cfb zeitgeistZeitgeist
OFFSEASON · SUMMER 2026 · COMMITMENT SEASON
Heisman / Players / Tariq Jones /Hawai'i

Tariq Jones

DL · Hawai'i · Sr · #5

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

25 TACKLES · 2 SACKS

2026 RETURNINGReturning to Hawai'i for 2026

2026 Outlook

Returning to Hawai'i for 2026

2026 Depth chart

Projected starter

Defensive line · Hawai'i

Returning around him

  • 46% of 2024 offensive production back (Moderate turnover)
  • Transfer portal: +7 net (16 in / 9 out)

2026 Award watch

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

Hawai'i · Last season: 9-4 · Talent rank #120 · 2026 recruiting class #124

DL · HAWAI'I · MOUNTAIN WEST

Tariq Jones

  • 4
  • #5
  • 6-2 | 245 lb
  • New Orleans, LA

CFB Zeitgeist Score

62

Solid starter in the position cohort. Carried by sacks at the 80th percentile.

Heisman Heat

#13612

<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-deep

R03 · Backup

Backup. On the two-deep, pushing for snaps.

Not on team2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Career Arc

HS
Recruit
★★★
#2062 national
CFB
College
Hawai'i
2022–2025
NFL
NFL Draft
Not drafted (yet)

Identity & Role

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

PositionDL
Class4
Jersey5
Measurements6-2 | 245 lb
HometownNew Orleans, LA
Primary teamHawai'i

Recruiting Pedigree

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

Top pedigree 3-star No. 2062 recruit
Composite rating 0.8170 HighSchool
Signed with Hawai'i 2021
Origin McDonogh 35 New Orleans, LA, USA
Class Profile Context
2021 3-star | 0.8170 No. 2062 recruit | HighSchool | Hawai'i

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#13612Latest modeled ballot order
Season forecast#13571Where 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 Hawai'i

Composite

0.8170

#2062 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 Tariq Jones

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 Tariq Jones

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 10g
25Tackles
3Tackles for loss
2Sacks
Per game
2Tackles
0.3Tackles for loss
0.2Sacks
Projected (13g)
32Tackles
3.9Tackles for loss
2.6Sacks

To hit 80-tackle season (currently 25): needs 18.3/game over remaining 3.

To hit 100-tackle season (currently 25): needs 25/game over remaining 3.

To hit 6-sack season (currently 2): needs 1.3/game over remaining 3.

To hit 10-sack season (currently 2): needs 2.7/game over remaining 3.

Why this is a rare defensive case

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

Tariq Jones is trying to climb the steepest award hill in college football: a defensive candidacy. The hook is the disruption profile on Hawai'i's defense, with 2.0 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 #13612 0.0% win | 0.0% finalist
Role load -- Role share still loading
Profile quirk Defensive rarity 2.0 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 25 11 solo | #1667/4942 (66th pct)
TFL 3.0 Backfield disruption | #1006/4972 (80th pct)
Sacks 2.0 Pass-rush finish | #491/4972 (90th pct)
Player identity What kind of player is this?

30-second read

What kind of player is this?

High-disruption defender against FBS defenders.

High-disruption defender

2025 Season · Final

2025 season snapshot | final

Tackling & Disruption

TOT
25 66th
SOLO
11 60th
TFL
3.0 80th
SACK
2.0 90th
QBH
4 85th

Coverage & Takeaways

PD
1 43rd

Game Log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 10 games

Box score · CFBD
WkOppTKLSOLOTFLSACKINTPDNote
Wk 1W 23-20vs Stanford310.00.00
Wk 1L 6-40@ Arizona100.00.00
Wk 4L 21-23vs Fresno State331.00.00
Wk 5W 44-35@ Air Force200.00.00
Wk 7W 44-26vs Utah State210.00.00
Wk 8W 31-19@ Colorado State422.02.00Season-high 4 tackles
Wk 10L 38-45@ San José State330.00.01
Wk 13L 10-38@ UNLV200.00.00
Wk 14W 27-7vs Wyoming110.00.00
BowlW 35-31vs California400.00.00
Total25113.02.01
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

