CFB Zeitgeist Score
37
Mid-pack in the position cohort. Carried by pass tds at the 68th percentile.
Preston Stone
Filling the Shoesas of 2026-06-22
Preston Stone arrives at Northwestern with a new fit to prove and an old chapter behind him.
2,400PASS YDS17PASS TD14RUSH YDS
PASSING VALUE · WEPA
+0.24
via your WEPA model · 2025 · 352 plays
Read the story so far
AI narrative · updated 2026-06-22 · compiled from CFB Zeitgeist data
2026 Outlook
Returning to Northwestern for 2026
2026 Depth chart
Returning starter
Quarterback · Northwestern
Returning around him
- 68% of 2024 offensive production back (Solid continuity)
- 2 Northwestern players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: +9 net (17 in / 8 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Northwestern · Last season: 7-6 · Talent rank #57 · 2026 recruiting class #66
QB · NORTHWESTERN · BIG TEN
Preston Stone
- 4
- #8
- 6-1 | 215 lb
- Dallas, TX
Heisman Heat
#68
<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 QB AWARD
Davey O'Brien
—
CONSENSUS
All-American
—
Player Standing · 17 rungs
Tier 4 · EliteR12 · All-American
All-American. Named to an NCAA-recognized All-America team.
Not on team2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career arc · Season-by-season Standing
5 seasons on the ladder
2021
SMU · QB
—
2022
SMU · QB
—
★
2023
SMU · QB
R09 · All-Conference HM / 2nd team
Recognized
2024
SMU · QB
—
2025
Northwestern · QB
R09 · All-Conference HM / 2nd team
Recognized
Development Trajectory · passing yards
2021–2025+9900%
Up 9900% from first season to most-recent.
Career Arc
HS
Recruit
★★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 4-star | 0.9497 | No. 111 recruit | HighSchool | SMU |
Transfer Arc
Portal movement changes role, context, and perception. This keeps that path in one place.
| Season | Move | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | SMU -> Northwestern | 3-star | 0.8600 | 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 16Heisman 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 (2400).
Selector Grid · 2025
AP—
FWAA—
AFCA—
WCFF—
SN—
SI—
NIL · Recruiting · NFL Draft
Market value, pedigree & pro outcome
Recruit stars
★★★★☆
to SMU
Composite
0.9497
#111 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
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 Preston Stone
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=2
Rival Radar
How rival fanbases talk about Preston Stone
Only 2 rival mention(s) — below the 4-mention floor for a defensible read.
2025 Signature · 2025 season
Total weighted-EPA passing
+84.480
EPA
P4 + Notre Dame QBs, min 250 dropbacks
National rank #45 of 58
Percentile vs P4 + Notre Dame QBs, min 250 dropbacks 23rd
Why it matters
#45 of 58 P4 + Notre Dame QBs in total weighted-EPA passing — +29737.0 WEPA on 352 dropbacks.
Vs cohort
This player +84.480 (23th)
MODERATE · n=352 cohort 58
- Also strong
- Passing yards (total)#42 / 72
- WEPA per dropback#51 / 58
- TD : INT ratio#60 / 72
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 13g
2,400Pass yards
17Pass TDs
12INT
Per game
184.6Pass yards
1Pass TDs
1INT
Final
2,400Pass yards
17Pass TDs
12INT
Why the honors trail matters
The fast read on the thing that makes this player more than a generic stat line.
The useful clue on this card is not just the Heisman rank, but the broader honors spine. Preston Stone already has 2 loaded recognition items, which helps distinguish a player who is merely productive from one who is already earning selector-level validation.
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?
