cfb zeitgeistZeitgeist
OFFSEASON · SUMMER 2026 · COMMITMENT SEASON
Heisman / Players / Michael Mack II /Ohio

Michael Mack II

CB · Ohio · Sr · #9

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

35 TACKLES · 0 SACKS

2026 RETURNINGReturning to Ohio for 2026

2026 Outlook

Returning to Ohio for 2026

2026 Depth chart

Projected starter

Cornerback · Ohio

Returning around him

  • 65% of 2024 offensive production back (Solid continuity)
  • Transfer portal: +2 net (18 in / 16 out)

2026 Award watch

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

Ohio · Last season: 9-4 · Talent rank #126 · 2026 recruiting class #121

CB · OHIO · MID-AMERICAN

Michael Mack II

  • 4
  • #9
  • 6-1 | 199 lb
  • Glenn Dale, MD

CFB Zeitgeist Score

40

Mid-pack in the position cohort. Carried by interceptions at the 75th percentile.

Heisman Heat

#11405

<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 2 · Starter

R06 · Starter

Starter. A locked-in starting role.

Not on team2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Career Arc

HS
Recruit
No recruit profile
CFB
College
2 teams
2021–2025
NFL
NFL Draft
Not drafted (yet)

Identity & Role

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

PositionCB
Class4
Jersey9
Measurements6-1 | 199 lb
HometownGlenn Dale, MD
Primary teamOhio

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#11405Latest modeled ballot order
Season forecast#11418Where 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 Michael Mack II

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 Michael Mack II

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 9g
35Tackles
1Tackles for loss
0Sacks
Per game
4Tackles
0.1Tackles for loss
0Sacks
Projected (13g)
51Tackles
1.4Tackles for loss
0Sacks

To hit 80-tackle season (currently 35): needs 11.2/game over remaining 4.

To hit 100-tackle season (currently 35): needs 16.2/game over remaining 4.

To hit 6-sack season (currently 0): needs 1.5/game over remaining 4.

To hit 10-sack season (currently 0): needs 2.5/game over remaining 4.

Why this is a rare defensive case

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

Michael Mack II is trying to climb the steepest award hill in college football: a defensive candidacy. The hook is the disruption profile on Ohio's defense, with 0.0 sacks, 1.0 tackles for loss, and 2 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 #11405 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 35 21 solo | #1098/4942 (78th pct)
TFL 1.0 Backfield disruption | #2051/4972 (59th 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 against FBS defenders.

Coverage splash

2025 Season · Final

2025 season snapshot | final

Tackling & Disruption

TOT
35 78th
SOLO
21 79th
TFL
1.0 59th
SACK
0.0 65th

Coverage & Takeaways

INT
2 87th

Game Log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 9 games

Box score · CFBD
WkOppTKLSOLOTFLSACKINTPDNote
Wk 1L 31-34@ Rutgers540.00.00Season-high 5 tackles
Wk 2W 17-10vs West Virginia320.00.00
Wk 3L 9-37@ Ohio State530.00.010
Wk 4W 52-35vs Gardner-Webb220.00.010
Wk 5W 35-20vs Bowling Green320.00.00
Wk 8W 48-21vs Northern Illinois421.00.00
Wk 9W 28-21@ Eastern Michigan420.00.00
Wk 12L 13-17@ Western Michigan430.00.00
BowlW 17-10vs UNLV510.00.00
Total35211.00.020
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

2021Air Force9-3HC: Troy Calhoun · Run-heavy, fast tempo
2022Air Force10-3HC: Troy Calhoun · Run-heavy
2024Ohio11-3HC: Tim Albin · Run-heavy
2025Ohio9-4HC: Brian Smith · Run-heavy
SeasonTeam
2025Ohio35211.00.0--2--
2024Ohio14101.00.0------
2022Air Force42282.50.031--
2021Air Force27150.00.01----
Career4 loaded seasons118744.50.043--
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 2 0 pick-six TD | #114/869 (87th pct)
Pass breakups 0 Coverage disruption
QB pressures 0 Quarterback hurries
Open full stat explorer
0 metrics visible Showing all metrics
Group Metric Value Rank Pct Why it matters
Defense Total tackles 35 #1098/4942 78th pct Volumevs FBS DEF
Defense TFL 1.0 #2051/4972 59th pct Disruptionvs FBS DEF
Defense Sacks 0.0 #1762/4972 65th pct Disruptionvs FBS DEF
Defense Interceptions 2 #114/869 87th pct Takeawaysvs FBS DEF
Defense Solo tackles 21 #959/4584 79th pct Volumevs FBS DEF
Defense INT return yards 4 #484/578 16th pct Takeawaysvs FBS DEF
Defense INT return avg 2.0 #512/578 12th pct Takeawaysvs 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 · 9 games

