CFB Zeitgeist Score
29
Below cohort in the position cohort. Carried by yards / catch at the 84th percentile.
Nate Johnson
Below the discourse floor — the honest stats-only state.
16 REC YDS · 1 REC · 0 REC TD
2026 Outlook
Returning to Utah for 2026
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Wide receiver · Utah
Returning around him
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Utah · Last season: 11-2 (AP #15) · Talent rank #44 · 2026 recruiting class #40
WR · UTAH · BIG 12
CFB Zeitgeist Score
29
Below cohort in the position cohort. Carried by yards / catch at the 84th percentile.
Heisman Heat
#2134
<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 WR AWARD
Biletnikoff
—
CONSENSUS
All-American
—
Player Standing · 17 rungs
Tier 2 · StarterImpact starter. Producing measurable value above replacement.
Development Trajectory · receiving yards
2022–2025Up 220% from first season to most-recent.
Career Arc
Heisman futures · live sportsbook odds
#29 in market ▼ from #23 · 5 books
The durable bio layer: position, size, hometown, and roster role.
How big the prospect was before college, and whether the later career arc beat that expectation.
| Class | Profile | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 3-star | 0.8353 | No. 1769 recruit | HighSchool | Vanderbilt |
Portal movement changes role, context, and perception. This keeps that path in one place.
| Season | Move | Context |
|---|---|---|
| No transfer portal moves on file for this player. | ||
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.
Selector Grid · 2025
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 Vanderbilt
Composite
0.8353
#1769 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.
Fan sentiment ·
Belief Meter
58
Mixed Sentiment
Top Take
“”
Trajectory
Rival Radar
No rival-bucket mentions in the current season.
Signature Story
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 receiving totals stand
To hit 700-yard receiver (currently 16): needs 171/game over remaining 4.
To hit 1,000-yard receiver (currently 16): needs 246/game over remaining 4.
To hit 60-catch season (currently 1): needs 14.8/game over remaining 4.
To hit 80-catch season (currently 1): needs 19.8/game over remaining 4.
To hit 8 receiving TDs (currently 0): needs 2/game over remaining 4.
To hit 10 receiving TDs (currently 0): needs 2.5/game over remaining 4.
The fast read on the thing that makes this player more than a generic stat line.
The most interesting thing about Nate Johnson is that he shows up in multiple game states. He is a receiver first, but the profile also includes designed touches and return-game juice, which means his value is not limited to a conventional route tree.
Traditional stats first. Advanced context underneath.
Last season
2025 season snapshot | final
30-second read
Big-play receiver against FBS receiving peers.
2025 season snapshot | final
Receiving
Rushing
Game Log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 9 games
| Wk | Opp | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 43-10@ UCLA | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Wk 2 | W 63-9vs Cal Poly | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Wk 3 | W 31-6@ Wyoming | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Wk 9 | W 53-7vs Colorado | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Wk 10 | W 45-14vs Cincinnati | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Wk 12 | W 55-28@ Baylor | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Wk 13 | W 51-47vs Kansas State | 1 | 16 | 16.0 | 0 | 16 | Season-high 16 yds |
| Wk 14 | W 31-21@ Kansas | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Bowl | W 44-22vs Nebraska | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Total | 1 | 16 | 16.0 | 0 | 16 |
Traditional history
Season rows up top, career context at the bottom.
Season context · Team result + system
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Utah | 1 | 16 | 16.0 | 0 | -- |
| 2024 | Vanderbilt | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 0 | -- |
| 2023 | Utah | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2022 | Utah | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 0 | -- |
| Career | 4 loaded seasons | 3 | 22 | 7.3 | 0 | -- |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Utah | 24 | 225 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Vanderbilt | 11 | 114 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Utah | 59 | 235 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2022 | Utah | 5 | 51 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 4 loaded seasons | 99 | 625 | -- | -- | -- |
Advanced metrics second
Usage, value, and opponent-adjusted context.
The player's share of a team's passing-game involvement. It is the fastest way to see whether the receiver is a true focal point or more of a complementary piece.
A blended workload view that accounts for catches, designed touches, and any return-game involvement that shapes the overall profile.
