cfb zeitgeistZeitgeist
OFFSEASON · SUMMER 2026 · COMMITMENT SEASON
Heisman / Players / Mitch Leigber /Stanford

Mitch Leigber

S · Stanford · Sr · #32

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

36 TACKLES · 0 SACKS

2026 RETURNINGReturning to Stanford for 2026

2026 Outlook

Returning to Stanford for 2026

2026 Depth chart

Projected starter

Safety · Stanford

Returning around him

  • 19% of 2024 offensive production back (Heavy turnover)
  • 2 Stanford players drafted to NFL
  • Transfer portal: -6 net (6 in / 12 out)

2026 Award watch

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

Stanford · Last season: 4-8 · Talent rank #46 · 2026 recruiting class #56

S · STANFORD · ACC

Mitch Leigber

  • 4
  • #32
  • 6-1 | 200 lb
  • Laguna Hills, CA

CFB Zeitgeist Score

54

Mid-pack in the position cohort. Carried by tackles for loss at the 63rd percentile.

Heisman Heat

#11513

<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

R05 · Part-time starter

Part-time starter. Splitting first-team reps.

Not on team2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Career Arc

HS
Recruit
★★★
#493 national
CFB
College
Stanford
2021–2025
NFL
NFL Draft
Not drafted (yet)

Identity & Role

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

PositionS
Class4
Jersey32
Measurements6-1 | 200 lb
HometownLaguna Hills, CA
Primary teamStanford

Recruiting Pedigree

How big the prospect was before college, and whether the later career arc beat that expectation.

Top pedigree 3-star No. 493 recruit
Composite rating 0.8815 HighSchool
Signed with -- 2021
Origin Laguna Hills Laguna Hills, CA, USA
Class Profile Context
2021 3-star | 0.8815 No. 493 recruit | HighSchool

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#11513Latest modeled ballot order
Season forecast#11996Where 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.

NIL · Recruiting · NFL Draft

Market value, pedigree & pro outcome

Recruit stars

★★★☆☆

to —

Composite

0.8815

#493 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

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 Mitch Leigber

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 Mitch Leigber

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 11g
36Tackles
3Tackles for loss
0Sacks
Per game
3Tackles
0.3Tackles for loss
0Sacks
Projected (13g)
43Tackles
3.5Tackles for loss
0Sacks

To hit 80-tackle season (currently 36): needs 22/game over remaining 2.

To hit 100-tackle season (currently 36): needs 32/game over remaining 2.

To hit 6-sack season (currently 0): needs 3/game over remaining 2.

To hit 10-sack season (currently 0): needs 5/game over remaining 2.

Why this is a rare defensive case

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

Mitch Leigber is trying to climb the steepest award hill in college football: a defensive candidacy. The hook is the disruption profile on Stanford's defense, with 0.0 sacks, 3.0 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.

Current place #11513 0.0% win | 0.0% finalist
Role load -- Role share still loading
Profile quirk Defensive rarity 0.0 sacks | 3.0 TFL

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 36 21 solo | #1060/4942 (79th pct)
TFL 3.0 Backfield disruption | #1006/4972 (80th 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?

Defensive contributor against FBS defenders.

Balanced profile

2025 Season · Final

2025 season snapshot | final

Tackling & Disruption

TOT
36 79th
SOLO
21 79th
TFL
3.0 80th
SACK
0.0 65th
QBH
1 44th

Coverage & Takeaways

PD
2 64th

Game Log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 11 games

Box score · CFBD
WkOppTKLSOLOTFLSACKINTPDNote
Wk 1L 20-23@ Hawai'i440.00.00
Wk 2L 3-27@ BYU630.00.00Season-high 6 tackles
Wk 3W 30-20vs Boston College100.00.00
Wk 4L 20-48@ Virginia210.00.00
Wk 7L 10-34@ SMU300.00.01
Wk 8W 20-13vs Florida State330.00.00
Wk 9L 7-42@ Miami210.00.00
Wk 10L 20-35vs Pittsburgh532.00.00
Wk 11L 15-20@ North Carolina200.00.00
Wk 13W 31-10vs California331.00.01
Wk 14L 20-49vs Notre Dame530.00.00
Total36213.00.02
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

2021Stanford3-9HC: David Shaw · Balanced, slow tempo
2022Stanford3-9HC: David Shaw · Balanced
2023Stanford3-9HC: Troy Taylor · Balanced
2024Stanford3-9HC: Troy Taylor · Run-leaning
2025Stanford4-8HC: Frank Reich · Balanced
SeasonTeam
2025Stanford36213.00.02----
2024Stanford54353.50.012--
2023Stanford50292.02.01----
2022Stanford------------2
2021Stanford110.00.0------
Career5 loaded seasons141868.52.0422
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 -- -- pick-six TD
Pass breakups 2 Coverage disruption | #792/2184 (64th pct)
QB pressures 1 Quarterback hurries | #1051/1878 (44th pct)
Open full stat explorer
0 metrics visible Showing all metrics
Group Metric Value Rank Pct Why it matters
Defense Total tackles 36 #1060/4942 79th pct Volumevs FBS DEF
Defense TFL 3.0 #1006/4972 80th pct Disruptionvs FBS DEF
Defense Sacks 0.0 #1762/4972 65th pct Disruptionvs FBS DEF
Defense Pass breakups 2 #792/2184 64th pct Coveragevs FBS DEF
Defense QB hurries 1 #1051/1878 44th pct Disruptionvs FBS DEF
Defense Solo tackles 21 #959/4584 79th 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 · 11 games