Home/Road · Win/Loss · Season halves

Home vs Road

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Home5g3.40.20.00.0
Road4g4.50.00.00.0

Win vs Loss

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Wins6g3.50.20.00.0
Losses3g4.70.00.00.0

First half vs Second half

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Weeks 1-76g3.80.00.00.0
Weeks 8+3g4.00.30.00.0

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

Savant · Box-rate percentiles

Where this profile ranks vs the CB cohort

40Mid-pack
7 metrics · season cumulative

Concern: passes defended (17th).

Interceptions#114 / 817 · 75th pct
2inte
Solo tackles#959 / 2975 · 67th pct
21defe
Tackles#1098 / 2975 · 62nd pct
35defe
Tackles for loss#1936 / 2975 · 28th pct
1.0defe
Sacks#1575 / 2975 · 24th pct
0.0defe
QB hurries#1662 / 2975 · 22nd pct
0defe
Passes defended#1916 / 2975 · 18th pct
0defe

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

Advanced Savant · CB · 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
Michael Mack IIOhioTyler MartinMassachusetts· 68% simJonJon VaughnsUCLA· 64% simTahj Ra-ElPurdue· 62% sim
Interceptions
75
II
31
Martin
Solo tackles
67
II
87
Martin
96
Vaughns
100
Ra-El
Tackles
62
II
98
Martin
99
Vaughns
99
Ra-El
Tackles for loss
28
II
63
Martin
85
Vaughns
56
Ra-El
Sacks
24
II
24
Martin
63
Vaughns
24
Ra-El
QB hurries
22
II
22
Martin
22
Vaughns
22
Ra-El
Passes defended
18
II
67
Martin
48
Vaughns
91
Ra-El

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

Player DNA

The Cover Corner

Steady in coverage; doesn't get beat deep and rarely gives up the big play.

CB

His 2025 production profile sits closest to Elijah Deravil’s 2022 season.

Elijah Deravil

88%match

Temple · 2022

#2

Justin Anderson

Akron · 2024

83%
#3

Justin Anderson

Akron · 2025

82%
#4

Elijah Deravil

Temple · 2023

81%
#5

Tevin Williams III

Baylor · 2024

78%

Matches Elijah on

Tackle volume
PD rate
Weight

Differs from Elijah on

Class year (higher)

Not enough data yet for this comparison.

As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Caleb Curtain's senior season at Charlotte (2025).

Caleb Curtain

98%match

Charlotte · 2025

#2

Isaiah Hazel

Charlotte · 2023

94%
#3

Morice Blackwell Jr.

Texas · 2024

89%
#4

KeSean Brown

Marshall · 2023

88%
#5

Jack Beebe

Ball State · 2025

88%

Matches Caleb on

Class year
Height
PD rate

Supporting Cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2025 season

Head Coach

Brian Smith

Pass share

36.6%

311 pass / 539 run

Plays / game

65.4

13 games

OL sack rate (allowed)

9.4%

278 dropbacks · PBP

Scheme: Run-heavy.

Coaching Lineage · 2021–2025

2 coaches
2021
Tim Albin
Ohio
2022
Tim Albin
Ohio
2024
Tim Albin
Ohio
2025
Brian Smith
Ohio
era →

Coaching transition mid-career: Tim Albin → Brian Smith. 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.

HometownGlenn Dale, MD
Height6'1"
Weight199 lb
Class4
PositionCB
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 Ohio CB4 #11405 #11418 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W16 snapshot | Mid-American
2023 Wisconsin CB4 #11034 #10807 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W19 snapshot | Big Ten
2022 Air Force CB4 #7846 #7872 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W20 snapshot | Mountain West
2021 Air Force CB4 #11156 #11073 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W20 snapshot | Mountain West

Roster Timeline

Team, conference, and class by season.

Season Team Conference Pos Class Bio
2025 Ohio Mid-American CB 4 No. 9 | 6-1 | 199 lb | Glenn Dale, MD
2024 Ohio Mid-American CB 4 No. 9 | 6-1 | 199 lb | Glenn Dale, MD
2023 Wisconsin Big Ten CB 4 No. 9 | 6-1 | 199 lb | Glenn Dale, MD
2022 Air Force Mountain West CB 4 No. 9 | 6-1 | 199 lb | Glenn Dale, MD
2021 Air Force Mountain West CB 4 No. 9 | 6-1 | 199 lb | Glenn Dale, MD