cfb zeitgeistZeitgeist
OFFSEASON · SUMMER 2026 · COMMITMENT SEASON
Heisman / Players / Alfred Chea /Ball State

Alfred Chea

LB · Ball State · Sr

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

59 TACKLES · 0 SACKS

2026 RETURNINGReturning to Ball State for 2026

2026 Outlook

Returning to Ball State for 2026

Updated May 27

2026 Depth chart

Returning starter

Linebacker · Ball State

Returning around him

  • 8% of 2024 offensive production back (Heavy turnover)
  • Transfer portal: +6 net (24 in / 18 out)

2026 Award watch

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

Ball State · Last season: 4-8 · Talent rank #115 · 2026 recruiting class #119

LB · BALL STATE · MID-AMERICAN

Alfred Chea

  • 4
  • 6-2 | 221 lb
  • Jacksonville, FL

CFB Zeitgeist Score

64

Solid starter in the position cohort. Carried by passes defended at the 91st percentile.

Heisman Heat

#10046

<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 2 · Starter

R07 · Impact starter

Impact starter. Producing measurable value above replacement.

Not on team2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Career Arc

HS
Recruit
★★★
#2058 national
CFB
College
2 teams
2021–2025
NFL
NFL Draft
Not drafted (yet)

Identity & Role

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

PositionLB
Class4
Jersey--
Measurements6-2 | 221 lb
HometownJacksonville, FL
Primary teamBall State

Recruiting Pedigree

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

Top pedigree 3-star No. 2058 recruit
Composite rating 0.8237 HighSchool
Signed with UConn 2020
Origin First Coast Jacksonville, FL, USA
Class Profile Context
2020 3-star | 0.8237 No. 2058 recruit | HighSchool | UConn

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#10046Latest modeled ballot order
Season forecast#9958Where 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 UConn

Composite

0.8237

#2058 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 Alfred Chea

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 Alfred Chea

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
59Tackles
3.5Tackles for loss
0Sacks
Per game
5Tackles
0.3Tackles for loss
0Sacks
Projected (13g)
64Tackles
3.8Tackles for loss
0Sacks

To hit 80-tackle season (currently 59): needs 21/game over remaining 1.

To hit 100-tackle season (currently 59): needs 41/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.

Alfred Chea is trying to climb the steepest award hill in college football: a defensive candidacy. The hook is the disruption profile on Ball State's defense, with 0.0 sacks, 3.5 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 #10046 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 59 35 solo | #413/4942 (92nd pct)
TFL 3.5 Backfield disruption | #869/4972 (83rd 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
59 92nd
SOLO
35 92nd
TFL
3.5 83rd
SACK
0.0 65th
QBH
1 44th

Coverage & Takeaways

PD
5 90th

Game Log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 12 games

Box score · CFBD
WkOppTKLSOLOTFLSACKINTPDNote
Wk 1L 0-31@ Purdue420.00.00
Wk 2L 3-42@ Auburn441.00.00
Wk 3W 34-29vs New Hampshire531.00.00
Wk 4L 25-31@ UConn850.00.00Season-high 8 tackles
Wk 6W 20-14vs Ohio310.00.01
Wk 7L 0-42@ Western Michigan740.00.01
Wk 8W 42-28vs Akron620.00.00
Wk 9L 7-21@ Northern Illinois860.00.00
Wk 11W 17-13vs Kent State520.50.01
Wk 12L 9-24vs Eastern Michigan310.00.01
Wk 13L 9-38@ Toledo220.00.01
Wk 14L 24-45@ Miami (OH)431.00.00
Total59353.50.05
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

2021UConn1-11HC: Lou Spanos · Balanced
2022UConn6-7HC: Jim Mora · Run-heavy, slow tempo
2023UConn3-9HC: Jim Mora · Balanced
2024UConn9-4HC: Jim Mora · Run-leaning
2025Ball State4-8HC: Mike Uremovich · Run-heavy, slow tempo
SeasonTeam
2025Ball State59353.50.05----
2024UConn730.00.0------
2023UConn421.00.0------
2022UConn110.00.0------
2021UConn210.00.0------
Career5 loaded seasons73424.50.05----
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 5 Coverage disruption | #218/2184 (90th 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 59 #413/4942 92nd pct Volumevs FBS DEF
Defense TFL 3.5 #869/4972 83rd pct Disruptionvs FBS DEF
Defense Sacks 0.0 #1762/4972 65th pct Disruptionvs FBS DEF
Defense Pass breakups 5 #218/2184 90th pct Coveragevs FBS DEF
Defense QB hurries 1 #1051/1878 44th pct Disruptionvs FBS DEF
Defense Solo tackles 35 #353/4584 92nd 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 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 · 12 games