High-volume passer | 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
222 87th
ATT
370 90th
CMP%
60.0% 46th
Y/A
6.5 41st
Passing Production
YDS
2,400 82nd
TD
17 86th
INT
12 3rd
Rushing
CAR
49 69th
YDS
14 35th
YPC
0.3 20th
TD
1 63rd
Game Log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 13 games
| Wk | Opp | CMP/ATT | YDS | TD | INT | YPA | QBR | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 3-23@ Tulane | 19/36 | 161 | 0 | 4 | 4.5 | 9.2 | 3 TD passes |
| Wk 2 | W 42-7vs Western Illinois | 21/29 | 245 | 3 | 0 | 8.4 | 53.9 | 3 TD passes |
| Wk 3 | L 14-34vs Oregon | 11/21 | 135 | 0 | 2 | 6.4 | 7.0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 17-14vs UCLA | 12/18 | 115 | 1 | 0 | 6.4 | 54.1 | |
| Wk 6 | W 42-7vs UL Monroe | 20/31 | 262 | 3 | 0 | 8.5 | 89.0 | 3 TD passes |
| Wk 7 | W 22-21@ Penn State | 17/26 | 163 | 1 | 0 | 6.3 | 73.3 | |
| Wk 8 | W 19-0vs Purdue | 11/26 | 132 | 2 | 1 | 5.1 | 54.3 | |
| Wk 9 | L 21-28@ Nebraska | 15/29 | 159 | 0 | 2 | 5.5 | 32.7 | |
| Wk 11 | L 17-38@ USC | 20/30 | 150 | 1 | 0 | 5.0 | 83.6 | |
| Wk 12 | L 22-24vs Michigan | 13/27 | 184 | 0 | 0 | 6.8 | 50.4 | |
| Wk 13 | W 38-35vs Minnesota | 25/30 | 305 | 2 | 0 | 10.2 | 93.7 | Season-high 305 yds |
| Wk 14 | L 13-20@ Illinois | 19/36 | 163 | 1 | 3 | 4.5 | 14.6 | 3 INTs — rough day |
| Bowl | W 34-7vs Central Michigan | 19/31 | 226 | 3 | 0 | 7.3 | 59.2 | |
| Total | 222/370 | 2400 | 17 | 12 | 6.5 | 51.9 |
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
2021SMU8-4HC: Jim Leavitt · Balanced
2022SMU7-6HC: Rhett Lashlee · Balanced, fast tempo
2023SMU11-3HC: Rhett Lashlee · Run-leaning
2024SMU11-3HC: Rhett Lashlee · Run-leaning
2025Northwestern7-6HC: David Braun · Run-leaning
| Season | Team | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Northwestern | 222 | 370 | 60.0% | 2,400 | 6.5 | 17 | 12 | 123.2 | -- | -- |
| 2024 | SMU | 30 | 51 | 58.8% | 421 | 8.3 | 5 | 1 | 156.6 | -- | -- |
| 2023 | SMU | 206 | 344 | 59.9% | 3,197 | 9.3 | 28 | 6 | 161.3 | -- | -- |
| 2022 | SMU | 28 | 48 | 58.3% | 388 | 8.1 | 2 | 1 | 135.8 | -- | -- |
| 2021 | SMU | 3 | 7 | 42.9% | 24 | 3.4 | 0 | 0 | 71.7 | -- | -- |
| Career | 5 loaded seasons | 489 | 820 | 59.6% | 6,430 | 7.8 | 52 | 20 | 141.6 | -- | -- |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Northwestern | 49 | 14 | 0.3 | 1 | -- |
| 2024 | SMU | 12 | 27 | 2.2 | 0 | -- |
| 2023 | SMU | 62 | 198 | 3.2 | 4 | -- |
| 2022 | SMU | 14 | 63 | 4.5 | 2 | -- |
| 2021 | SMU | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 0 | -- |
| Career | 5 loaded seasons | 138 | 304 | 2.2 | 7 | -- |
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 | 2,400 | #70/382 | 82nd pct | Volumevs FBS QB |
| Passing | Pass TD | 17 | #57/407 | 86th pct | Scoringvs FBS QB |
| Passing | Completions | 222 | #51/383 | 87th pct | Volumevs FBS QB |
| Passing | Completion % | 60.0% | #208/383 | 46th pct | Efficiencyvs FBS QB |
