cfb zeitgeistZeitgeist
OFFSEASON · SUMMER 2026 · COMMITMENT SEASON
Heisman / Players / Jacob Kongaika /Arizona State

Jacob Kongaika

DL · Arizona State · Sr · #98

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

23 TACKLES · 1 SACKS

2026 RETURNINGReturning to Arizona State for 2026

2026 Outlook

Returning to Arizona State for 2026

2026 Depth chart

Projected starter

Defensive line · Arizona State

Returning around him

  • 70% of 2024 offensive production back (Solid continuity)
  • 4 Arizona State players drafted to NFL
  • Transfer portal: +3 net (24 in / 21 out)

2026 Award watch

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

Arizona State · Last season: 8-5 (AP #24) · Talent rank #33 · 2026 recruiting class #44

DL · ARIZONA STATE · BIG 12

Jacob Kongaika

  • 4
  • #98
  • 6-2 | 290 lb
  • Chicago, IL

CFB Zeitgeist Score

59

Solid starter in the position cohort. Carried by tackles for loss at the 73rd percentile.

Heisman Heat

#9559

<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 1 · 2-deep

R04 · Rotational

Rotational. Earning real snaps in the rotation.

Not on team2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Career Arc

HS
Recruit
★★★
#1463 national
CFB
College
2 teams
2022–2025
NFL
NFL Draft
Not drafted (yet)

Identity & Role

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

PositionDL
Class4
Jersey98
Measurements6-2 | 290 lb
HometownChicago, IL
Primary teamArizona State

Recruiting Pedigree

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

Top pedigree 3-star No. 1463 recruit
Composite rating 0.8417 HighSchool
Signed with Arizona 2022
Origin Mater Dei Santa Ana, CA, USA
Class Profile Context
2022 3-star | 0.8417 No. 1463 recruit | HighSchool | Arizona

Transfer Arc

Portal movement changes role, context, and perception. This keeps that path in one place.

Portal moves 1 Programs changed on file
Latest destination Arizona State 2024
Transfer stars 3-star CFBD transfer rating context
Eligibility Immediate Dec 31, 2023
Season Move Context
2024 Arizona -> Arizona State 3-star | 0.8700 | Immediate

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#9559Latest modeled ballot order
Season forecast#9184Where 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 Arizona

Composite

0.8417

#1463 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 Jacob Kongaika

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 Jacob Kongaika

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 11g
23Tackles
4Tackles for loss
1Sacks
Per game
2Tackles
0.4Tackles for loss
0.1Sacks
Projected (13g)
27Tackles
4.7Tackles for loss
1.2Sacks

To hit 80-tackle season (currently 23): needs 28.5/game over remaining 2.

To hit 100-tackle season (currently 23): needs 38.5/game over remaining 2.

To hit 6-sack season (currently 1): needs 2.5/game over remaining 2.

To hit 10-sack season (currently 1): needs 4.5/game over remaining 2.

Why this is a rare defensive case

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

Jacob Kongaika is trying to climb the steepest award hill in college football: a defensive candidacy. The hook is the disruption profile on Arizona State's defense, with 1.0 sacks, 4.0 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 #9559 0.0% win | 0.0% finalist
Role load -- Role share still loading
Profile quirk Transfer path 1 portal move

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 23 9 solo | #1813/4942 (63rd pct)
TFL 4.0 Backfield disruption | #738/4972 (85th pct)
Sacks 1.0 Pass-rush finish | #872/4972 (82nd pct)
Player identity What kind of player is this?

30-second read

What kind of player is this?

High-disruption defender against FBS defenders.

High-disruption defender

2025 Season · Final

2025 season snapshot | final

Tackling & Disruption

TOT
23 63rd
SOLO
9 54th
TFL
4.0 85th
SACK
1.0 82nd
QBH
5 90th

Coverage & Takeaways

PD
1 43rd

Game Log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 11 games

Box score · CFBD
WkOppTKLSOLOTFLSACKINTPDNote
Wk 1W 38-19vs Northern Arizona310.50.01
Wk 2L 20-24@ Mississippi State100.50.00
Wk 3W 34-15vs Texas State311.51.00
Wk 4W 27-24@ Baylor000.00.00
Wk 7L 10-42@ Utah400.00.00Season-high 4 tackles
Wk 8W 26-22vs Texas Tech100.00.00
Wk 9L 16-24vs Houston220.00.00
Wk 12W 25-23vs West Virginia100.50.00
Wk 13W 42-17@ Colorado330.00.00
Wk 14L 7-23vs Arizona211.00.00
BowlL 39-42@ Duke310.00.00
Total2394.01.01
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

