cfb zeitgeistZeitgeist
OFFSEASON · SUMMER 2026 · COMMITMENT SEASON
Heisman / Players / Tai Newhouse /Tulsa

Tai Newhouse

DL · Tulsa · Jr · #99

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

39 TACKLES · 0.5 SACKS

2026 RETURNINGReturning to Tulsa for 2026

2026 Outlook

Returning to Tulsa for 2026

2026 Depth chart

Projected starter

Defensive line · Tulsa

Returning around him

  • 99% of 2024 offensive production back (Strong continuity)
  • Transfer portal: -1 net (21 in / 22 out)

2026 Award watch

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

Tulsa · Last season: 4-8 · Talent rank #85 · 2026 recruiting class #109

DL · TULSA · AMERICAN ATHLETIC

Tai Newhouse

  • 3
  • #99
  • 6-2 | 320 lb
  • Lawrence, KS

CFB Zeitgeist Score

42

Mid-pack in the position cohort. Carried by sacks at the 51st percentile.

Heisman Heat

#13244

<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 DEFENSE AWARD

Nagurski

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
★★
#2210 national
CFB
College
Tulsa
2023–2025
NFL
NFL Draft
Not drafted (yet)

Identity & Role

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

PositionDL
Class3
Jersey99
Measurements6-2 | 320 lb
HometownLawrence, KS
Primary teamTulsa

Recruiting Pedigree

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

Top pedigree 2-star No. 2210 recruit
Composite rating 0.7794 HighSchool
Signed with Tulsa 2022
Origin Lawrence Free State Lawrence, KS, USA
Class Profile Context
2022 2-star | 0.7794 No. 2210 recruit | HighSchool | Tulsa

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 -- 2025
Transfer stars 2-star CFBD transfer rating context
Eligibility Withdrawn Jan 21, 2025
Season Move Context
2025 Tulsa -> -- 2-star | Withdrawn

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#13244Latest modeled ballot order
Season forecast#13816Where 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 Tulsa

Composite

0.7794

#2210 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 Tai Newhouse

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 Tai Newhouse

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 11g
39Tackles
1.5Tackles for loss
0.5Sacks
Per game
4Tackles
0.1Tackles for loss
0Sacks
Projected (13g)
46Tackles
1.8Tackles for loss
0.6Sacks

To hit 80-tackle season (currently 39): needs 20.5/game over remaining 2.

To hit 100-tackle season (currently 39): needs 30.5/game over remaining 2.

To hit 6-sack season (currently 0.5): needs 2.8/game over remaining 2.

To hit 10-sack season (currently 0.5): needs 4.8/game over remaining 2.

Why this is a rare defensive case

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

Tai Newhouse is trying to climb the steepest award hill in college football: a defensive candidacy. The hook is the disruption profile on Tulsa'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 #13244 0.0% win | 0.0% finalist
Role load -- Role share still loading
Profile quirk Defensive rarity 0.5 sacks | 1.5 TFL

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 39 9 solo | #937/4942 (81st 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?

High-volume tackler against FBS defenders.

High-volume tackler

2025 Season · Final

2025 season snapshot | final

Tackling & Disruption

TOT
39 81st
SOLO
9 54th
TFL
1.5 64th
SACK
0.5 70th
QBH
1 44th

Game Log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 11 games

Box score · CFBD
WkOppTKLSOLOTFLSACKINTPDNote
Wk 1W 35-7vs Abilene Christian300.50.00
Wk 2L 14-21@ New Mexico State210.00.00
Wk 3L 23-42vs Navy200.00.00
Wk 5L 14-31vs Tulane310.00.00
Wk 6L 7-45@ Memphis110.00.00
Wk 8L 27-41@ East Carolina300.00.00
Wk 9L 37-38vs Temple740.50.50Season-high 7 tackles
Wk 11L 21-40@ Florida Atlantic210.00.00
Wk 12W 31-14vs Oregon State610.50.00
Wk 13W 26-25@ Army400.00.00
Wk 14L 24-31vs UAB600.00.00
Total3991.50.50
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

2023Tulsa4-8HC: Kevin Wilson · Run-heavy
2024Tulsa3-9HC: Kevin Wilson · Balanced
2025Tulsa4-8HC: Tre Lamb · Run-leaning
SeasonTeam
2025Tulsa3991.50.5------
2024Tulsa3183.00.5------
2023Tulsa1--0.00.0------
Career3 loaded seasons71174.51.0------
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 1 Quarterback hurries | #1051/1878 (44th pct)
Open full stat explorer
0 metrics visible Showing all metrics
Group Metric Value Rank Pct Why it matters
Defense Total tackles 39 #937/4942 81st 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 QB hurries 1 #1051/1878 44th 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 Lombardi 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 · 11 games

