CFB Zeitgeist Score
80
All-Conference in the position cohort. Carried by sacks at the 80th percentile.
Jacob Thomas
Below the discourse floor — the honest stats-only state.
65 TACKLES · 2 SACKS
2026 Outlook
Returning to James Madison for 2026
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Safety · James Madison
Returning around him
- 78% of 2024 offensive production back (Strong continuity)
- Transfer portal: +7 net (37 in / 30 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
James Madison · Last season: 12-2 (AP #19) · Talent rank #127 · 2026 recruiting class #108
S · JAMES MADISON · SUN BELT
Jacob Thomas
- 4
- #7
- 6-1 | 212 lb
- Ashburn, VA
Heisman Heat
#9153
<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 DB AWARD
Jim Thorpe
—
CONSENSUS
All-American
—
Player Standing · 17 rungs
Tier 2 · StarterR06 · Starter
Starter. A locked-in starting role.
Not on team2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career arc · Season-by-season Standing
3 seasons on the ladder
2022
James Madison · S
—
2023
James Madison · S
—
★
2025
James Madison · S
R09 · All-Conference HM / 2nd team
Recognized
Career Arc
HS
Recruit
—
CFB
College
James Madison
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 · 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.
No achievements unlocked yet this season.
Selector Grid · 2025
AP—
FWAA—
AFCA—
WCFF—
SN—
SI—
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 Jacob Thomas
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 Thomas
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.
Season Pace · Projection
Where the defensive totals stand
Through 13g
65Tackles
3Tackles for loss
2Sacks
Per game
5Tackles
0.2Tackles for loss
0.2Sacks
Final
65Tackles
3Tackles for loss
2Sacks
Why this is a rare defensive case
The fast read on the thing that makes this player more than a generic stat line.
Jacob Thomas is trying to climb the steepest award hill in college football: a defensive candidacy. The hook is the disruption profile on James Madison's defense, with 2.0 sacks, 3.0 tackles for loss, and 2 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.
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
Player identity What kind of player is this?
30-second read
What kind of player is this?
High-disruption defender | Coverage splash | High-volume tackler against FBS defenders.
2025 Season · Final
2025 season snapshot | final
Tackling & Disruption
TOT
65 93rd
SOLO
29 88th
TFL
3.0 80th
SACK
2.0 90th
QBH
3 75th
Coverage & Takeaways
PD
7 96th
INT
2 87th
Game Log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 13 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 45-10vs Weber State | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 14-28@ Louisville | 6 | 5 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 2 | |
| Wk 4 | W 31-13@ Liberty | 5 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 35-10vs Georgia Southern | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 6 | W 14-7@ Georgia State | 8 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 8 tackles |
| Wk 7 | W 24-14vs Louisiana | 5 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Wk 8 | W 63-27vs Old Dominion | 7 | 2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 11 | W 35-23@ Marshall | 7 | 3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 12 | W 58-10vs App State | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 13 | W 24-20vs Washington State | 8 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 14 | W 59-10@ Coastal Carolina | 6 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 15 | W 31-14vs Troy | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Bowl | L 34-51@ Oregon | 6 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 65 | 29 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 2 | 7 |
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
2022James Madison8-3HC: Curt Cignetti · Run-leaning
2023James Madison11-2HC: Damian Wroblewski · Balanced
2025James Madison12-2HC: Bob Chesney · Run-heavy
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | James Madison | 65 | 29 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 7 | 2 | -- |
| 2023 | James Madison | 54 | 29 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 6 | -- | -- |
| 2022 | James Madison | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 3 loaded seasons | 121 | 60 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 13 | 2 | -- |
Advanced layer Usage, value, and context
Advanced metrics second
Advanced Metrics
Usage, value, and opponent-adjusted context.
TFL, sacks, and QB hurries are grouped together because defensive Heisman cases are usually built on visible havoc, not on tackle counts alone.
