CFB Zeitgeist Score
27
Below cohort in the position cohort. Carried by tackles for loss at the 47th percentile.
Jay Hardy
Below the discourse floor — the honest stats-only state.
11 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
2026 Outlook
Returning to Auburn for 2026
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive line · Auburn
Returning around him
- 22% of 2024 offensive production back (Heavy turnover)
- 5 Auburn players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -1 net (38 in / 39 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Auburn · Last season: 5-7 (AP #22) · Talent rank #13 · 2026 recruiting class #8
DL · AUBURN · SEC
Jay Hardy
- 4
- #92
- 6-3 | 317 lb
- Chattanooga, TN
Heisman Heat
#10892
<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 1 · 2-deepR04 · Rotational
Rotational. Earning real snaps in the rotation.
Not on team2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career arc · Season-by-season Standing
4 seasons on the ladder
2022
Liberty · DL
—
★
2023
Liberty · DL
R09 · All-Conference HM / 2nd team
Recognized
2024
Liberty · DL
—
2025
Auburn · DL
—
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 | 4-star | 0.9549 | No. 101 recruit | HighSchool | Auburn |
Transfer Arc
Portal movement changes role, context, and perception. This keeps that path in one place.
| Season | Move | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Liberty -> Auburn | 3-star | 0.8600 | Immediate |
| 2021 | Auburn -> -- | 4-star | TBD |
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 Auburn
Composite
0.9549
#101 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 Jay Hardy
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 Jay Hardy
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 6g
11Tackles
2Tackles for loss
0Sacks
Per game
2Tackles
0.3Tackles for loss
0Sacks
Projected (13g)
24Tackles
4.3Tackles for loss
0Sacks
To hit 80-tackle season (currently 11): needs 9.9/game over remaining 7.
To hit 100-tackle season (currently 11): needs 12.7/game over remaining 7.
To hit 6-sack season (currently 0): needs 0.9/game over remaining 7.
To hit 10-sack season (currently 0): needs 1.4/game over remaining 7.
Why this is a rare defensive case
The fast read on the thing that makes this player more than a generic stat line.
Jay Hardy is trying to climb the steepest award hill in college football: a defensive candidacy. The hook is the disruption profile on Auburn's defense, with 0.0 sacks, 2.0 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?
Defensive contributor against FBS defenders.
2025 Season · Final
2025 season snapshot | final
Tackling & Disruption
TOT
11 44th
SOLO
6 43rd
TFL
2.0 71st
SACK
0.0 65th
Game Log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 6 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 38-24@ Baylor | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | L 10-16@ Texas A&M | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 3 tackles |
| Wk 10 | L 3-10vs Kentucky | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 11 | L 38-45@ Vanderbilt | 2 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 13 | W 62-17vs Mercer | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Wk 14 | L 20-27vs Alabama | 2 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 11 | 6 | 2.0 | 0.0 | — | 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
2022Liberty8-5HC: Hugh Freeze · Run-leaning
2023Liberty13-1HC: Jamey Chadwell · Run-heavy
2024Liberty8-4HC: Jamey Chadwell · Run-heavy
2025Auburn5-7HC: Hugh Freeze · Run-leaning
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 | 11 | #2749/4942 | 44th pct | Volumevs FBS DEF |
| Defense | TFL | 2.0 | #1443/4972 | 71st pct | Disruptionvs FBS DEF |
| Defense | Sacks | 0.0 | #1762/4972 | 65th pct | Disruptionvs FBS DEF |
| Defense | Solo tackles | 6 | #2592/4584 | 43rd pct | Volumevs FBS DEF |
| Defense | Fumbles recovered | 1 | #103/736 | 86th pct | Takeawaysvs FBS DEF |
| Ball Security | Fumbles lost | 0 | #1/773 | 100th pct | Turnoversvs 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 · 6 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home3g | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road3g | 2.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Win vs Loss
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wins2g | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Losses4g | 2.2 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-72g | 2.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+4g | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 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
27Below cohort
Concern: tackles (5th).
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
Jay HardyAuburnTyler MartinMassachusetts· 51% simJonJon VaughnsUCLA· 47% simTahj Ra-ElPurdue· 44% sim
Forced fumbles
Tackles for loss
Sacks
QB hurries
Passes defended
Solo tackles
Tackles
Closest peers by overall box-score percentile profile at the same position.
Player DNA
The Nose Anchor
Two-gap space-eater who occupies blockers and frees the linebackers.
IDL
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Kwan Williams’s 2025 season.
Kwan Williams
87%match
#2
Charlie Jackson
86%
#3
Iman Oates
85%
#4
Sheldon Newton
85%
#5
Bryson Eason
85%
Matches Kwan on
Class year
Sack rate
Weight
Differs from Kwan on
Height (higher)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Kwan Williams's senior season at Boston College (2025).
Kwan Williams
90%match
#2
Kristian Williams
88%
#3
Charlie Jackson
87%
#4
Jonathan Jefferson
84%
#5
Jordan Miller
81%
Matches Kwan on
Class year
Sack rate
Weight
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Hugh Freeze
Pass share
44.7%
360 pass / 445 run
Plays / game
67.1
12 games
OL sack rate (allowed)
13.3%
308 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Coaching Lineage · 2022–2025
2 coaches2022
Cadillac Williams
Auburn
2023era →
Hugh Freeze
Auburn
2024
Hugh Freeze
Auburn
2025
Hugh Freeze
Auburn
Coaching transition mid-career: Cadillac Williams → Hugh Freeze. 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.
HometownChattanooga, TN
Height6'3"
Weight317 lb
Class4
PositionDL
Jersey92
No fields populated yet.
No fields populated yet.
Current teamAuburn
ConferenceSEC
Joined2025
Career arc4 season(s)
Trophy Case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
🎖
ALL-CONFERENCE
All-Conf mention (2023)
All-Conference USA
Trophy Case · Detail
Every honor on the ledger, broken out by stream and selector.
1 all-conference honor
Conference-level recognition helps anchor whether a player is merely statistically loud or actually viewed as elite within his competitive lane.
Honors Timeline
Season-end distinction and week-by-week recognition on one timeline.
| Season | Honor | Scope | Team / Selector | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | All-Conference USA | all_conference | Liberty | Conference USA | DT |
Heisman By Year
Modeled rank and official finish by season.
| Season | Team | Role | Latest Model | Forecast | Win | Finalist | Official Finish | Points | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Liberty | DL4 | #10892 | #10806 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W16 snapshot | Conference USA |
| 2023 | Liberty | DL4 | #7202 | #7494 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W19 snapshot | Conference USA |
| 2022 | Liberty | DL4 | #8916 | #8942 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W20 snapshot | FBS Independents |
Roster Timeline
Team, conference, and class by season.
| Season | Team | Conference | Pos | Class | Bio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Auburn | SEC | DL | 4 | No. 92 | 6-3 | 317 lb | Chattanooga, TN |
| 2024 | Liberty | Conference USA | DL | 4 | No. 92 | 6-3 | 317 lb | Chattanooga, TN |
| 2023 | Liberty | Conference USA | DL | 4 | No. 92 | 6-3 | 317 lb | Chattanooga, TN |
| 2022 | Liberty | FBS Independents | DL | 4 | No. 92 | 6-3 | 317 lb | Chattanooga, TN |