Home/Road · Win/Loss · Season halves

Home vs Road

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Home5g4.40.30.00.6
Road7g5.30.30.00.3

Win vs Loss

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Wins4g4.80.40.00.5
Losses8g5.00.20.00.4

First half vs Second half

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Weeks 1-76g5.20.30.00.3
Weeks 8+6g4.70.20.00.5

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

Savant · Box-rate percentiles

Where this profile ranks vs the LB cohort

64Solid starter
6 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: passes defended (90th). Strength: solo tackles (87th). Concern: sacks (23rd).

Passes defended#218 / 2975 · 91st pct
5defe
Solo tackles#353 / 2975 · 88th pct
35defe
Tackles#413 / 2975 · 86th pct
59defe
Tackles for loss#866 / 2975 · 69th pct
3.5defe
QB hurries#1007 / 2975 · 55th pct
1defe
Sacks#1575 / 2975 · 24th pct
0.0defe

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
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
Alfred CheaBall StateRobert FitzgeraldNorthwestern· 90% simBryce LlewellynEastern Michigan· 89% simTy BenefieldBoise State· 86% sim
Passes defended
91
Chea
86
Fitzgerald
86
Llewellyn
78
Benefield
Solo tackles
88
Chea
100
Fitzgerald
95
Llewellyn
100
Benefield
Tackles
86
Chea
99
Fitzgerald
99
Llewellyn
99
Benefield
Tackles for loss
69
Chea
85
Fitzgerald
80
Llewellyn
94
Benefield
QB hurries
55
Chea
55
Fitzgerald
72
Llewellyn
55
Benefield
Sacks
24
Chea
24
Fitzgerald
24
Llewellyn
24
Benefield

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 Jamal Morris’s 2023 season.

Jamal Morris

83%match

Houston · 2023

#2

Jack Fries

Ohio · 2025

79%
#3

Myles Berry

East Carolina · 2021

79%
#4

Jeremy Banks

Tennessee · 2022

76%
#5

Myles Berry

East Carolina · 2022

75%

Matches Jamal on

Height
Tackle volume
Weight

Not enough data yet for this comparison.

As a graduate, his production profile tracks closest to Nikhai Hill-Green's graduate season at Alabama (2025).

Nikhai Hill-Green

80%match

Alabama · 2025

All-AAC
#2

Marvin Grant

Kansas · 2024

80%
#3

James Jackson

Virginia · 2025

All-Sun Belt
78%
#4

Deshawn Pace

UCF · 2024

77%
#5

Trevor Woods

Jacksonville State · 2025

77%

Matches Nikhai on

Class year
Tackle volume
Weight

Supporting Cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2025 season

Head Coach

Mike Uremovich

Pass share

38.2%

277 pass / 449 run

Plays / game

60.5

12 games

OL sack rate (allowed)

19.6%

265 dropbacks · PBP

Scheme: Run-heavy, slow tempo.

Coaching Lineage · 2021–2025

2 coaches
2021
Mike Neu
Ball State
2022
Mike Neu
Ball State
2023
Mike Neu
Ball State
2024
Mike Neu
Ball State
2025
Mike Uremovich
Ball State
era →

Coaching transition mid-career: Mike Neu → Mike Uremovich. 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.

HometownJacksonville, FL
Height6'2"
Weight221 lb
Class4
PositionLB

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 UConn LB4 #10046 #9958 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W16 snapshot | FBS Independents
2023 UConn LB4 #13149 #13364 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W19 snapshot | FBS Independents
2022 UConn LB4 #12714 #12581 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W20 snapshot | FBS Independents
2021 UConn LB4 #13533 #13611 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W20 snapshot | FBS Independents

Roster Timeline

Team, conference, and class by season.

Season Team Conference Pos Class Bio
2025 Ball State Mid-American LB 4 6-2 | 221 lb | Jacksonville, FL
2024 UConn FBS Independents LB 4 6-2 | 221 lb | Jacksonville, FL
2023 UConn FBS Independents LB 4 6-2 | 221 lb | Jacksonville, FL
2022 UConn FBS Independents LB 4 6-2 | 221 lb | Jacksonville, FL
2021 UConn FBS Independents LB 4 6-2 | 221 lb | Jacksonville, FL