cfb zeitgeistZeitgeist
OFFSEASON · SUMMER 2026 · COMMITMENT SEASON
Heisman / Players / Ronnie Porter /App State

Ronnie Porter

LB · App State · Sr · #22

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

15 TACKLES · 0 SACKS

2026 RETURNINGReturning to App State for 2026

2026 Outlook

Returning to App State for 2026

2026 Depth chart

Projected starter

Linebacker · App State

Returning around him

  • 14% of 2024 offensive production back (Heavy turnover)
  • Transfer portal: -3 net (38 in / 41 out)

2026 Award watch

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

App State · Last season: 5-8 · Talent rank #79 · 2026 recruiting class #116

LB · APP STATE · SUN BELT

Ronnie Porter

  • 4
  • #22
  • 6-0 | 235 lb
  • Columbia, SC

CFB Zeitgeist Score

27

Below cohort in the position cohort. Carried by passes defended at the 48th percentile.

Heisman Heat

#8290

<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 LB AWARD

Butkus

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
No recruit profile
CFB
College
2 teams
2023–2025
NFL
NFL Draft
Not drafted (yet)

Identity & Role

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

PositionLB
Class4
Jersey22
Measurements6-0 | 235 lb
HometownColumbia, SC
Primary teamApp State

Recruiting Pedigree

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

Top pedigree Not on file No matched recruiting profile in the loaded archive
Composite rating -- Composite rating unavailable for this player
Signed with -- Commitment history unavailable
Origin -- Hometown and high school unavailable
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.

Portal moves 1 Programs changed on file
Latest destination App State 2025
Transfer stars 3-star CFBD transfer rating context
Eligibility Immediate Apr 26, 2025
Season Move Context
2025 South Carolina -> App State 3-star | 0.8000 | 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#8290Latest modeled ballot order
Season forecast#8055Where 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.

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 Ronnie Porter

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 Ronnie Porter

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 9g
15Tackles
0.5Tackles for loss
0Sacks
Per game
2Tackles
0.1Tackles for loss
0Sacks
Projected (13g)
22Tackles
0.7Tackles for loss
0Sacks

To hit 80-tackle season (currently 15): needs 16.2/game over remaining 4.

To hit 100-tackle season (currently 15): needs 21.2/game over remaining 4.

To hit 6-sack season (currently 0): needs 1.5/game over remaining 4.

To hit 10-sack season (currently 0): needs 2.5/game over remaining 4.

Why this is a rare defensive case

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

Ronnie Porter is trying to climb the steepest award hill in college football: a defensive candidacy. The hook is the disruption profile on App State'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 #8290 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 15 6 solo | #2386/4942 (52nd 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
15 52nd
SOLO
6 43rd
TFL
0.5 47th
SACK
0.0 65th

Coverage & Takeaways

PD
1 43rd

Game Log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 9 games

Box score · CFBD
WkOppTKLSOLOTFLSACKINTPDNote
Wk 2W 20-13vs Lindenwood300.50.00
Wk 3L 22-38@ Southern Miss100.00.00
Wk 6W 27-23vs Oregon State410.00.00Season-high 4 tackles
Wk 7W 41-20@ Georgia State110.00.01
Wk 8L 37-45vs Coastal Carolina100.00.00
Wk 9L 21-24@ Old Dominion210.00.00
Wk 12L 10-58@ James Madison110.00.00
Wk 13W 26-24vs Marshall110.00.00
BowlL 10-29vs Georgia Southern110.00.00
Total1560.50.01
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

2023South Carolina5-7HC: Shane Beamer · Balanced
2025App State5-8HC: Dowell Loggains · Pass-leaning
SeasonTeam
2025App State1560.50.01----
2023South Carolina320.00.0------
Career2 loaded seasons1880.50.01----
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 0 Quarterback hurries
Open full stat explorer
0 metrics visible Showing all metrics
Group Metric Value Rank Pct Why it matters
Defense Total tackles 15 #2386/4942 52nd 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 1 #1241/2184 43rd pct Coveragevs FBS DEF
Defense Solo tackles 6 #2592/4584 43rd pct Volumevs FBS DEF
Defense Fumbles recovered 1 #103/736 86th pct Takeawaysvs FBS DEF
Ball Security Fumbles lost 0 #1/773 100th pct Turnoversvs 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 Butkus 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 · 9 games

Home/Road · Win/Loss · Season halves

Home vs Road

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Home5g2.00.10.00.0
Road4g1.20.00.00.2

Win vs Loss

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Wins4g2.20.10.00.2
Losses5g1.20.00.00.0

First half vs Second half

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Weeks 1-75g2.00.10.00.2
Weeks 8+4g1.20.00.00.0

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

Savant · Box-rate percentiles

Where this profile ranks vs the LB cohort

27Below cohort
7 metrics · season cumulative

Concern: solo tackles (11th).