Home/Road · Win/Loss · Season halves

Home vs Road

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Home5g3.40.60.00.2
Road6g3.20.00.00.2

Win vs Loss

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Wins3g2.30.30.00.3
Losses8g3.60.20.00.1

First half vs Second half

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Weeks 1-75g3.20.00.00.2
Weeks 8+6g3.30.50.00.2

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

Savant · Box-rate percentiles

Where this profile ranks vs the S cohort

54Mid-pack
6 metrics · season cumulative

Concern: sacks (23rd).

Passes defended#777 / 2975 · 67th pct
2defe
Solo tackles#959 / 2975 · 67th pct
21defe
Tackles#1060 / 2975 · 64th pct
36defe
Tackles for loss#1001 / 2975 · 63rd pct
3.0defe
QB hurries#1007 / 2975 · 55th pct
1defe
Sacks#1575 / 2975 · 24th pct
0.0defe

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

Advanced Savant · S · 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 · 6 metrics
Mitch LeigberStanfordTyler MartinMassachusetts· 79% simBryce LlewellynEastern Michigan· 78% simRobert FitzgeraldNorthwestern· 77% sim
Passes defended
67
Leigber
67
Martin
86
Llewellyn
86
Fitzgerald
Solo tackles
67
Leigber
87
Martin
95
Llewellyn
100
Fitzgerald
Tackles
64
Leigber
98
Martin
99
Llewellyn
99
Fitzgerald
Tackles for loss
63
Leigber
63
Martin
80
Llewellyn
85
Fitzgerald
QB hurries
55
Leigber
22
Martin
72
Llewellyn
55
Fitzgerald
Sacks
24
Leigber
24
Martin
24
Llewellyn
24
Fitzgerald

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

Player DNA

The Hybrid Nickel

Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.

S

His 2025 production profile sits closest to Jalen Stroman’s 2025 season.

Jalen Stroman

97%match

Notre Dame · 2025

#2

Silas Walters

Miami (OH) · 2023

87%
#3

Key Lawrence

Oklahoma · 2023

85%
#4

Kamren Fabiculanan

Washington · 2022

85%
#5

Mordecai McDaniel

Charlotte · 2024

84%

Matches Jalen on

Class year
Height
PD rate

Not enough data yet for this comparison.

As a graduate, his production profile tracks closest to Jalen Stroman's graduate season at Notre Dame (2025).

Jalen Stroman

98%match

Notre Dame · 2025

#2

Sirad Bryant

UAB · 2025

87%
#3

Alex Branch

Akron · 2025

86%
#4

Donyai Taylor

UTSA · 2024

All-AAC
85%
#5

Chase Smith

Miami · 2025

84%

Matches Jalen on

Class year
Height
PD rate

Supporting Cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2025 season

Head Coach

Frank Reich

Pass share

50.4%

391 pass / 385 run

Plays / game

64.7

12 games

OL sack rate (allowed)

12.5%

337 dropbacks · PBP

Scheme: Balanced.

Coaching Lineage · 2021–2025

3 coaches
2021
David Shaw
Stanford
2022
David Shaw
Stanford
2023
Troy Taylor
Stanford
era →
2024
Troy Taylor
Stanford
2025
Frank Reich
Stanford
era →

Played under 3 different head coaches: David Shaw, Troy Taylor, and Frank Reich. Multi-era developmental context.

Bio · Recruiting · Transfer · Roster

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

HometownLaguna Hills, CA
Height6'1"
Weight200 lb
Class4
PositionS
Jersey32

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 Stanford S4 #11513 #11996 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W16 snapshot | ACC
2023 Stanford S4 #14855 #15036 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W19 snapshot | Pac-12
2022 Stanford S4 #13928 #14120 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W20 snapshot | Pac-12
2021 Stanford S4 #12304 #12268 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W20 snapshot | Pac-12

Roster Timeline

Team, conference, and class by season.

Season Team Conference Pos Class Bio
2025 Stanford ACC S 4 No. 32 | 6-1 | 200 lb | Laguna Hills, CA
2024 Stanford ACC S 4 No. 32 | 6-1 | 200 lb | Laguna Hills, CA
2023 Stanford Pac-12 S 4 No. 32 | 6-1 | 200 lb | Laguna Hills, CA
2022 Stanford Pac-12 S 4 No. 32 | 6-1 | 200 lb | Laguna Hills, CA
2021 Stanford Pac-12 S 4 No. 32 | 6-1 | 200 lb | Laguna Hills, CA