cfb zeitgeistZeitgeist
OFFSEASON · SUMMER 2026 · COMMITMENT SEASON
Heisman / Players / Ayden Garnes /Arizona

Ayden Garnes

DB · Arizona · Sr · #9

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

43 TACKLES · 0 SACKS

2026 RETURNINGReturning to Arizona for 2026

2026 Outlook

Returning to Arizona for 2026

2026 Depth chart

Projected starter

Defensive back · Arizona

Returning around him

  • 56% of 2024 offensive production back (Solid continuity)
  • 4 Arizona players drafted to NFL
  • Transfer portal: +2 net (22 in / 20 out)

2026 Award watch

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

Arizona · Last season: 9-4 (AP #21) · Talent rank #67 · 2026 recruiting class #50

DB · ARIZONA · BIG 12

Ayden Garnes

  • 4
  • #9
  • 6-0 | 176 lb
  • Philadelphia, PA

CFB Zeitgeist Score

55

Solid starter in the position cohort. Carried by passes defended at the 98th percentile.

Heisman Heat

#14183

<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 DB AWARD

Jim Thorpe

CONSENSUS

All-American

Player Standing · 17 rungs

Tier 1 · 2-deep

R04 · Rotational

Rotational. Earning real snaps in the rotation.

Not on team2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Career Arc

HS
Recruit
No recruit profile
CFB
College
Arizona
2025
NFL
NFL Draft
Not drafted (yet)

Identity & Role

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

PositionDB
Class4
Jersey9
Measurements6-0 | 176 lb
HometownPhiladelphia, PA
Primary teamArizona

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#14183Latest modeled ballot order
Season forecast#14222Where 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 Ayden Garnes

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 Ayden Garnes

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

final
Through 13g
43Tackles
1.5Tackles for loss
0Sacks
Per game
3Tackles
0.1Tackles for loss
0Sacks
Final
43Tackles
1.5Tackles for loss
0Sacks

Why this is a rare defensive case

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

Ayden Garnes is trying to climb the steepest award hill in college football: a defensive candidacy. The hook is the disruption profile on Arizona's defense, with 0.0 sacks, 1.5 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.

Current place #14183 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 43 32 solo | #804/4942 (84th pct)
TFL 1.5 Backfield disruption | #1771/4972 (64th 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
43 84th
SOLO
32 90th
TFL
1.5 64th
SACK
0.0 65th
QBH
2 66th

Coverage & Takeaways

PD
8 98th
INT
1 65th

Game Log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 13 games

Box score · CFBD
WkOppTKLSOLOTFLSACKINTPDNote
Wk 1W 40-6vs Hawai'i320.00.01Season-high 9 tackles
Wk 2W 48-3vs Weber State100.00.01
Wk 3W 23-17vs Kansas State210.00.01
Wk 5L 14-39@ Iowa State440.00.00
Wk 6W 41-13vs Oklahoma State220.00.01
Wk 7L 27-33vs BYU210.00.01
Wk 8L 28-31@ Houston320.00.00
Wk 10W 52-17@ Colorado110.00.010
Wk 11W 24-20vs Kansas750.50.00
Wk 12W 30-24@ Cincinnati320.00.02
Wk 13W 41-17vs Baylor200.00.01
Wk 14W 23-7@ Arizona State440.00.00
BowlL 19-24@ SMU981.00.00
Total43321.50.018
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

2025Arizona9-4HC: Brent Brennan · Balanced
SeasonTeam
2025Arizona43321.50.081--
Career1 loaded season43321.50.081--
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 1 0 pick-six TD | #308/869 (65th pct)
Pass breakups 8 Coverage disruption | #45/2184 (98th pct)
QB pressures 2 Quarterback hurries | #647/1878 (66th pct)
Open full stat explorer
0 metrics visible Showing all metrics
Group Metric Value Rank Pct Why it matters
Defense Total tackles 43 #804/4942 84th pct Volumevs FBS DEF
Defense TFL 1.5 #1771/4972 64th pct Disruptionvs FBS DEF
Defense Sacks 0.0 #1762/4972 65th pct Disruptionvs FBS DEF
Defense Interceptions 1 #308/869 65th pct Takeawaysvs FBS DEF
Defense Pass breakups 8 #45/2184 98th pct Coveragevs FBS DEF
Defense QB hurries 2 #647/1878 66th pct Disruptionvs FBS DEF
Defense INT return avg 59.0 #19/578 97th pct Takeawaysvs FBS DEF
Defense INT return yards 59 #82/578 86th pct Takeawaysvs FBS DEF
Defense Solo tackles 32 #448/4584 90th 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 Thorpe 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/Road · Win/Loss · Season halves

