CFB Zeitgeist Score
62
Solid starter in the position cohort. Carried by sacks at the 93rd percentile.
Zane Durant
Below the discourse floor — the honest stats-only state.
25 TACKLES · 4 SACKS
Where He Ended Up · NFL
Buffalo2026 NFL rookie season
#181Rd 5 · Pick 41
Buffalo2026 NFL rookie season
DT · PENN STATE · BIG TEN
Zane Durant
- 4
- #28
- 6-1 | 294 lb
- Lake Nona, FL
Heisman Heat
#4671
<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 · StarterR07 · Impact starter
Impact starter. Producing measurable value above replacement.
Not on team2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career Arc
HS
Recruit
★★★★
CFB
College
Penn State
NFL
NFL Draft
R5 · #181
Identity & Role
The durable bio layer: position, size, hometown, and roster role.
Recruiting Pedigree
How big the prospect was before college, and whether the later career arc beat that expectation.
| Class | Profile | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 4-star | 0.8991 | No. 331 recruit | HighSchool | Penn State |
Transfer Arc
Portal movement changes role, context, and perception. This keeps that path in one place.
| 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 16Heisman 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 Penn State
Composite
0.8991
#331 national
NFL Draft
2026 · Rd 5, Pick 41
#181 overall · Buffalo
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
PENDINGThe 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 Zane Durant
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 Zane Durant
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.
Season Pace · Projection
Where the defensive totals stand
Through 8g
25Tackles
4.5Tackles for loss
4Sacks
Per game
3Tackles
0.6Tackles for loss
0.5Sacks
Projected (13g)
41Tackles
7.3Tackles for loss
6.5Sacks
To hit 80-tackle season (currently 25): needs 11/game over remaining 5.
To hit 100-tackle season (currently 25): needs 15/game over remaining 5.
To hit 6-sack season (currently 4): needs 0.4/game over remaining 5.
To hit 10-sack season (currently 4): needs 1.2/game over remaining 5.
Why this is a rare defensive case
The fast read on the thing that makes this player more than a generic stat line.
Zane Durant is trying to climb the steepest award hill in college football: a defensive candidacy. The hook is the disruption profile on Penn State's defense, with 4.0 sacks, 4.5 tackles for loss, and 1 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.
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
Player identity What kind of player is this?
30-second read
What kind of player is this?
High-disruption defender against FBS defenders.
2025 Season · Final
2025 season snapshot | final
Tackling & Disruption
TOT
25 66th
SOLO
14 67th
TFL
4.5 87th
SACK
4.0 97th
QBH
1 44th
Coverage & Takeaways
PD
2 64th
INT
1 65th
Game Log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 8 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 46-11vs Nevada | 1 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 52-6vs Villanova | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 5 | L 24-30vs Oregon | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | L 37-42@ UCLA | 4 | 3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | L 21-22vs Northwestern | 8 | 5 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 8 tackles |
| Wk 10 | L 14-38@ Ohio State | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 11 | L 24-27vs Indiana | 3 | 1 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 13 | W 37-10vs Nebraska | 2 | 2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 1 | |
| Total | 25 | 14 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 1 | 2 |
Season-by-season tables Career rows + per-season box score
Traditional history
Traditional Stats
Season rows up top, career context at the bottom.
Season context · Team result + system
2022Penn State11-2HC: James Franklin · Run-leaning
2023Penn State10-3HC: James Franklin · Run-leaning
2025Penn State7-6HC: James Franklin · Run-leaning
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Penn State | 25 | 14 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 2 | 1 | -- |
| 2023 | Penn State | 17 | 12 | 5.5 | 2.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2022 | Penn State | 5 | 1 | 1.0 | 1.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 3 loaded seasons | 47 | 27 | 11.0 | 7.0 | 2 | 1 | -- |
Advanced layer Usage, value, and context
Advanced metrics second
Advanced Metrics
Usage, value, and opponent-adjusted context.
TFL, sacks, and QB hurries are grouped together because defensive Heisman cases are usually built on visible havoc, not on tackle counts alone.
Pass breakups, interceptions, and forced fumbles matter because national awards voters respond to plays that change possessions and highlight reels.
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.
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.
