Senior quarterback for Florida Atlantic. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
6′5″ · 236 lb · Bowling Green, KY · South Warren
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
The numbers
passing yards · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Backed by 386 yds · 5 TD -- top 1% passing TDs game. -- Best game: 386 pass yds, 5 TD, -22 rush yds, vs Navy
The play that turned itSwung Florida Atlantic from 53% to 87% to win.UConn at Florida Atlantic · 48-45
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior quarterback for Florida Atlantic. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
How he plays
Keeps the offense on schedule and doesn't lose the game.
Success rate: 66th percentile.
The full scouting readCaden Veltkamp
Keeps the offense on schedule and doesn't lose the game. Two head coaches in five seasons, at two different programs. His first career honor landed in 2024: Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year. The receipt on tape: 386 pass yds, 5 pass TD against Navy, Week 2, 2026.
864 PASS YDS · 6 PASS TD · 1 RUSH YDS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
His career
Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.
The role got bigger.
Career arc
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-CONFERENCE USA · 2ND TEAM
All-Conference USA 2nd team (2024)
Badges
Coaching lineage · 2022–2026
4 coachesPlayed under 4 different head coaches: Willie Taggart, Tom Herman, Chad Lunsford, and Zach Kittley. Multi-era developmental context.
| Season | Team | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Florida Atlantic | 85 | 120 | 70.8% | 864 | 7.2 | 6 | 2 | 144.5 | 58 | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Florida Atlantic | 345 | 514 | 67.1% | 3,652 | 7.1 | 24 | 17 | 135.6 | 50 | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Western Kentucky | 258 | 389 | 66.3% | 3,108 | 8.0 | 25 | 10 | 149.5 | 74 | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Western Kentucky | 41 | 54 | 75.9% | 387 | 7.2 | 5 | 1 | 163.0 | 45 | -- | -- |
| 2022 | Western Kentucky | 4 | 4 | 100.0% | 25 | 6.2 | 0 | 0 | 152.5 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 733 | 1,081 | 67.8% | 8,036 | 7.4 | 60 | 30 | 143.0 | 61 | -- | -- |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Florida Atlantic | 16 | -44 | -2.8 | 1 | -- |
| 2025 | Florida Atlantic | 81 | 45 | 0.6 | 4 | -- |
| 2024 | Western Kentucky | 113 | 150 | 1.3 | 7 | -- |
| 2023 | Western Kentucky | 23 | 76 | 3.3 | 0 | -- |
| 2022 | Western Kentucky | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 233 | 227 | 1.0 | 12 | -- |
Game by game
Point color shows the opponent's defensive strength that week (red = weaker defense, blue = stronger) — dashed line is this player's own season average.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | CMP/ATT | YDS | TD | INT | YPA | QBR | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 21-66@ Florida | 34/52 | 276 | 1 | 2 | 5.3 | — | |
| Wk 2 | W 38-30vs Navy | 27/32 | 386 | 5 | 0 | 12.1 | 83.4 | Season-high 386 yds |
| Wk 3 | W 16-10vs Florida International | 24/36 | 202 | 0 | 0 | 5.6 | 31.3 | |
| Total | 85/120 | 864 | 6 | 2 | 7.7 | 57.4 |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 38–30
vs Navy
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
Since week 2: +202 passing yards.
Season context · Team result + system
Where this profile ranks vs the QB cohort
Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles
Elite: completion % (80th percentile). Concern: explosive rate (13th percentile).
Real play-by-play efficiency
Season trend
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season. Most bars are box-score rates; EPA / success-rate bars are computed from real play-by-play (offense only — no defensive EPA model exists yet).
Pass Profile · True throw depth (charted plays)
Adjusted ANY/A, sack rate, and where the yards came from
Adjusted ANY/A
6.5979 of 126 QBsSack rate
6.2%89 of 126 QBsSacked on 6.2% of dropbacks (89 of 126) and Adjusted ANY/A trails the field (79 of 126).
Adjusted ANY/A uses full-season box-score totals (attempts, yards, TDs, INTs); sack rate is play-by-play-derived.
Behind LOS · Negative air yds
Short · 0–9 air yds
Middle · 10–19 air yds
Deep · 20+ air yds
Overall 71.1% completion on 121 attempts · 53% completion on 15 deep attempts (20+ air yds).
Zeitgeist Passer Rating
2026 · our own passing-efficiency number, shown next to the 1979 formula it does not replace.
Thin sample: 108 dropbacks58Zeitgeist Passer Ratingnot ranked until 125 dropbacks
--NCAA passer ratingno box-score line yet
Positive-play rate weight 24%
52.8%93th pct of FBS QBsshare of dropbacks that gained expected pointsYards per attempt weight 56%
7.3763th pct of FBS QBssacks excludedSack rate weight 21% (penalty)
5.6%51th pct of FBS QBsthe input passer rating cannot seeOpponent-adjusted; garbage time excluded (20 of 128 dropbacks dropped). 50 = FBS average; the number is pulled toward 50 when the sample is thin. Scaled against the 2025 FBS population until enough 2026 QBs qualify. How ZPR is built.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | TD/g | YPA | INT/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home2g | 294 | 2.5 | 8.8 | 0.0 |
| Road1g | 276 | 1.0 | 5.3 | 2.0 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | TD/g | YPA | INT/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 288 | 2.0 | 7.7 | 0.7 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Zach Kittley
Pass share
52.6%
122 pass / 110 run
Plays / game
77.3
3 games
Scheme: Balanced, fast tempo.
Player standing · 2026
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Recognition
2026 outlook
In the mix for All-AAC
Based on 2025: #9 of 15 American Athletic QBs
35% estimated, 95% confidence interval 31–38%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player.
Play style
Consistent underneath passer who protects the lead. Rarely loses games; rarely wins them alone.
CFB Index positional classification
Player DNA
Consistent underneath passer who protects the lead. Rarely loses games; rarely wins them alone.
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Hayden Wolff’s 2024 season.
Matches Hayden on
Differs from Hayden on
Through 4 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Donovan Smith’s path through Houston.
Matches Donovan on
As a graduate, his production profile tracks closest to Hayden Wolff's graduate season at Western Michigan (2024).
Matches Hayden on
Differs from Hayden on
Player DNA
Heisman Trajectory · 2026
Peaked at #172 this season.
At Florida Atlantic Graduate (2026) Selected to the preseason Maxwell Award Watch List for the second consecutive year Named as a Phil Steele's Magazine second team member and was a third team member for Athlon Sports Member of the 1000 preseason Shriners Bowl watch list Voted team captain…