CFB Zeitgeist Score
67
Solid starter in the position cohort. Carried by sacks at the 80th percentile.
Amar Thomas
Below the discourse floor — the honest stats-only state.
40 TACKLES · 2 SACKS
2026 Outlook
Returning to James Madison for 2026
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive line · James Madison
Returning around him
- 78% of 2024 offensive production back (Strong continuity)
- Transfer portal: +7 net (37 in / 30 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
James Madison · Last season: 12-2 (AP #19) · Talent rank #127 · 2026 recruiting class #108
DL · JAMES MADISON · SUN BELT
Amar Thomas
- 3
- #8
- 6-1 | 241 lb
- Upper Marlboro, MD
Heisman Heat
#9280
<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 · StarterR06 · Starter
Starter. A locked-in starting role.
Not on team2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career Arc
HS
Recruit
—
CFB
College
James Madison
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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.
| 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.
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 Amar Thomas
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 Amar Thomas
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 12g
40Tackles
6.5Tackles for loss
2Sacks
Per game
3Tackles
0.5Tackles for loss
0.2Sacks
Projected (13g)
43Tackles
7Tackles for loss
2.2Sacks
To hit 80-tackle season (currently 40): needs 40/game over remaining 1.
To hit 100-tackle season (currently 40): needs 60/game over remaining 1.
To hit 6-sack season (currently 2): needs 4/game over remaining 1.
To hit 10-sack season (currently 2): needs 8/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.
Amar Thomas is trying to climb the steepest award hill in college football: a defensive candidacy. The hook is the disruption profile on James Madison's defense, with 2.0 sacks, 6.5 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.
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 | High-volume tackler against FBS defenders.
2025 Season · Final
2025 season snapshot | final
Tackling & Disruption
TOT
40 82nd
SOLO
11 60th
TFL
6.5 93rd
SACK
2.0 90th
QBH
7 96th
Game Log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 12 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 45-10vs Weber State | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 14-28@ Louisville | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | W 31-13@ Liberty | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 35-10vs Georgia Southern | 4 | 1 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | W 14-7@ Georgia State | 1 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | W 24-14vs Louisiana | 3 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | W 63-27vs Old Dominion | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 11 | W 35-23@ Marshall | 9 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 9 tackles |
| Wk 12 | W 58-10vs App State | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 13 | W 24-20vs Washington State | 6 | 1 | 1.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 15 | W 31-14vs Troy | 3 | 1 | 2.0 | 0.5 | — | 0 | |
| Bowl | L 34-51@ Oregon | 4 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 40 | 11 | 6.5 | 2.0 | — | 0 |
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
2023James Madison11-2HC: Damian Wroblewski · Balanced
2025James Madison12-2HC: Bob Chesney · Run-heavy
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | James Madison | 40 | 11 | 6.5 | 2.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2023 | James Madison | 5 | 2 | 0.5 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 2 loaded seasons | 45 | 13 | 7.0 | 2.0 | -- | -- | -- |
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 | 40 | #906/4942 | 82nd pct | Volumevs FBS DEF |
| Defense | TFL | 6.5 | #340/4972 | 93rd pct | Disruptionvs FBS DEF |
| Defense | Sacks | 2.0 | #491/4972 | 90th pct | Disruptionvs FBS DEF |
| Defense | QB hurries | 7 | #69/1878 | 96th pct | Disruptionvs FBS DEF |
| Defense | Solo tackles | 11 | #1855/4584 | 60th 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 · 12 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home7g | 3.0 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| Road5g | 3.8 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
Win vs Loss
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wins10g | 3.3 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| Losses2g | 3.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 2.9 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+5g | 4.0 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
Pocket and defense-quality (clean vs. pressure) splits are coming soon.
Savant · Box-rate percentiles
Where this profile ranks vs the DL cohort
67Solid starter
Elite: qb hurries (96th). Strength: tackles for loss (87th). Concern: passes defended (17th).
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
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
Amar ThomasJames MadisonMarcAnthony ParkerNavy· 72% simEthan WesloskiNorth Texas· 71% simMicah DaveyUTEP· 70% sim
QB hurries
Tackles for loss
Sacks
Tackles
Solo tackles
Passes defended
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 Andrew Choi’s 2022 season.
Andrew Choi
89%match
#2
Pepe Tanuvasa
89%
#3
Xavier Slayton
83%
#4
Tony Pierce Jr.
83%
#5
Trace Ford
83%
Matches Andrew on
Weight
Sack rate
Height
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Curtis Jacobs's junior season at Penn State (2022).
Curtis Jacobs
86%match
#2
Owen Heinecke
85%
#3
Kevon Haigler
84%
#4
Jeremiah Trotter Jr.
1st-team All-AmericanNFL Rd 5
83%
#5
Cade Uluave
All-ACC
81%
Matches Curtis on
Class year
Height
Weight
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Bob Chesney
Pass share
39.7%
385 pass / 584 run
Plays / game
69.2
14 games
OL sack rate (allowed)
7.8%
269 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy.
Coaching Lineage · 2023–2025
2 coaches2023
Damian Wroblewski
James Madison
2025era →
Bob Chesney
James Madison
Coaching transition mid-career: Damian Wroblewski → Bob Chesney. 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.
HometownUpper Marlboro, MD
Height6'1"
Weight241 lb
Class3
PositionDL
Jersey8
No fields populated yet.
No fields populated yet.
Current teamJames Madison
ConferenceSun Belt
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 | James Madison | DL3 | #9280 | #8860 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W16 snapshot | Sun Belt |
| 2023 | James Madison | DL3 | #9393 | #9052 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W19 snapshot | Sun Belt |
| 2022 | James Madison | DL3 | #10737 | #10477 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W20 snapshot | Sun Belt |
Roster Timeline
Team, conference, and class by season.
| Season | Team | Conference | Pos | Class | Bio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | James Madison | Sun Belt | DL | 3 | No. 8 | 6-1 | 241 lb | Upper Marlboro, MD |
| 2024 | James Madison | Sun Belt | DL | 3 | No. 8 | 6-1 | 241 lb | Upper Marlboro, MD |
| 2023 | James Madison | Sun Belt | DL | 3 | No. 8 | 6-1 | 241 lb | Upper Marlboro, MD |
| 2022 | James Madison | Sun Belt | DL | 3 | No. 8 | 6-1 | 241 lb | Upper Marlboro, MD |