Home/Road · Win/Loss · Season halves

Home vs Road

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Home6g4.50.20.10.0
Road5g2.40.00.00.0

Win vs Loss

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Wins3g4.30.30.00.0
Losses8g3.20.10.10.0

First half vs Second half

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Weeks 1-75g2.20.10.00.0
Weeks 8+6g4.70.20.10.0

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

Savant · Box-rate percentiles

Where this profile ranks vs the DL cohort

42Mid-pack
6 metrics · season cumulative

Concern: passes defended (17th).

Tackles#937 / 2975 · 68th pct
39defe
QB hurries#1007 / 2975 · 55th pct
1defe
Sacks#1367 / 2975 · 51st pct
0.5defe
Tackles for loss#1711 / 2975 · 39th pct
1.5defe
Solo tackles#2127 / 2975 · 26th pct
9defe
Passes defended#1916 / 2975 · 18th pct
0defe

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

Advanced Savant · DL · 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
Tai NewhouseTulsaTyler MartinMassachusetts· 60% simBlake FletcherAir Force· 59% simMicah DaveyUTEP· 59% sim
Tackles
68
Newhouse
98
Martin
99
Fletcher
99
Davey
QB hurries
55
Newhouse
22
Martin
92
Fletcher
82
Davey
Sacks
51
Newhouse
24
Martin
24
Fletcher
63
Davey
Tackles for loss
39
Newhouse
63
Martin
28
Fletcher
91
Davey
Solo tackles
26
Newhouse
87
Martin
91
Fletcher
99
Davey
Passes defended
18
Newhouse
67
Martin
67
Fletcher
18
Davey

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

Player DNA

The Nose Anchor

Two-gap space-eater who occupies blockers and frees the linebackers.

IDL

His 2025 production profile sits closest to Patrick Lucas Jr.’s 2023 season.

Patrick Lucas Jr.

92%match

Indiana · 2023

#2

Patrick Lucas Jr.

Indiana · 2022

91%
#3

Kwan Williams

Boston College · 2022

91%
#4

Tim Keenan III

Alabama · 2023

NFL Rd 7
91%
#5

Hakeem Ajijolaiya

Houston · 2023

90%

Matches Patrick on

TFL rate
Weight
Height

Not enough data yet for this comparison.

As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Trey Pierce's junior season at Michigan (2025).

Trey Pierce

88%match

Michigan · 2025

#2

Sonny Hazard

Louisiana · 2023

86%
#3

Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy

South Carolina · 2025

86%
#4

Anthony Britton

Virginia · 2025

86%
#5

Faatui Tuitele

Washington · 2022

83%

Matches Trey on

Class year
Height
TFL rate

Supporting Cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2025 season

Head Coach

Tre Lamb

Pass share

45.9%

407 pass / 480 run

Plays / game

73.9

12 games

OL sack rate (allowed)

6.2%

357 dropbacks · PBP

Scheme: Run-leaning.

Coaching Lineage · 2023–2025

2 coaches
2023
Kevin Wilson
Tulsa
2024
Kevin Wilson
Tulsa
2025
Tre Lamb
Tulsa
era →

Coaching transition mid-career: Kevin Wilson → Tre Lamb. 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.

HometownLawrence, KS
Height6'2"
Weight320 lb
Class3
PositionDL
Jersey99

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 Tulsa DL3 #13244 #13816 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W16 snapshot | American Athletic
2023 Tulsa DL3 #15339 #15440 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W19 snapshot | American Athletic
2022 Tulsa DL3 #13993 #13967 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W20 snapshot | American Athletic

Roster Timeline

Team, conference, and class by season.

Season Team Conference Pos Class Bio
2025 Tulsa American Athletic DL 3 No. 99 | 6-2 | 320 lb | Lawrence, KS
2024 Tulsa American Athletic DL 3 No. 99 | 6-2 | 320 lb | Lawrence, KS
2023 Tulsa American Athletic DL 3 No. 99 | 6-2 | 320 lb | Lawrence, KS
2022 Tulsa American Athletic DL 3 No. 99 | 6-2 | 320 lb | Lawrence, KS