Open full stat explorer
| Group | Metric | Value | Rank | Pct | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Defense | Total tackles | 25 | #1667/4942 | 66th pct | Volumevs FBS DEF |
| Defense | TFL | 4.5 | #648/4972 | 87th pct | Disruptionvs FBS DEF |
| Defense | Sacks | 4.0 | #169/4972 | 97th pct | Disruptionvs FBS DEF |
| Defense | Interceptions | 1 | #308/869 | 65th 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 | INT return avg | 14.0 | #292/578 | 50th pct | Takeawaysvs FBS DEF |
| Defense | INT return yards | 14 | #365/578 | 37th pct | Takeawaysvs FBS DEF |
| Defense | Solo tackles | 14 | #1520/4584 | 67th 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
Status—Awaiting 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 · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home6g | 3.2 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.3 |
| Road2g | 3.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
Win vs Loss
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wins3g | 1.3 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.7 |
| Losses5g | 4.2 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-75g | 3.6 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.2 |
| Weeks 8+3g | 2.3 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.3 |
Pocket and defense-quality (clean vs. pressure) splits are coming soon.
Savant · Box-rate percentiles
Where this profile ranks vs the DT cohort
62Solid starter
Elite: sacks (93rd).
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Advanced Savant · DT · 2024
Percentile Card
Advanced opponent-adjusted percentile bars are coming soon for this player.
P4G5All FBS
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
Zane DurantPenn StateJordan CrookArizona State· 70% simJaden DuggerLouisiana· 69% simBryun ParhamUConn· 69% sim
Sacks
Tackles for loss
Passes defended
QB hurries
Solo tackles
Tackles
Interceptions
Closest peers by overall box-score percentile profile at the same position.
Player DNA
The 3-Tech Penetrator
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
IDL
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Izaiah Reed’s 2023 season.
Izaiah Reed
90%match
#2
Ricardo Williams Jr.
86%
#3
Aeneas Peebles
NFL Rd 6
84%
#4
Jared Dawson
83%
#5
Hale Motu'apuaka
83%
Matches Izaiah on
Sack rate
Weight
Height
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Davin Vann's senior season at NC State (2023).
Davin Vann
82%match
#2
Aeneas Peebles
All-ACCNFL Rd 6
79%
#3
Sterling Webb
All-Conference USA
79%
#4
Ben Florentine
78%
#5
Jordan Guerad
All-Conference USA
75%
Matches Davin on
Class year
TFL rate
Sack rate
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
James Franklin
Pass share
42.0%
339 pass / 469 run
Plays / game
62.2
13 games
OL sack rate (allowed)
7.4%
230 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Coaching Lineage · 2022–2025
1 coach2022
James Franklin
Penn State
2023
James Franklin
Penn State
2025
James Franklin
Penn State
Played his entire career under James Franklin.
Bio · Recruiting · Transfer · Roster
Off-field context — switch tabs to drill into recruit profile, transfer arc, or roster timeline.
HometownLake Nona, FL
Height6'1"
Weight294 lb
Class4
PositionDT
Jersey28
No fields populated yet.
No fields populated yet.
Current teamPenn State
ConferenceBig Ten
Joined2025
Career arc4 season(s)
Trophy Case · Detail
Every honor on the ledger, broken out by stream and selector.
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 | Penn State | DT4 | #4671 | #4378 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W16 snapshot | Big Ten |
| 2023 | Penn State | DT4 | #3045 | #3182 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W19 snapshot | Big Ten |
| 2022 | Penn State | DT4 | #5411 | #5329 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W20 snapshot | Big Ten |
Roster Timeline
Team, conference, and class by season.
| Season | Team | Conference | Pos | Class | Bio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Penn State | Big Ten | DT | 4 | No. 28 | 6-1 | 294 lb | Lake Nona, FL |
| 2024 | Penn State | Big Ten | DT | 4 | No. 28 | 6-1 | 294 lb | Lake Nona, FL |
| 2023 | Penn State | Big Ten | DT | 4 | No. 28 | 6-1 | 294 lb | Lake Nona, FL |
| 2022 | Penn State | Big Ten | DT | 4 | No. 28 | 6-1 | 294 lb | Lake Nona, FL |