CFB Zeitgeist Score
66
Solid starter in the position cohort. Carried by sacks at the 89th percentile.
Paul Hutson III
Below the discourse floor — the honest stats-only state.
37 TACKLES · 3 SACKS
2026 Outlook
Returning to Marshall for 2026
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive line · Marshall
Returning around him
- 100% of 2024 offensive production back (Strong continuity)
- Transfer portal: +5 net (27 in / 22 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Marshall · Last season: 5-7 · Talent rank #89 · 2026 recruiting class #120
DL · MARSHALL · SUN BELT
Paul Hutson III
- 3
- #55
- 6-1 | 275 lb
- Norfolk, VA
Heisman Heat
Awaiting
Not on the live Heisman board this week.
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
—
TOP DEFENSE AWARD
Nagurski
—
CONSENSUS
All-American
—
Player Standing · 17 rungs
Tier 2 · StarterR07 · Impact starter
Impact starter. Producing measurable value above replacement.
Not on team2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career Arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
Marshall
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 3-star | 0.8478 | No. 1322 recruit | HighSchool | Campbell |
Transfer Arc
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. | ||
Heisman Lens
Where the model places this player relative to the rest of the Heisman field.
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 Campbell
Composite
0.8478
#1322 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 Paul Hutson III
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 Paul Hutson III
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 11g
37Tackles
6Tackles for loss
3Sacks
Per game
3Tackles
0.5Tackles for loss
0.3Sacks
Projected (13g)
44Tackles
7.1Tackles for loss
3.5Sacks
To hit 80-tackle season (currently 37): needs 21.5/game over remaining 2.
To hit 100-tackle season (currently 37): needs 31.5/game over remaining 2.
To hit 6-sack season (currently 3): needs 1.5/game over remaining 2.
To hit 10-sack season (currently 3): needs 3.5/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.
Paul Hutson III is trying to climb the steepest award hill in college football: a defensive candidacy. The hook is the disruption profile on Marshall's defense, with 3.0 sacks, 6.0 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.
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?
High-disruption defender | Coverage splash | High-volume tackler against FBS defenders.
2025 Season · Final
2025 season snapshot | final
Tackling & Disruption
TOT
37 80th
SOLO
10 56th
TFL
6.0 92nd
SACK
3.0 94th
QBH
3 75th
Coverage & Takeaways
INT
2 87th
Game Log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 11 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 7-45@ Georgia | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 20-21vs Missouri State | 1 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 38-7vs Eastern Kentucky | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | W 42-28@ Middle Tennessee | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | L 51-54@ Louisiana | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | W 48-24vs Old Dominion | 3 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | W 40-37vs Texas State | 7 | 3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 7 tackles |
| Wk 11 | L 23-35vs James Madison | 6 | 2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Wk 12 | W 30-18@ Georgia State | 6 | 1 | 2.0 | 0.5 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 13 | L 24-26@ App State | 5 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 14 | L 19-24vs Georgia Southern | 3 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 37 | 10 | 6.0 | 3.0 | 2 | 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
2025Marshall5-7HC: Tony Gibson · Run-leaning
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Marshall | 37 | 10 | 6.0 | 3.0 | -- | 2 | -- |
| Career | 1 loaded season | 37 | 10 | 6.0 | 3.0 | -- | 2 | -- |
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 | 37 | #1007/4942 | 80th pct | Volumevs FBS DEF |
| Defense | TFL | 6.0 | #406/4972 | 92nd pct | Disruptionvs FBS DEF |
| Defense | Sacks | 3.0 | #292/4972 | 94th pct | Disruptionvs FBS DEF |
| Defense | Interceptions | 2 | #114/869 | 87th pct | Takeawaysvs FBS DEF |
| Defense | QB hurries | 3 | #462/1878 | 75th pct | Disruptionvs FBS DEF |
| Defense | INT return yards | 49 | #115/578 | 80th pct | Takeawaysvs FBS DEF |
| Defense | INT return avg | 24.5 | #160/578 | 72nd pct | Takeawaysvs FBS DEF |
| Defense | Solo tackles | 10 | #1996/4584 | 56th pct | Volumevs FBS DEF |
| Defense | Defensive TD | 1 | #23/200 | 89th pct | Scoringvs FBS DEF |
| Defense | Pick-six TD | 1 | #13/119 | 90th pct | Scoringvs 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 · 11 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home6g | 3.5 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.0 |
| Road5g | 3.2 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
Win vs Loss
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wins5g | 3.8 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| Losses6g | 3.0 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 1.7 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+5g | 5.4 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 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
66Solid starter
Elite: sacks (88th). Strength: tackles for loss (85th). Concern: passes defended (17th).
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Advanced Savant · DL · 2025
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
Paul Hutson IIIMarshallMarcAnthony ParkerNavy· 68% simMicah DaveyUTEP· 67% simMaverick BaranowskiMinnesota· 67% sim
Sacks
Tackles for loss
QB hurries
Interceptions
Tackles
Solo tackles
Passes defended
Closest peers by overall box-score percentile profile at the same position.
Player DNA
The Two-Gap Base
Stout at the point of attack; controls his gap and stacks blocks.
IDL
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Macyo Williams’s 2023 season.
Macyo Williams
94%match
#2
Blake Green
92%
#3
Kevin Pointer
92%
#4
Thomas Aden
92%
#5
Brayden Utley
90%
Matches Macyo on
TFL rate
Sack rate
Weight
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Marshawn Kneeland's senior season at Western Michigan (2023).
Marshawn Kneeland
77%match
All-MACNFL Rd 2 · Pk 24
#2
Mason Maddox
77%
#3
Marcus Patterson
72%
#4
Kevon Haigler
69%
#5
Deante McCray
66%
Matches Marshawn on
Class year
Weight
Sack rate
Differs from Marshawn on
Height (lower)
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Tony Gibson
Pass share
40.4%
335 pass / 495 run
Plays / game
69.2
12 games
OL sack rate (allowed)
7.0%
244 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Coaching Lineage · 2025
1 coach2025
Tony Gibson
Marshall
Played his entire career under Tony Gibson.
Bio · Recruiting · Transfer · Roster
Off-field context — switch tabs to drill into recruit profile, transfer arc, or roster timeline.
HometownNorfolk, VA
Height6'1"
Weight275 lb
Class3
PositionDL
Jersey55
No fields populated yet.
No fields populated yet.
Current teamMarshall
ConferenceSun Belt
Joined2025
Career arc1 season(s)
Trophy Case · Detail
Every honor on the ledger, broken out by stream and selector.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This player hasn’t appeared on a Heisman ballot tracked by the model. | |||||||||
Roster Timeline
Team, conference, and class by season.
| Season | Team | Conference | Pos | Class | Bio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Marshall | Sun Belt | DL | 3 | No. 55 | 6-1 | 275 lb | Norfolk, VA |