cfb zeitgeistZeitgeist
OFFSEASON · SUMMER 2026 · COMMITMENT SEASON
Heisman / Players / Nick Cull /Ole Miss

Nick Cull

S · Ole Miss · Jr · #29

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

19 TACKLES · 0 SACKS

2026 RETURNINGReturning to Ole Miss for 2026

2026 Outlook

Returning to Ole Miss for 2026

2026 Depth chart

Projected starter

Safety · Ole Miss

Returning around him

  • 18% of 2024 offensive production back (Heavy turnover)
  • 2 Ole Miss players drafted to NFL
  • Transfer portal: +3 net (28 in / 25 out)

2026 Award watch

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

Ole Miss · Last season: 13-2 (AP #6) · Talent rank #21 · 2026 recruiting class #16

S · OLE MISS · SEC

Nick Cull

  • 3
  • #29
  • 5-11 | 180 lb
  • Donalsonville, GA

CFB Zeitgeist Score

35

Mid-pack in the position cohort. Carried by passes defended at the 78th percentile.

Heisman Heat

#6902

<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 · Starter

R05 · Part-time starter

Part-time starter. Splitting first-team reps.

Not on team2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Career Arc

HS
Recruit
★★★★
#384 national
CFB
College
Ole Miss
2022–2025
NFL
NFL Draft
Not drafted (yet)

Identity & Role

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

PositionS
Class3
Jersey29
Measurements5-11 | 180 lb
HometownDonalsonville, GA
Primary teamOle Miss

Recruiting Pedigree

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

Top pedigree 4-star No. 384 recruit
Composite rating 0.8933 HighSchool
Signed with Ole Miss 2022
Origin Seminole County Donalsonville, GA, USA
Class Profile Context
2022 4-star | 0.8933 No. 384 recruit | HighSchool | Ole Miss

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#6902Latest modeled ballot order
Season forecast#6764Where 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 Ole Miss

Composite

0.8933

#384 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 Nick Cull

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 Nick Cull

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 8g
19Tackles
0.5Tackles for loss
0Sacks
Per game
2Tackles
0.1Tackles for loss
0Sacks
Projected (13g)
31Tackles
0.8Tackles for loss
0Sacks

To hit 80-tackle season (currently 19): needs 12.2/game over remaining 5.

To hit 100-tackle season (currently 19): needs 16.2/game over remaining 5.

To hit 6-sack season (currently 0): needs 1.2/game over remaining 5.

To hit 10-sack season (currently 0): needs 2/game over remaining 5.

Why this is a rare defensive case

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

Nick Cull is trying to climb the steepest award hill in college football: a defensive candidacy. The hook is the disruption profile on Ole Miss's defense, with 0.0 sacks, 0.5 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 #6902 0.0% win | 0.0% finalist
Role load -- Role share still loading
Profile quirk Blue-chip pedigree No. 384 recruit

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 19 15 solo | #2072/4942 (58th pct)
TFL 0.5 Backfield disruption | #2658/4972 (47th 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
19 58th
SOLO
15 69th
TFL
0.5 47th
SACK
0.0 65th

Coverage & Takeaways

PD
3 76th

Game Log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 8 games

Box score · CFBD
WkOppTKLSOLOTFLSACKINTPDNote
Wk 1W 63-7vs Georgia State000.00.01
Wk 2W 30-23@ Kentucky440.00.01Season-high 4 tackles
Wk 3W 41-35vs Arkansas430.00.01
Wk 4W 45-10vs Tulane210.00.00
Wk 11W 49-0vs The Citadel110.00.00
BowlW 41-10vs Tulane210.00.00
BowlW 39-34@ Georgia210.50.00
BowlL 27-31vs Miami440.00.00
Total19150.50.03
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

2022Ole Miss8-5HC: Lane Kiffin · Run-heavy, fast tempo
2023Ole Miss11-2HC: Lane Kiffin · Run-leaning
2025Ole Miss13-2HC: Lane Kiffin · Balanced
SeasonTeam
2025Ole Miss19150.50.03----
2023Ole Miss320.00.0------
2022Ole Miss1--0.00.0------
Career3 loaded seasons23170.50.03----
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 3 Coverage disruption | #521/2184 (76th pct)
QB pressures 0 Quarterback hurries
Open full stat explorer
0 metrics visible Showing all metrics
Group Metric Value Rank Pct Why it matters
Defense Total tackles 19 #2072/4942 58th pct Volumevs FBS DEF
Defense TFL 0.5 #2658/4972 47th pct Disruptionvs FBS DEF
Defense Sacks 0.0 #1762/4972 65th pct Disruptionvs FBS DEF
Defense Pass breakups 3 #521/2184 76th pct Coveragevs FBS DEF
Defense Solo tackles 15 #1434/4584 69th 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 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 · 8 games

