cfb zeitgeistZeitgeist
OFFSEASON · SUMMER 2026 · COMMITMENT SEASON
Heisman / Players / Tamarcus Cooley /LSU

Tamarcus Cooley

S · LSU · So

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

70 TACKLES · 0 SACKS

2026 RETURNINGReturning to LSU for 2026

2026 Outlook

Returning to LSU for 2026

2026 Depth chart

Projected starter

Safety · LSU

Returning around him

  • 66% of 2024 offensive production back (Solid continuity)
  • 7 LSU players drafted to NFL
  • Transfer portal: +0 net (41 in / 41 out)

2026 Award watch

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

LSU · Last season: 7-6 (AP #20) · Talent rank #6 · 2026 recruiting class #10

S · LSU · SEC

Tamarcus Cooley

  • 2
  • 6-0 | 198 lb
  • Knightdale, NC

CFB Zeitgeist Score

59

Solid starter in the position cohort. Carried by interceptions at the 75th percentile.

Heisman Heat

#12147

<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

R07 · Impact starter

Impact starter. Producing measurable value above replacement.

Not on team2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Career Arc

HS
Recruit
★★★
#988 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.

PositionS
Class2
Jersey--
Measurements6-0 | 198 lb
HometownKnightdale, NC
Primary teamLSU

Recruiting Pedigree

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

Top pedigree 3-star No. 988 recruit
Composite rating 0.8647 HighSchool
Signed with -- 2023
Origin Rolesville Rolesville, NC, USA
Class Profile Context
2023 3-star | 0.8647 No. 988 recruit | HighSchool

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 LSU 2025
Transfer stars 4-star CFBD transfer rating context
Eligibility Immediate Jan 13, 2025
Season Move Context
2025 NC State -> LSU 4-star | 0.9000 | 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#12147Latest modeled ballot order
Season forecast#12200Where 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 —

Composite

0.8647

#988 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 Tamarcus Cooley

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 Tamarcus Cooley

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 12g
70Tackles
1.5Tackles for loss
0Sacks
Per game
6Tackles
0.1Tackles for loss
0Sacks
Projected (13g)
76Tackles
1.6Tackles for loss
0Sacks

To hit 80-tackle season (currently 70): needs 10/game over remaining 1.

To hit 100-tackle season (currently 70): needs 30/game over remaining 1.

To hit 6-sack season (currently 0): needs 6/game over remaining 1.

To hit 10-sack season (currently 0): needs 10/game over remaining 1.

Why this is a rare defensive case

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

Tamarcus Cooley is trying to climb the steepest award hill in college football: a defensive candidacy. The hook is the disruption profile on LSU's defense, with 0.0 sacks, 1.5 tackles for loss, and 2 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 #12147 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 70 41 solo | #268/4942 (95th pct)
TFL 1.5 Backfield disruption | #1771/4972 (64th 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?

Coverage splash | High-volume tackler against FBS defenders.

Coverage splashHigh-volume tackler

2025 Season · Final

2025 season snapshot | final

Tackling & Disruption

TOT
70 95th
SOLO
41 96th
TFL
1.5 64th
SACK
0.0 65th
QBH
1 44th

Coverage & Takeaways

PD
2 64th
INT
2 87th

Game Log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 12 games

Box score · CFBD
WkOppTKLSOLOTFLSACKINTPDNote
Wk 1W 17-10@ Clemson430.00.00Season-high 11 tackles
Wk 2W 23-7vs Louisiana Tech520.00.00
Wk 3W 20-10vs Florida960.00.010
Wk 5L 19-24@ Ole Miss621.50.01
Wk 7W 20-10vs South Carolina530.00.011
Wk 8L 24-31@ Vanderbilt540.00.00
Wk 9L 25-49vs Texas A&M730.00.00
Wk 11L 9-20@ Alabama320.00.00
Wk 12W 23-22vs Arkansas870.00.00
Wk 13W 13-10vs Western Kentucky410.00.00
Wk 14L 13-17@ Oklahoma310.00.00
BowlL 35-38@ Houston1170.00.00
Total70411.50.022
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

