cfb zeitgeistZeitgeist
OFFSEASON · SUMMER 2026 · COMMITMENT SEASON
Heisman / Players / Trent Jones II /UConn

Trent Jones II

DL · UConn · Sr · #89

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

28 TACKLES · 0.5 SACKS

2026 RETURNINGReturning to UConn for 2026

2026 Outlook

Returning to UConn for 2026

2026 Depth chart

Projected starter

Defensive line · UConn

Returning around him

  • 68% of 2024 offensive production back (Solid continuity)
  • 1 UConn player drafted to NFL
  • Transfer portal: +8 net (53 in / 45 out)

2026 Award watch

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

UConn · Last season: 9-4 · Talent rank #97 · 2026 recruiting class #114

DL · UCONN · FBS INDEPENDENTS

Trent Jones II

  • 4
  • #89
  • 6-3 | 285 lb
  • Eden Prairie, MN

CFB Zeitgeist Score

50

Mid-pack in the position cohort. Carried by qb hurries at the 88th percentile.

Heisman Heat

#9718

<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 2 · Starter

R06 · Starter

Starter. A locked-in starting role.

Not on team2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Career Arc

HS
Recruit
No recruit profile
CFB
College
2 teams
2022–2025
NFL
NFL Draft
Not drafted (yet)

Identity & Role

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

PositionDL
Class4
Jersey89
Measurements6-3 | 285 lb
HometownEden Prairie, MN
Primary teamUConn

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 0 No portal entry on file
Latest destination -- --
Transfer stars -- CFBD transfer rating context
Eligibility -- Transfer date TBD
Season Move Context
No transfer portal moves on file for this player.

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#9718Latest modeled ballot order
Season forecast#9236Where 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 Trent Jones II

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 Trent Jones II

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 7g
28Tackles
2.5Tackles for loss
0.5Sacks
Per game
4Tackles
0.4Tackles for loss
0.1Sacks
Projected (13g)
52Tackles
4.6Tackles for loss
0.9Sacks

To hit 80-tackle season (currently 28): needs 8.7/game over remaining 6.

To hit 100-tackle season (currently 28): needs 12/game over remaining 6.

To hit 6-sack season (currently 0.5): needs 0.9/game over remaining 6.

To hit 10-sack season (currently 0.5): needs 1.6/game over remaining 6.

Why this is a rare defensive case

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

Trent Jones II is trying to climb the steepest award hill in college football: a defensive candidacy. The hook is the disruption profile on UConn's defense, with 0.5 sacks, 2.5 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 #9718 0.0% win | 0.0% finalist
Role load -- Role share still loading
Profile quirk Transfer path 0 portal moves

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 28 13 solo | #1469/4942 (70th pct)
TFL 2.5 Backfield disruption | #1236/4972 (75th 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-disruption defender against FBS defenders.

High-disruption defender

2025 Season · Final

2025 season snapshot | final

Tackling & Disruption

TOT
28 70th
SOLO
13 65th
TFL
2.5 75th
SACK
0.5 70th
QBH
4 85th

Game Log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 7 games

Box score · CFBD
WkOppTKLSOLOTFLSACKINTPDNote
Wk 8W 38-23@ Boston College210.50.50
Wk 9L 34-37@ Rice211.00.00
Wk 10W 38-19vs UAB110.00.00
Wk 11W 37-34vs Duke310.50.00
Wk 12W 26-16vs Air Force820.00.00Season-high 8 tackles
Wk 13W 48-45@ Florida Atlantic510.50.00
BowlL 16-41@ Army760.00.00
Total28132.50.50
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

2022Iowa State4-8HC: Matt Campbell · Pass-leaning
2023Iowa State7-6HC: Matt Campbell · Balanced, slow tempo
2025UConn9-4HC: Jim Mora · Balanced
SeasonTeam
2025UConn28132.50.5------
2023Iowa State1963.03.0------
2022Iowa State1--0.00.0------
Career3 loaded seasons48195.53.5------
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 4 Quarterback hurries | #291/1878 (85th pct)
Open full stat explorer
0 metrics visible Showing all metrics
Group Metric Value Rank Pct Why it matters
Defense Total tackles 28 #1469/4942 70th pct Volumevs FBS DEF
Defense TFL 2.5 #1236/4972 75th pct Disruptionvs FBS DEF
Defense Sacks 0.5 #1501/4972 70th pct Disruptionvs FBS DEF
Defense QB hurries 4 #291/1878 85th pct Disruptionvs FBS DEF
Defense Solo tackles 13 #1622/4584 65th pct Volumevs FBS DEF
Defense Fumbles recovered 2 #13/736 98th 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 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 · 7 games