Home/Road · Win/Loss · Season halves

Home vs Road

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Home6g2.20.00.00.3
Road2g3.00.20.00.5

Win vs Loss

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Wins7g2.10.10.00.4
Losses1g4.00.00.00.0

First half vs Second half

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Weeks 1-77g2.60.10.00.4
Weeks 8+1g1.00.00.00.0

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

Savant · Box-rate percentiles

Where this profile ranks vs the S cohort

35Mid-pack
6 metrics · season cumulative

Concern: tackles for loss (18th).

Passes defended#517 / 2975 · 78th pct
3defe
Solo tackles#1434 / 2975 · 50th pct
15defe
Tackles#2072 / 2975 · 29th pct
19defe
Sacks#1575 / 2975 · 24th pct
0.0defe
QB hurries#1662 / 2975 · 22nd pct
0defe
Tackles for loss#2332 / 2975 · 18th pct
0.5defe

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
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
Nick CullOle MissTyler MartinMassachusetts· 63% simTahj Ra-ElPurdue· 61% simDalton JohnsonArizona· 60% sim
Passes defended
78
Cull
67
Martin
91
Ra-El
96
Johnson
Solo tackles
50
Cull
87
Martin
100
Ra-El
97
Johnson
Tackles
29
Cull
98
Martin
99
Ra-El
98
Johnson
Sacks
24
Cull
24
Martin
24
Ra-El
63
Johnson
QB hurries
22
Cull
22
Martin
22
Ra-El
22
Johnson
Tackles for loss
18
Cull
63
Martin
56
Ra-El
47
Johnson

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

Player DNA

The Centerfielder

Single-high range who erases the deep middle of the field.

S

His 2025 production profile sits closest to J.J. Roberts’s 2021 season.

J.J. Roberts

93%match

Wake Forest · 2021

#2

Bralyn Lux

Fresno State · 2021

87%
#3

Tiawan Mullen

Indiana · 2021

86%
#4

Jadon Canady

Tulane · 2022

NFL Rd 4
85%
#5

Travis Franklin Jr.

Jacksonville State · 2025

85%

Matches J.J. on

PD rate
Tackle volume
Height

Not enough data yet for this comparison.

As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Aman Greenwood's senior season at Akron (2024).

Aman Greenwood

83%match

Akron · 2024

#2

Jay'Vion Cole

Arizona · 2025

All-Big 12
83%
#3

Syeed Gibbs

Kansas · 2025

79%
#4

Chau Smith-Wade

Washington State · 2023

NFL Rd 5
72%
#5

Micah Robinson

Tulane · 2024

All-AACNFL Rd 7
70%

Matches Aman on

Class year
Tackle volume
PD rate

Supporting Cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2025 season

Head Coach

Lane Kiffin

Pass share

48.2%

521 pass / 560 run

Plays / game

72.1

15 games

OL sack rate (allowed)

4.5%

330 dropbacks · PBP

Scheme: Balanced.

Coaching Lineage · 2022–2025

1 coach
2022
Lane Kiffin
Ole Miss
2023
Lane Kiffin
Ole Miss
2025
Lane Kiffin
Ole Miss

Played his entire career under Lane Kiffin.

Bio · Recruiting · Transfer · Roster

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

HometownDonalsonville, GA
Height5'11"
Weight180 lb
Class3
PositionS
Jersey29

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 Ole Miss S3 #6902 #6764 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W16 snapshot | SEC
2023 Ole Miss S3 #8605 #8145 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W19 snapshot | SEC
2022 Ole Miss S3 #10666 #10407 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W20 snapshot | SEC

Roster Timeline

Team, conference, and class by season.

Season Team Conference Pos Class Bio
2025 Ole Miss SEC S 3 No. 29 | 5-11 | 180 lb | Donalsonville, GA
2024 Ole Miss SEC S 3 No. 29 | 5-11 | 180 lb | Donalsonville, GA
2023 Ole Miss SEC S 3 No. 29 | 5-11 | 180 lb | Donalsonville, GA
2022 Ole Miss SEC S 3 No. 29 | 5-11 | 180 lb | Donalsonville, GA