cfb zeitgeistZeitgeist
OFFSEASON · SUMMER 2026 · COMMITMENT SEASON
Heisman / Players / Taariq Al-Uqdah /Washington

Taariq Al-Uqdah

LB · Washington · Jr · #3

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

15 TACKLES · 0.5 SACKS

2026 RETURNINGReturning to Washington for 2026

2026 Outlook

Returning to Washington for 2026

2026 Depth chart

Projected starter

Linebacker · Washington

Returning around him

  • 42% of 2024 offensive production back (Moderate turnover)
  • 7 Washington players drafted to NFL
  • Transfer portal: -9 net (14 in / 23 out)

2026 Award watch

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

Washington · Last season: 9-4 (AP #24) · Talent rank #37 · 2026 recruiting class #23

LB · WASHINGTON · BIG TEN

Taariq Al-Uqdah

  • 3
  • #3
  • 6-0 | 232 lb
  • Los Angeles, CA

CFB Zeitgeist Score

31

Below cohort in the position cohort. Carried by sacks at the 51st percentile.

Heisman Heat

#11970

<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 2 · Starter

R05 · Part-time starter

Part-time starter. Splitting first-team reps.

Not on team2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Career Arc

HS
Recruit
★★★
#617 national
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
Class3
Jersey3
Measurements6-0 | 232 lb
HometownLos Angeles, CA
Primary teamWashington

Recruiting Pedigree

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

Top pedigree 3-star No. 617 recruit
Composite rating 0.8774 HighSchool
Signed with Washington State 2022
Origin Inglewood Inglewood, CA, USA
Class Profile Context
2022 3-star | 0.8774 No. 617 recruit | HighSchool | Washington State

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 Washington 2025
Transfer stars 3-star CFBD transfer rating context
Eligibility Immediate Dec 26, 2024
Season Move Context
2025 Washington State -> Washington 3-star | 0.8500 | 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#11970Latest modeled ballot order
Season forecast#11833Where 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 Washington State

Composite

0.8774

#617 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 Taariq Al-Uqdah

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 Taariq Al-Uqdah

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 3g
15Tackles
1.5Tackles for loss
0.5Sacks
Per game
5Tackles
0.5Tackles for loss
0.2Sacks
Projected (13g)
65Tackles
6.5Tackles for loss
2.2Sacks

To hit 80-tackle season (currently 15): needs 6.5/game over remaining 10.

To hit 100-tackle season (currently 15): needs 8.5/game over remaining 10.

To hit 6-sack season (currently 0.5): needs 0.6/game over remaining 10.

To hit 10-sack season (currently 0.5): needs 0.9/game over remaining 10.

Why this is a rare defensive case

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

Taariq Al-Uqdah is trying to climb the steepest award hill in college football: a defensive candidacy. The hook is the disruption profile on Washington's defense, with 0.5 sacks, 1.5 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 #11970 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 9 solo | #2386/4942 (52nd pct)
TFL 1.5 Backfield disruption | #1771/4972 (64th pct)
Sacks 0.5 Pass-rush finish | #1501/4972 (70th 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
9 54th
TFL
1.5 64th
SACK
0.5 70th

Game Log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 3 games

Box score · CFBD
WkOppTKLSOLOTFLSACKINTPDNote
Wk 1W 38-21vs Colorado State641.00.00Season-high 6 tackles
Wk 2W 70-10vs UC Davis540.00.00
Wk 4W 59-24@ Washington State410.50.50
Total1591.50.50
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

2023Washington State5-7HC: Jake Dickert · Pass-leaning
2025Washington9-4HC: Jedd Fisch · Run-leaning
SeasonTeam
2025Washington1591.50.5------
2023Washington State40222.00.011--
Career2 loaded seasons55313.50.511--
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 0 Coverage disruption
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 1.5 #1771/4972 64th pct Disruptionvs FBS DEF
Defense Sacks 0.5 #1501/4972 70th 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 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 · 3 games

Home/Road · Win/Loss · Season halves

Home vs Road

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Home2g5.50.50.00.0
Road1g4.00.50.50.0

Win vs Loss

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Wins3g5.00.50.20.0

First half vs Second half

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Weeks 1-73g5.00.50.20.0

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

Savant · Box-rate percentiles

Where this profile ranks vs the LB cohort

31Below cohort
6 metrics · season cumulative

Concern: passes defended (17th).