Home/Road · Win/Loss · Season halves

Home vs Road

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Home3g4.00.20.00.0
Road4g4.00.50.10.0

Win vs Loss

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Wins5g3.80.30.10.0
Losses2g4.50.50.00.0

First half vs Second half

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Weeks 1-71g7.00.00.00.0
Weeks 8+6g3.50.40.10.0

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

Savant · Box-rate percentiles

Where this profile ranks vs the DL cohort

50Mid-pack
7 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: qb hurries (87th). Concern: passes defended (17th).

QB hurries#288 / 2975 · 88th pct
4defe
Tackles for loss#1222 / 2975 · 56th pct
2.5defe
Sacks#1367 / 2975 · 51st pct
0.5defe
Tackles#1469 / 2975 · 49th pct
28defe
Forced fumbles#36 / 687 · 47th pct
0fumb
Solo tackles#1622 / 2975 · 44th pct
13defe
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 · 7 metrics
Trent Jones IIUConnMarcAnthony ParkerNavy· 68% simMicah DaveyUTEP· 68% simEthan WesloskiNorth Texas· 67% sim
QB hurries
88
II
88
Parker
82
Davey
95
Wesloski
Tackles for loss
56
II
87
Parker
91
Davey
95
Wesloski
Sacks
51
II
80
Parker
63
Davey
74
Wesloski
Tackles
49
II
98
Parker
99
Davey
99
Wesloski
Forced fumbles
47
II
47
Parker
47
Davey
47
Wesloski
Solo tackles
44
II
96
Parker
99
Davey
99
Wesloski
Passes defended
18
II
18
Parker
18
Davey
18
Wesloski

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

Player DNA

The Two-Gap Base

Stout at the point of attack; controls his gap and stacks blocks.

IDL

His 2025 production profile sits closest to Alex Merritt’s 2021 season.

Alex Merritt

91%match

Eastern Michigan · 2021

#2

Nelson Ropati

Nevada · 2024

90%
#3

Josh Landry

Missouri · 2023

89%
#4

Eric Hicks

Tulane · 2023

89%
#5

Gavin Meyer

Wyoming · 2023

89%

Matches Alex on

Weight
Sack rate
Height

Not enough data yet for this comparison.

As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Josh Landry's senior season at Missouri (2023).

Josh Landry

91%match

Missouri · 2023

#2

Eric Hicks

Tulane · 2023

90%
#3

Daishon Folsom

Buffalo · 2024

90%
#4

Nahki Johnson

Pittsburgh · 2024

89%
#5

Cooper Lanz

Baylor · 2025

89%

Matches Josh on

Class year
Height
Weight

Supporting Cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2025 season

Head Coach

Jim Mora

Pass share

53.5%

451 pass / 392 run

Plays / game

64.8

13 games

OL sack rate (allowed)

4.5%

314 dropbacks · PBP

Scheme: Balanced.

Coaching Lineage · 2022–2025

1 coach
2022
Jim Mora
UConn
2023
Jim Mora
UConn
2025
Jim Mora
UConn

Played his entire career under Jim Mora.

Bio · Recruiting · Transfer · Roster

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

HometownEden Prairie, MN
Height6'3"
Weight285 lb
Class4
PositionDL
Jersey89

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 Iowa State DL4 #9718 #9236 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W16 snapshot | Big 12
2023 Iowa State DL4 #6964 #7493 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W19 snapshot | Big 12
2022 Iowa State DL4 #10966 #10921 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W20 snapshot | Big 12

Roster Timeline

Team, conference, and class by season.

Season Team Conference Pos Class Bio
2025 UConn FBS Independents DL 4 No. 89 | 6-3 | 285 lb | Eden Prairie, MN
2024 Iowa State Big 12 DL 4 No. 89 | 6-3 | 285 lb | Eden Prairie, MN
2023 Iowa State Big 12 DL 4 No. 89 | 6-3 | 285 lb | Eden Prairie, MN
2022 Iowa State Big 12 DL 4 No. 89 | 6-3 | 285 lb | Eden Prairie, MN