2022Arizona5-7HC: Jedd Fisch · Pass-leaning
2023Arizona10-3HC: Jedd Fisch · Balanced
2025Arizona State8-5HC: Kenny Dillingham · Balanced
SeasonTeam
2025Arizona State2394.01.01----
2023Arizona1592.02.0------
2022Arizona830.50.0------
Career3 loaded seasons46216.53.01----
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 5 Quarterback hurries | #188/1878 (90th pct)
Open full stat explorer
0 metrics visible Showing all metrics
Group Metric Value Rank Pct Why it matters
Defense Total tackles 23 #1813/4942 63rd pct Volumevs FBS DEF
Defense TFL 4.0 #738/4972 85th pct Disruptionvs FBS DEF
Defense Sacks 1.0 #872/4972 82nd pct Disruptionvs FBS DEF
Defense Pass breakups 1 #1241/2184 43rd pct Coveragevs FBS DEF
Defense QB hurries 5 #188/1878 90th pct Disruptionvs FBS DEF
Defense Solo tackles 9 #2127/4584 54th 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 · 11 games

Home/Road · Win/Loss · Season halves

Home vs Road

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Home6g2.00.60.20.2
Road5g2.20.10.00.0

Win vs Loss

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Wins6g1.80.40.20.2
Losses5g2.40.30.00.0

First half vs Second half

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Weeks 1-76g2.30.40.20.2
Weeks 8+5g1.80.30.00.0

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

Savant · Box-rate percentiles

Where this profile ranks vs the DL cohort

59Solid starter
6 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: qb hurries (92nd). Concern: solo tackles (25th).

QB hurries#188 / 2975 · 92nd pct
5defe
Tackles for loss#736 / 2975 · 73rd pct
4.0defe
Sacks#847 / 2975 · 63rd pct
1.0defe
Passes defended#1191 / 2975 · 48th pct
1defe
Tackles#1813 / 2975 · 38th pct
23defe
Solo tackles#2127 / 2975 · 26th pct
9defe

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 · 6 metrics
Jacob KongaikaArizona StateTrey FieldsNorth Texas· 61% simRay ConeyTulsa· 61% simTreylin PayneTexas State· 60% sim
QB hurries
92
Kongaika
95
Fields
88
Coney
82
Payne
Tackles for loss
73
Kongaika
87
Fields
90
Coney
87
Payne
Sacks
63
Kongaika
63
Fields
80
Coney
80
Payne
Passes defended
48
Kongaika
67
Fields
67
Coney
67
Payne
Tackles
38
Kongaika
98
Fields
100
Coney
98
Payne
Solo tackles
26
Kongaika
96
Fields
93
Coney
95
Payne

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

Player DNA

The Two-Gap Base

Stout at the point of attack; controls his gap and stacks blocks.

IDL

His 2025 production profile sits closest to Grady Kelly’s 2023 season.

Grady Kelly

92%match

Colorado State · 2023

#2

Devin Lee

South Florida · 2025

91%
#3

Dion Washington

Boise State · 2025

89%
#4

Tyler Williams

Wake Forest · 2022

88%
#5

Decarius Hawthorne

Florida Atlantic · 2021

88%

Matches Grady on

Sack rate
TFL rate
Weight

Not enough data yet for this comparison.

As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Dezmond Tell's senior season at Louisville (2023).

Dezmond Tell

87%match

Louisville · 2023

#2

Anthony Franklin

Stanford · 2024

87%
#3

Jack Hall

Delaware · 2025

86%
#4

Jackson Cravens

BYU · 2023

84%
#5

Anthony Hawkins

Bowling Green · 2023

All-MAC
84%

Matches Dezmond on

Class year
TFL rate
Weight

Supporting Cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2025 season

Head Coach

Kenny Dillingham

Pass share

47.1%

429 pass / 482 run

Plays / game

70.1

13 games

OL sack rate (allowed)

7.8%

345 dropbacks · PBP

Scheme: Balanced.

Coaching Lineage · 2022–2025

2 coaches
2022
Herm Edwards
Arizona State
2023
Kenny Dillingham
Arizona State
era →
2025
Kenny Dillingham
Arizona State

Coaching transition mid-career: Herm Edwards → Kenny Dillingham. 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.

HometownChicago, IL
Height6'2"
Weight290 lb
Class4
PositionDL
Jersey98

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 Arizona State DL4 #9559 #9184 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W16 snapshot | Big 12
2023 Arizona DL4 #6795 #6955 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W19 snapshot | Pac-12
2022 Arizona DL4 #13637 #13688 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W20 snapshot | Pac-12

Roster Timeline

Team, conference, and class by season.

Season Team Conference Pos Class Bio
2025 Arizona State Big 12 DL 4 No. 98 | 6-2 | 290 lb | Chicago, IL
2024 Arizona State Big 12 DL 4 No. 98 | 6-2 | 290 lb | Chicago, IL
2023 Arizona Pac-12 DL 4 No. 98 | 6-2 | 290 lb | Chicago, IL
2022 Arizona Pac-12 DL 4 No. 98 | 6-2 | 290 lb | Chicago, IL