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.
| Group | Metric | Value | Rank | Pct | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Receiving | Receptions | 1 | #973/1110 | 12th pct | Volumevs FBS WR |
| Receiving | Receiving yards | 16 | #958/1107 | 14th pct | Volumevs FBS WR |
| Receiving | Receiving TD | 0 | #615/1111 | 45th pct | Scoringvs FBS WR |
| Receiving | Yards / catch | 16.0 | #205/1106 | 82nd pct | Efficiencyvs FBS WR |
| Usage | Pass share | 0.4% | #1113/1137 | 2nd pct | Air-game usagevs FBS WR |
| Rushing | Rushing yards | 225 | #6/397 | 99th pct | Volumevs FBS WR |
| Rushing | Rushing LONG | 56 | #9/346 | 98th pct | Metricvs FBS WR |
| Rushing | Carries | 24 | #12/407 | 97th pct | Volumevs FBS WR |
| Rushing | Yards / carry | 9.4 | #60/393 | 85th pct | Efficiencyvs FBS WR |
| Rushing | Rush TD | 1 | #19/411 | 96th pct | Scoringvs FBS WR |
| Receiving | Receiving LONG | 16 | #845/1105 | 24th pct | Metricvs FBS WR |
| Usage | Rush share | 6.2% | #14/1137 | 99th pct | Ground-game usagevs FBS WR |
| Usage | 1st-down usage | 5.1% | #417/1137 | 63rd pct | Early-down loadvs FBS WR |
| Usage | Standard-down usage | 3.9% | #543/1137 | 52nd pct | Base-situation sharevs FBS WR |
| Usage | Role share | 3.8% | #645/1137 | 43rd pct | Share of team offensevs FBS WR |
| Usage | 2nd-down usage | 3.5% | #727/1137 | 36th pct | Middle-down loadvs FBS WR |
| Usage | Passing-down usage | 3.5% | #867/1137 | 24th pct | Known-passing sharevs FBS WR |
| Usage | 3rd-down usage | 1.8% | #898/1137 | 21st pct | Money-down loadvs FBS WR |
Universal 17-step ladder. Tier pills below; accolade streams nested.
AWAITING CLASSIFICATION
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
Heisman model tracks the top FBS contenders weekly; this player hasn't entered the watch list yet.
Splits · Per-game
2025 season · 9 games
Home vs Road
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home5g | 0.2 | 3.2 | 16.0 | 0.0 |
| Road4g | — | — | — | — |
Win vs Loss
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wins9g | 0.1 | 1.8 | 16.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-74g | — | — | — | — |
| Weeks 8+5g | 0.2 | 3.2 | 16.0 | 0.0 |
Pocket and defense-quality (clean vs. pressure) splits are coming soon.
Savant · Box-rate percentiles
Where this profile ranks vs the WR cohort
Elite: rush yards (98th). Strength: rush tds (85th). Concern: receptions (0th).
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Advanced Savant · WR · 2024
Advanced opponent-adjusted percentile bars are coming soon for this player.
Opponent-adjusted advanced metrics with a cohort filter.
Peer Comparator · Fingerprint match
Three closest profiles by box-rate percentile
Closest peers by overall box-score percentile profile at the same position.
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Kyle Whittingham
Pass share
39.8%
371 pass / 562 run
Plays / game
71.8
13 games
OL sack rate (allowed)
4.2%
289 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy.
Coaching Lineage · 2022–2025
1 coachPlayed his entire career under Kyle Whittingham.
Off-field context — switch tabs to drill into recruit profile, transfer arc, or roster timeline.
No fields populated yet.
No fields populated yet.
Every honor on the ledger, broken out by stream and selector.
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.
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. | ||||
Modeled rank and official finish by season.
| Season | Team | Role | Latest Model | Forecast | Win | Finalist | Official Finish | Points | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Vanderbilt | WR3 | #2134 | #2447 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W16 snapshot | SEC |
| 2023 | Utah | WR3 | #2437 | #2355 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W19 snapshot | Pac-12 |
| 2022 | Utah | WR3 | #1665 | #1266 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W20 snapshot | Pac-12 |
Team, conference, and class by season.
| Season | Team | Conference | Pos | Class | Bio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Utah | Big 12 | WR | 3 | No. 3 | 6-1 | 202 lb | Clovis, CA |
| 2024 | Vanderbilt | SEC | WR | 3 | No. 3 | 6-1 | 202 lb | Clovis, CA |
| 2023 | Utah | Pac-12 | WR | 3 | No. 3 | 6-1 | 202 lb | Clovis, CA |
| 2022 | Utah | Pac-12 | WR | 3 | No. 3 | 6-1 | 202 lb | Clovis, CA |