Passes defended#1191 / 2975 · 48th pct
1defe
Forced fumbles#36 / 687 · 47th pct
0fumb
Sacks#1575 / 2975 · 24th pct
0.0defe
QB hurries#1662 / 2975 · 22nd pct
0defe
Tackles#2386 / 2975 · 18th pct
15defe
Tackles for loss#2332 / 2975 · 18th pct
0.5defe
Solo tackles#2560 / 2975 · 12th pct
6defe

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

Advanced Savant · LB · 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 · 7 metrics
Ronnie PorterApp StateTyler MartinMassachusetts· 55% simTahj Ra-ElPurdue· 50% simDalton JohnsonArizona· 49% sim
Passes defended
48
Porter
67
Martin
91
Ra-El
96
Johnson
Forced fumbles
47
Porter
47
Martin
47
Ra-El
47
Johnson
Sacks
24
Porter
24
Martin
24
Ra-El
63
Johnson
QB hurries
22
Porter
22
Martin
22
Ra-El
22
Johnson
Tackles
18
Porter
98
Martin
99
Ra-El
98
Johnson
Tackles for loss
18
Porter
63
Martin
56
Ra-El
47
Johnson
Solo tackles
12
Porter
87
Martin
100
Ra-El
97
Johnson

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

Player DNA

The Coverage 'Backer

Carries tight ends and patrols the middle of the field in coverage.

LB

His 2025 production profile sits closest to Dorian Jones’s 2024 season.

Dorian Jones

83%match

Virginia · 2024

#2

Javon Turner

Massachusetts · 2024

80%
#3

Derek Wingo

Florida · 2021

80%
#4

Lamin Touray

Nevada · 2021

79%
#5

Jaylen Wester

Colorado · 2024

78%

Matches Dorian on

Tackle volume
TFL rate
Weight

Not enough data yet for this comparison.

As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Jaylen Wester's junior season at Colorado (2024).

Jaylen Wester

95%match

Colorado · 2024

#2

Javon Turner

Massachusetts · 2024

86%
#3

Ruben Hyppolite II

Maryland · 2022

All-Big TenNFL Rd 4
85%
#4

Jasper Williams

Louisiana · 2022

85%
#5

Caleb Kibodi

Louisiana · 2024

83%

Matches Jaylen on

Class year
Height
PD rate

Supporting Cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2025 season

Head Coach

Dowell Loggains

Pass share

55.6%

508 pass / 405 run

Plays / game

70.2

13 games

OL sack rate (allowed)

6.7%

389 dropbacks · PBP

Scheme: Pass-leaning.

Coaching Lineage · 2023–2025

2 coaches
2023
Shawn Clark
App State
2025
Dowell Loggains
App State
era →

Coaching transition mid-career: Shawn Clark → Dowell Loggains. 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.

HometownColumbia, SC
Height6'0"
Weight235 lb
Class4
PositionLB
Jersey22

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 South Carolina LB4 #8290 #8055 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W16 snapshot | SEC
2023 South Carolina LB4 #12486 #12383 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W19 snapshot | SEC
2022 South Carolina LB4 #11189 #10883 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W20 snapshot | SEC

Roster Timeline

Team, conference, and class by season.

Season Team Conference Pos Class Bio
2025 App State Sun Belt LB 4 No. 22 | 6-0 | 235 lb | Columbia, SC
2024 South Carolina SEC LB 4 No. 22 | 6-0 | 235 lb | Columbia, SC
2023 South Carolina SEC LB 4 No. 22 | 6-0 | 235 lb | Columbia, SC
2022 South Carolina SEC LB 4 No. 22 | 6-0 | 235 lb | Columbia, SC