Pass breakups, interceptions, and forced fumbles matter because national awards voters respond to plays that change possessions and highlight reels.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Defense | Total tackles | 65 | #331/4942 | 93rd pct | Volumevs FBS DEF |
| Defense | TFL | 3.0 | #1006/4972 | 80th pct | Disruptionvs FBS DEF |
| Defense | Sacks | 2.0 | #491/4972 | 90th pct | Disruptionvs FBS DEF |
| Defense | Interceptions | 2 | #114/869 | 87th pct | Takeawaysvs FBS DEF |
| Defense | Pass breakups | 7 | #85/2184 | 96th pct | Coveragevs FBS DEF |
| Defense | QB hurries | 3 | #462/1878 | 75th pct | Disruptionvs FBS DEF |
| Defense | INT return yards | 32 | #203/578 | 65th pct | Takeawaysvs FBS DEF |
| Defense | Solo tackles | 29 | #559/4584 | 88th pct | Volumevs FBS DEF |
| Defense | INT return avg | 16.0 | #267/578 | 54th pct | Takeawaysvs FBS DEF |
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 Thorpe 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 · 13 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home7g | 3.9 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.6 |
| Road6g | 6.3 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.5 |
Win vs Loss
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wins11g | 4.8 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.5 |
| Losses2g | 6.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 4.7 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.6 |
| Weeks 8+6g | 5.3 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.5 |
Pocket and defense-quality (clean vs. pressure) splits are coming soon.
Savant · Box-rate percentiles
Where this profile ranks vs the S cohort
80All-Conference
Elite: passes defended (96th). Strength: tackles (88th).
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Advanced Savant · S · 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
Jacob ThomasJames MadisonEli BlakeyMiami (OH)· 88% simMarsel McDuffieUNLV· 87% simAndon ThomasArmy· 84% sim
Passes defended
Tackles
QB hurries
Solo tackles
Sacks
Interceptions
Tackles for loss
Closest peers by overall box-score percentile profile at the same position.
Player DNA
The Box Safety
Lives near the line of scrimmage as a de facto extra linebacker.
S
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Marvin Grant’s 2024 season.
Marvin Grant
81%match
#2
Jaquan Brisker
1st-team All-AmericanNFL Rd 2 · Pk 16
82%
#3
R.J. Mickens
NFL Rd 6
81%
#4
Eddie Smith
80%
#5
Jacob Thomas
78%
Matches Marvin on
PD rate
Tackle volume
Weight
Differs from Marvin on
Height (lower)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Craig Woodson's senior season at California (2024).
Craig Woodson
86%match
NFL Rd 4
#2
Kitan Oladapo
NFL Rd 5
86%
#3
Akili Arnold
86%
#4
Michael Dowell
85%
#5
Cameron Smith
83%
Matches Craig on
Class year
Weight
PD rate
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Bob Chesney
Pass share
39.7%
385 pass / 584 run
Plays / game
69.2
14 games
OL sack rate (allowed)
7.8%
269 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy.
Coaching Lineage · 2022–2025
3 coaches2022
Curt Cignetti
James Madison
2023era →
Damian Wroblewski
James Madison
2025era →
Bob Chesney
James Madison
Played under 3 different head coaches: Curt Cignetti, Damian Wroblewski, and Bob Chesney. Multi-era developmental context.
Bio · Recruiting · Transfer · Roster
Off-field context — switch tabs to drill into recruit profile, transfer arc, or roster timeline.
HometownAshburn, VA
Height6'1"
Weight212 lb
Class4
PositionS
Jersey7
No fields populated yet.
No fields populated yet.
Current teamJames Madison
ConferenceSun Belt
Joined2025
Career arc4 season(s)
Trophy Case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
🎖
ALL-CONFERENCE
All-Conf mention (2025)
All-Sun Belt
Trophy Case · Detail
Every honor on the ledger, broken out by stream and selector.
2 all-conference honors
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-Sun Belt | all_conference | James Madison | Sun Belt | DB |
| 2024 | All-Sun Belt | all_conference | James Madison | Sun Belt | DB |
Heisman By Year
Modeled rank and official finish by season.
| Season | Team | Role | Latest Model | Forecast | Win | Finalist | Official Finish | Points | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | James Madison | S4 | #9153 | #8735 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W16 snapshot | Sun Belt |
| 2023 | James Madison | S4 | #8094 | #8044 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W19 snapshot | Sun Belt |
| 2022 | James Madison | S4 | #10820 | #10542 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W20 snapshot | Sun Belt |
Roster Timeline
Team, conference, and class by season.
| Season | Team | Conference | Pos | Class | Bio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | James Madison | Sun Belt | S | 4 | No. 7 | 6-1 | 212 lb | Ashburn, VA |
| 2024 | James Madison | Sun Belt | S | 4 | No. 7 | 6-1 | 212 lb | Ashburn, VA |
| 2023 | James Madison | Sun Belt | S | 4 | No. 7 | 6-1 | 212 lb | Ashburn, VA |
| 2022 | James Madison | Sun Belt | S | 4 | No. 7 | 6-1 | 212 lb | Ashburn, VA |