Sacks#1367 / 2975 · 51st pct
0.5defe
Tackles for loss#1711 / 2975 · 39th pct
1.5defe
Solo tackles#2127 / 2975 · 26th pct
9defe
QB hurries#1662 / 2975 · 22nd pct
0defe
Tackles#2386 / 2975 · 18th pct
15defe
Passes defended#1916 / 2975 · 18th pct
0defe

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 · 6 metrics
Taariq Al-UqdahWashingtonTyler MartinMassachusetts· 52% simJonJon VaughnsUCLA· 51% simMichael MontgomerySouthern Miss· 49% sim
Sacks
51
Al-Uqdah
24
Martin
63
Vaughns
89
Montgomery
Tackles for loss
39
Al-Uqdah
63
Martin
85
Vaughns
85
Montgomery
Solo tackles
26
Al-Uqdah
87
Martin
96
Vaughns
82
Montgomery
QB hurries
22
Al-Uqdah
22
Martin
22
Vaughns
22
Montgomery
Tackles
18
Al-Uqdah
98
Martin
99
Vaughns
99
Montgomery
Passes defended
18
Al-Uqdah
67
Martin
48
Vaughns
67
Montgomery

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

Player DNA

The Balanced Linebacker

Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.

LB

His 2025 production profile sits closest to Tre Freeman’s 2022 season.

Tre Freeman

84%match

Duke · 2022

#2

Max Alford

BYU · 2025

82%
#3

DJ Schramm

Boise State · 2021

82%
#4

Trent Hendrick

James Madison · 2022

82%
#5

Vonta Bentley

Clemson · 2022

82%

Matches Tre on

TFL rate
Height
Weight

Not enough data yet for this comparison.

As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Max Alford's junior season at BYU (2025).

Max Alford

85%match

BYU · 2025

#2

Mike Jones Jr.

LSU · 2022

85%
#3

Cannon Blauser

Ohio · 2022

84%
#4

Harold Perkins

LSU · 2024

All-SEC
83%
#5

Milton Jackson

Georgia Southern · 2022

80%

Matches Max on

TFL rate
Weight
Sack rate

Supporting Cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2025 season

Head Coach

Jedd Fisch

Pass share

44.9%

370 pass / 454 run

Plays / game

63.4

13 games

OL sack rate (allowed)

9.3%

268 dropbacks · PBP

Scheme: Run-leaning.

Coaching Lineage · 2023–2025

2 coaches
2023
Kalen DeBoer
Washington
2025
Jedd Fisch
Washington
era →

Coaching transition mid-career: Kalen DeBoer → Jedd Fisch. 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.

HometownLos Angeles, CA
Height6'0"
Weight232 lb
Class3
PositionLB
Jersey3

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 Washington State LB3 #11970 #11833 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W16 snapshot | Pac-12
2023 Washington State LB3 #10843 #10989 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W19 snapshot | Pac-12
2022 Washington State LB3 #11542 #11420 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W20 snapshot | Pac-12

Roster Timeline

Team, conference, and class by season.

Season Team Conference Pos Class Bio
2025 Washington Big Ten LB 3 No. 3 | 6-0 | 232 lb | Los Angeles, CA
2024 Washington State Pac-12 LB 3 No. 3 | 6-0 | 232 lb | Los Angeles, CA
2023 Washington State Pac-12 LB 3 No. 3 | 6-0 | 232 lb | Los Angeles, CA
2022 Washington State Pac-12 LB 3 No. 3 | 6-0 | 232 lb | Los Angeles, CA