CFB Zeitgeist Score
58
Solid starter in the position cohort. Carried by tackles for loss at the 80th percentile.
Aaron Key
Below the discourse floor — the honest stats-only state.
28 TACKLES · 1 SACKS
2026 Outlook
Returning to UConn for 2026
2026 Depth chart
Returning starter
Linebacker · 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
LB · UCONN · FBS INDEPENDENTS
Aaron Key
- 4
- #5
- 6-2 | 230 lb
- Tucker, GA
Heisman Heat
#8872
<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 1 · 2-deepR04 · Rotational
Rotational. Earning real snaps in the rotation.
Not on team2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career Arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 3-star | 0.8226 | No. 2080 recruit | HighSchool | Western Kentucky |
Transfer Arc
Portal movement changes role, context, and perception. This keeps that path in one place.
| Season | Move | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Western Kentucky -> UConn | 3-star | 0.8200 | 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 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 Western Kentucky
Composite
0.8226
#2080 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
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 Aaron Key
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 Aaron Key
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 13g
28Tackles
5Tackles for loss
1Sacks
Per game
2Tackles
0.4Tackles for loss
0.1Sacks
Final
28Tackles
5Tackles for loss
1Sacks
Why this is a rare defensive case
The fast read on the thing that makes this player more than a generic stat line.
Aaron Key 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 1.0 sacks, 5.0 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
28 70th
SOLO
18 74th
TFL
5.0 89th
SACK
1.0 82nd
QBH
1 44th
Coverage & Takeaways
PD
2 64th
INT
1 65th
Game Log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 13 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 59-13vs Central Connecticut | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 20-27@ Syracuse | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 3 | L 41-44@ Delaware | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | W 31-25vs Ball State | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 20-17@ Buffalo | 2 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | W 51-10vs Florida International | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | W 38-23@ Boston College | 6 | 5 | 2.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 6 tackles |
| Wk 9 | L 34-37@ Rice | 3 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 10 | W 38-19vs UAB | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 11 | W 37-34vs Duke | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 12 | W 26-16vs Air Force | 3 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 13 | W 48-45@ Florida Atlantic | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Bowl | L 16-41@ Army | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 28 | 18 | 5.0 | 1.0 | 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
2022Western Kentucky9-5HC: Tyson Helton · Pass-leaning
2023Western Kentucky8-5HC: Tyson Helton · Pass-leaning
2024UConn9-4HC: Jim Mora · Run-leaning
2025UConn9-4HC: Jim Mora · Balanced
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | UConn | 28 | 18 | 5.0 | 1.0 | 2 | 1 | -- |
| 2024 | UConn | 10 | 4 | 1.5 | 1.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Western Kentucky | 28 | 17 | 1.5 | 0.0 | -- | 1 | -- |
| 2022 | Western Kentucky | 12 | 10 | 3.5 | 1.5 | 1 | -- | -- |
| Career | 4 loaded seasons | 78 | 49 | 11.5 | 3.5 | 3 | 2 | -- |
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 | 28 | #1469/4942 | 70th pct | Volumevs FBS DEF |
| Defense | TFL | 5.0 | #553/4972 | 89th pct | Disruptionvs FBS DEF |
| Defense | Sacks | 1.0 | #872/4972 | 82nd 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 | Solo tackles | 18 | #1178/4584 | 74th 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 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 · 13 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home6g | 1.8 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
| Road7g | 2.4 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
Win vs Loss
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wins9g | 2.3 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Losses4g | 1.8 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 1.6 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| Weeks 8+6g | 2.8 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
Pocket and defense-quality (clean vs. pressure) splits are coming soon.
Savant · Box-rate percentiles
Where this profile ranks vs the LB cohort
58Solid starter
Production sits in the middle of the position cohort across the board.
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
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
Aaron KeyUConnKeaton ThomasBaylor· 75% simTJ DotteryOle Miss· 74% simJordan CrookArizona State· 74% sim
Tackles for loss
Passes defended
Sacks
Solo tackles
QB hurries
Tackles
Interceptions
Closest peers by overall box-score percentile profile at the same position.
Player DNA
The Coverage 'Backer
Carries tight ends and patrols the middle of the field in coverage.
LB
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Anwar Sparrow’s 2025 season.
Anwar Sparrow
75%match
#2
Charlie Benton
73%
#3
Jontrey Hunter
73%
#4
Antonio Watts
73%
#5
Hunter Barth
70%
Matches Anwar on
Tackle volume
PD rate
Weight
Differs from Anwar on
Height (higher)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a graduate, his production profile tracks closest to Anwar Sparrow's graduate season at Syracuse (2025).
Anwar Sparrow
83%match
#2
Hunter Barth
77%
#3
Daylan Carnell
75%
#4
Lanell Carr
72%
#5
Shitta Sillah
72%
Matches Anwar on
PD rate
Tackle volume
Weight
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
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 coach2022
Jim Mora
UConn
2023
Jim Mora
UConn
2024
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.
HometownTucker, GA
Height6'2"
Weight230 lb
Class4
PositionLB
Jersey5
No fields populated yet.
No fields populated yet.
Current teamUConn
ConferenceFBS Independents
Joined2025
Career arc5 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 | UConn | LB4 | #8872 | #8848 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W16 snapshot | FBS Independents |
| 2023 | Western Kentucky | LB4 | #12724 | #12668 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W19 snapshot | Conference USA |
| 2022 | Western Kentucky | LB4 | #9998 | #10101 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W20 snapshot | Conference USA |
| 2021 | Western Kentucky | LB4 | #13079 | #12936 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W20 snapshot | Conference USA |
Roster Timeline
Team, conference, and class by season.
| Season | Team | Conference | Pos | Class | Bio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | UConn | FBS Independents | LB | 4 | No. 5 | 6-2 | 230 lb | Tucker, GA |
| 2024 | UConn | FBS Independents | LB | 4 | No. 5 | 6-2 | 230 lb | Tucker, GA |
| 2023 | Western Kentucky | Conference USA | LB | 4 | No. 5 | 6-2 | 230 lb | Tucker, GA |
| 2022 | Western Kentucky | Conference USA | LB | 4 | No. 5 | 6-2 | 230 lb | Tucker, GA |
| 2021 | Western Kentucky | Conference USA | LB | 4 | No. 5 | 6-2 | 230 lb | Tucker, GA |