-4 | 290 lb | Columbus, GA