2023Maryland8-5HC: Mike Locksley · Pass-leaning
2025LSU7-6HC: Brian Kelly · Balanced, slow tempo
SeasonTeam
2025LSU70411.50.022--
2023Maryland410.00.0------
Career2 loaded seasons74421.50.022--
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 2 0 pick-six TD | #114/869 (87th pct)
Pass breakups 2 Coverage disruption | #792/2184 (64th pct)
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 70 #268/4942 95th pct Volumevs FBS DEF
Defense TFL 1.5 #1771/4972 64th pct Disruptionvs FBS DEF
Defense Sacks 0.0 #1762/4972 65th pct Disruptionvs FBS DEF
Defense Interceptions 2 #114/869 87th pct Takeawaysvs FBS DEF
Defense Pass breakups 2 #792/2184 64th pct Coveragevs FBS DEF
Defense QB hurries 1 #1051/1878 44th pct Disruptionvs FBS DEF
Defense Solo tackles 41 #188/4584 96th 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 · 12 games

Home/Road · Win/Loss · Season halves

Home vs Road

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Home6g6.30.00.00.2
Road6g5.30.20.00.2

Win vs Loss

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Wins6g5.80.00.00.2
Losses6g5.80.20.00.2

First half vs Second half

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Weeks 1-76g6.70.20.00.3
Weeks 8+6g5.00.00.00.0

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

Savant · Box-rate percentiles

Where this profile ranks vs the S cohort

59Solid starter
7 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: solo tackles (93rd). Strength: tackles (90th). Concern: sacks (23rd).

Solo tackles#188 / 2975 · 93rd pct
41defe
Tackles#268 / 2975 · 91st pct
70defe
Interceptions#114 / 817 · 75th pct
2inte
Passes defended#777 / 2975 · 67th pct
2defe
QB hurries#1007 / 2975 · 55th pct
1defe
Tackles for loss#1711 / 2975 · 39th pct
1.5defe
Sacks#1575 / 2975 · 24th pct
0.0defe

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 · 7 metrics
Tamarcus CooleyLSUBlake FletcherAir Force· 84% simTahj Ra-ElPurdue· 82% simBryce LlewellynEastern Michigan· 81% sim
Solo tackles
93
Cooley
91
Fletcher
100
Ra-El
95
Llewellyn
Tackles
91
Cooley
99
Fletcher
99
Ra-El
99
Llewellyn
Interceptions
75
Cooley
75
Llewellyn
Passes defended
67
Cooley
67
Fletcher
91
Ra-El
86
Llewellyn
QB hurries
55
Cooley
92
Fletcher
22
Ra-El
72
Llewellyn
Tackles for loss
39
Cooley
28
Fletcher
56
Ra-El
80
Llewellyn
Sacks
24
Cooley
24
Fletcher
24
Ra-El
24
Llewellyn

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

Player DNA

The Box Safety

Lives near the line of scrimmage as a de facto extra linebacker.

S

His 2025 production profile sits closest to Edrees Farooq’s 2025 season.

Edrees Farooq

88%match

Tennessee · 2025

#2

Durante Jones

UConn · 2023

85%
#3

Justin Powe

Troy · 2024

84%
#4

Jamel Johnson

TCU · 2024

82%
#5

Kaj Sanders

Rutgers · 2025

80%

Matches Edrees on

Class year
Height
PD rate

Not enough data yet for this comparison.

As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Rashad Torrence II's junior season at Florida (2022).

Rashad Torrence II

86%match

Florida · 2022

#2

Derrell Farrar

Liberty · 2025

80%
#3

Blesyng Alualu-Tuiolemotu

UNLV · 2025

76%
#4

DJ Johnson Jr.

East Carolina · 2025

73%
#5

Deven Bryant

Washington · 2025

72%

Matches Rashad on

Class year
Height
Weight

Supporting Cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2025 season

Head Coach

Brian Kelly

Pass share

55.0%

443 pass / 363 run

Plays / game

62.0

13 games

OL sack rate (allowed)

6.8%

365 dropbacks · PBP

Scheme: Balanced, slow tempo.

Coaching Lineage · 2023–2025

1 coach
2023
Brian Kelly
LSU
2025
Brian Kelly
LSU

Played his entire career under Brian Kelly.

Bio · Recruiting · Transfer · Roster

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

HometownKnightdale, NC
Height6'0"
Weight198 lb
Class2
PositionS

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 NC State S2 #12147 #12200 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W16 snapshot | ACC
2023 Maryland S2 #11334 #11144 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W19 snapshot | Big Ten

Roster Timeline

Team, conference, and class by season.

Season Team Conference Pos Class Bio
2025 LSU SEC S 2 6-0 | 198 lb | Knightdale, NC
2024 NC State ACC S 2 6-0 | 198 lb | Knightdale, NC
2023 Maryland Big Ten S 2 6-0 | 198 lb | Knightdale, NC