| Passing | Yards / attempt | 6.5 | #226/382 | 41st pct | Efficiencyvs FBS QB |
| Rushing | Rushing yards | 14 | #268/408 | 35th pct | Volumevs FBS QB |
| Value | Passing WEPA | +0.24 | #118/200 | 42nd pct | Opponent-adjusted passing value | 352 weighted playsvs FBS QB |
| Usage | Role share | 45.9% | #111/428 | 74th pct | Share of team offensevs FBS QB |
| Passing | Attempts | 370 | #42/407 | 90th pct | Volumevs FBS QB |
| Passing | Interceptions | 12 | #395/407 | 3rd pct | Turnoversvs FBS QB |
| Rushing | Carries | 49 | #129/408 | 69th pct | Volumevs FBS QB |
| Rushing | Rushing LONG | 30 | #107/391 | 73rd pct | Metricvs FBS QB |
| Rushing | Rush TD | 1 | #151/408 | 63rd pct | Scoringvs FBS QB |
| Rushing | Yards / carry | 0.3 | #326/407 | 20th pct | Efficiencyvs FBS QB |
| Usage | Pass share | 90.4% | #55/428 | 87th pct | Air-game usagevs FBS QB |
| Usage | Passing-down usage | 62.8% | #93/428 | 79th pct | Known-passing sharevs FBS QB |
| Usage | 3rd-down usage | 60.2% | #100/428 | 77th pct | Money-down loadvs FBS QB |
| Usage | 2nd-down usage | 44.1% | #120/428 | 72nd pct | Middle-down loadvs FBS QB |
| Usage | 1st-down usage | 40.9% | #101/428 | 77th pct | Early-down loadvs FBS QB |
| Usage | Standard-down usage | 39.1% | #112/428 | 74th pct | Base-situation sharevs FBS QB |
| Usage | Rush share | 7.6% | #207/428 | 52nd pct | Ground-game usagevs FBS QB |
| Value | Rushing WEPA | +0.08 | #131/140 | 7th pct | Opponent-adjusted rushing value | 37 weighted playsvs FBS QB |
| Ball Security | Fumbles lost | 2 | #163/258 | 37th pct | Turnoversvs FBS QB |
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
Heisman model tracks the top FBS contenders weekly; this player hasn't entered the watch list yet.
Splits · Per-game
2025 season · 13 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | TD/g | YPA | INT/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home8g | 200 | 1.8 | 7.4 | 0.4 |
| Road5g | 159 | 0.6 | 5.2 | 1.8 |
Win vs Loss
| YDS/g | TD/g | YPA | INT/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wins7g | 207 | 2.1 | 7.5 | 0.1 |
| Losses6g | 159 | 0.3 | 5.5 | 1.8 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | TD/g | YPA | INT/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 187 | 1.6 | 6.8 | 0.9 |
| Weeks 8+6g | 182 | 1.0 | 6.2 | 1.0 |
Pocket and defense-quality (clean vs. pressure) splits are coming soon.
Savant · Box-rate percentiles
Where this profile ranks vs the QB cohort
37Mid-pack
Concern: interceptions (4th).
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 yds52%of completions
42 comp5.9 yds avg2 TD
Middle
10–19 yds35%of completions
28 comp13.9 yds avg1 TD
Deep
20+ yds12%of completions
10 comp28.5 yds avg1 TD
Overall 50.0% completion on 160 attempts · 10 deep completions averaging 28.5 yds.
Advanced Savant · QB · 2024
Percentile Card
Concerns: EPA / dropback.