Home vs Road

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Home7g2.70.10.00.9
Road6g4.00.20.00.3

Win vs Loss

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Wins9g2.80.10.00.8
Losses4g4.50.20.00.2

First half vs Second half

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Weeks 1-77g3.30.10.00.7
Weeks 8+6g3.30.10.00.5

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

Savant · Box-rate percentiles

Where this profile ranks vs the DB cohort

55Solid starter
7 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: passes defended (97th). Strength: solo tackles (84th). Concern: sacks (23rd).

Passes defended#45 / 2975 · 98th pct
8defe
Solo tackles#448 / 2975 · 84th pct
32defe
Tackles#804 / 2975 · 73rd pct
43defe
QB hurries#634 / 2975 · 72nd pct
2defe
Tackles for loss#1711 / 2975 · 39th pct
1.5defe
Interceptions#304 / 817 · 31st pct
1inte
Sacks#1575 / 2975 · 24th pct
0.0defe

Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.

Advanced Savant · DB · 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
Ayden GarnesArizonaBlake FletcherAir Force· 81% simAndon ThomasArmy· 78% simRobert FitzgeraldNorthwestern· 78% sim
Passes defended
98
Garnes
67
Fletcher
91
Thomas
86
Fitzgerald
Solo tackles
84
Garnes
91
Fletcher
100
Thomas
100
Fitzgerald
Tackles
73
Garnes
99
Fletcher
99
Thomas
99
Fitzgerald
QB hurries
72
Garnes
92
Fletcher
82
Thomas
55
Fitzgerald
Tackles for loss
39
Garnes
28
Fletcher
73
Thomas
85
Fitzgerald
Interceptions
31
Garnes
31
Fitzgerald
Sacks
24
Garnes
24
Fletcher
51
Thomas
24
Fitzgerald

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

Player DNA

The Centerfielder

Single-high range who erases the deep middle of the field.

S

His 2025 production profile sits closest to Kempton Shine’s 2024 season.

Kempton Shine

84%match

Virginia · 2024

#2

Robert Longerbeam

Rutgers · 2023

NFL Rd 6
83%
#3

Natrone Brooks

Southern Miss · 2020

83%
#4

Damel Hickman

Georgia Southern · 2023

82%
#5

Chase Lucas

Arizona State · 2021

NFL Rd 7
78%

Matches Kempton on

Height
PD rate
Tackle volume

Not enough data yet for this comparison.

As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Fentrell Cypress's senior season at Florida State (2023).

Fentrell Cypress

90%match

Florida State · 2023

All-ACC
#2

Joshua Pickett

Duke · 2024

90%
#3

Damel Hickman

Georgia Southern · 2023

88%
#4

K.J. Wallace

Georgia Tech · 2023

86%
#5

TJ Hall

Iowa · 2025

All-Big TenNFL Rd 7
84%

Matches Fentrell on

Class year
Height
Tackle volume

Supporting Cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2025 season

Head Coach

Brent Brennan

Pass share

49.7%

447 pass / 452 run

Plays / game

69.2

13 games

OL sack rate (allowed)

7.9%

340 dropbacks · PBP

Scheme: Balanced.

Coaching Lineage · 2025

1 coach
2025
Brent Brennan
Arizona

Played his entire career under Brent Brennan.

Bio · Recruiting · Transfer · Roster

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

HometownPhiladelphia, PA
Height6'0"
Weight176 lb
Class4
PositionDB
Jersey9

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 West Virginia DB4 #14183 #14222 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W16 snapshot | Big 12

Roster Timeline

Team, conference, and class by season.

Season Team Conference Pos Class Bio
2025 Arizona Big 12 DB 4 No. 9 | 6-0 | 176 lb | Philadelphia, PA
2024 West Virginia Big 12 DB 4 No. 9 | 6-0 | 176 lb | Philadelphia, PA