P4G5All FBS
Advanced Savant
Opponent-adjusted advanced metrics with a cohort filter.
wepa_passing0.24Low (p25–p50) (n=94)
wepa_rushing0.08Below (<p25) (n=72)
Peer Comparator · Fingerprint match
Three closest profiles by box-rate percentile
Preston StoneNorthwesternLogan FifeNew Mexico State· 87% simD.J. LagwayFlorida· 83% simTa'Quan RobersonBuffalo· 81% sim
Pass TDs
Pass yards
Fumbles lost
Completion %
Rush TDs
Yards / att
Rush yards
Interceptions
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 Devin Leary’s 2022 season.
Devin Leary
76%match
All-ACCNFL Rd 6
#2
Dylan Morris
74%
#3
Jaxson Dart
NFL Rd 1 · Pk 25
71%
#4
AJ Swann
70%
#5
Braedyn Locke
68%
Matches Devin on
Completion %
TD rate
Differs from Devin on
Recruiting rating (higher)
INT rate (higher)
Class year (higher)
Through 4 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Logan Bonner’s path through Utah State.
Logan Bonner
90%match
#2
Dennis Grosel
86%
#3
Jake Constantine
84%
#4
Preston Hutchinson
83%
#5
Sam Ehlinger
All-Big 12NFL Rd 6
83%
Matches Logan on
Height
Yards per attempt
Completion %
As a graduate, his production profile tracks closest to Ta'Quan Roberson's graduate season at Buffalo (2025).
Ta'Quan Roberson
63%match
#2
Cade McNamara
All-Big Ten
61%
#3
Hudson Card
61%
#4
Miller Moss
All-Big Ten
60%
#5
Nick Vattiato
59%
Matches Ta'Quan on
Yards / attempt
Completion %
Height
Differs from Ta'Quan on
Weight (higher)
Rush usage (lower)
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
David Braun
Pass share
46.0%
378 pass / 444 run
Plays / game
63.2
13 games
OL sack rate (allowed)
5.1%
255 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Coaching Lineage · 2021–2025
2 coaches2021
Pat Fitzgerald
Northwestern
2022
Pat Fitzgerald
Northwestern
2023era →
David Braun
Northwestern
2024
David Braun
Northwestern
2025
David Braun
Northwestern
Coaching transition mid-career: Pat Fitzgerald → David Braun. 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.
HometownDallas, TX
Height6'1"
Weight215 lb
Class4
PositionQB
Jersey8
No fields populated yet.
No fields populated yet.
Current teamNorthwestern
ConferenceBig Ten
Joined2025
Career arc5 season(s)
Trophy Case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
🎖
ALL-CONFERENCE
All-Conf mention (2025)
All-Big Ten
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-Big Ten | all_conference | Big Ten | -- |
| 2023 | All-AAC | all_conference | SMU | AAC | QB |
Heisman By Year
Modeled rank and official finish by season.
| Season | Team | Role | Latest Model | Forecast | Win | Finalist | Official Finish | Points | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | SMU | QB4 | #68 | #47 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W16 snapshot | ACC |
| 2023 | SMU | QB4 | #11 | #12 | 2.9% | 12.9% | -- | -- | W19 snapshot | American Athletic |
| 2022 | SMU | QB4 | #467 | #518 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W20 snapshot | American Athletic |
| 2021 | SMU | QB4 | #546 | #344 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W20 snapshot | American Athletic |
Roster Timeline
Team, conference, and class by season.
| Season | Team | Conference | Pos | Class | Bio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Northwestern | Big Ten | QB | 4 | No. 8 | 6-1 | 215 lb | Dallas, TX |
| 2024 | SMU | ACC | QB | 4 | No. 8 | 6-1 | 215 lb | Dallas, TX |
| 2023 | SMU | American Athletic | QB | 4 | No. 8 | 6-1 | 215 lb | Dallas, TX |
| 2022 | SMU | American Athletic | QB | 4 | No. 8 | 6-1 | 215 lb | Dallas, TX |
| 2021 | SMU | American Athletic | QB | 4 | No. 8 | 6-1 | 215 lb | Dallas, TX |