2022Hawai'i3-10HC: Timmy Chang · Pass-leaning
2023Hawai'i5-8HC: Timmy Chang · Pass-heavy
2025Hawai'i9-4HC: Timmy Chang · Pass-leaning
SeasonTeam
2025Hawai'i25113.02.01----
2023Hawai'i1784.52.0------
2022Hawai'i861.01.0------
Career3 loaded seasons50258.55.01----
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 1 Coverage disruption | #1241/2184 (43rd pct)
QB pressures 4 Quarterback hurries | #291/1878 (85th pct)
Open full stat explorer
0 metrics visible Showing all metrics
Group Metric Value Rank Pct Why it matters
Defense Total tackles 25 #1667/4942 66th pct Volumevs FBS DEF
Defense TFL 3.0 #1006/4972 80th pct Disruptionvs FBS DEF
Defense Sacks 2.0 #491/4972 90th pct Disruptionvs FBS DEF
Defense Pass breakups 1 #1241/2184 43rd pct Coveragevs FBS DEF
Defense QB hurries 4 #291/1878 85th pct Disruptionvs FBS DEF
Defense Solo tackles 11 #1855/4584 60th 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 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 · 10 games

Home/Road · Win/Loss · Season halves

Home vs Road

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Home5g2.60.20.00.0
Road5g2.40.40.40.2

Win vs Loss

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Wins6g2.70.30.30.0
Losses4g2.20.20.00.2

First half vs Second half

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Weeks 1-76g2.50.20.00.0
Weeks 8+4g2.50.50.50.2

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

Savant · Box-rate percentiles

Where this profile ranks vs the DL cohort

62Solid starter
6 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: qb hurries (87th).

QB hurries#288 / 2975 · 88th pct
4defe
Sacks#487 / 2975 · 80th pct
2.0defe
Tackles for loss#1001 / 2975 · 63rd pct
3.0defe
Passes defended#1191 / 2975 · 48th pct
1defe
Tackles#1667 / 2975 · 43rd pct
25defe
Solo tackles#1855 / 2975 · 35th pct
11defe

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
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
Tariq JonesHawai'iTreylin PayneTexas State· 64% simRay ConeyTulsa· 64% simDaniel WingateMaryland· 63% sim
QB hurries
88
Jones
82
Payne
88
Coney
72
Wingate
Sacks
80
Jones
80
Payne
80
Coney
74
Wingate
Tackles for loss
63
Jones
87
Payne
90
Coney
87
Wingate
Passes defended
48
Jones
67
Payne
67
Coney
48
Wingate
Tackles
43
Jones
98
Payne
100
Coney
98
Wingate
Solo tackles
35
Jones
95
Payne
93
Coney
99
Wingate

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 Tony Anyanwu’s 2025 season.

Tony Anyanwu

89%match

Rice · 2025

#2

Ryan Johnson

Akron · 2021

88%
#3

Brandon Wright

Michigan State · 2022

87%
#4

Brandon Wright

Michigan State · 2023

87%
#5

David Reese

Syracuse · 2025

87%

Matches Tony on

Class year
Height
TFL rate

Not enough data yet for this comparison.

As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Aaron Brule's senior season at Michigan State (2023).

Aaron Brule

92%match

Michigan State · 2023

#2

Jacoby Windmon

Michigan State · 2023

All-Mountain West
90%
#3

Nathaniel Watson

Mississippi State · 2023

89%
#4

Tony Anyanwu

Rice · 2025

89%
#5

Aeneas DiCosmo

Vanderbilt · 2024

88%

Matches Aaron on

Class year
Height
Sack rate

Supporting Cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2025 season

Head Coach

Timmy Chang

Pass share

60.2%

540 pass / 357 run

Plays / game

69.0

13 games

OL sack rate (allowed)

6.8%

427 dropbacks · PBP

Scheme: Pass-leaning.

Coaching Lineage · 2022–2025

1 coach
2022
Timmy Chang
Hawai'i
2023
Timmy Chang
Hawai'i
2025
Timmy Chang
Hawai'i

Played his entire career under Timmy Chang.

Bio · Recruiting · Transfer · Roster

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

HometownNew Orleans, LA
Height6'2"
Weight245 lb
Class4
PositionDL
Jersey5

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 Hawai'i DL4 #13612 #13571 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W16 snapshot | Mountain West
2023 Hawai'i DL4 #12134 #12685 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W19 snapshot | Mountain West
2022 Hawai'i DL4 #14567 #14751 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W20 snapshot | Mountain West
2021 Hawai'i DL4 #13074 #13024 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W20 snapshot | Mountain West

Roster Timeline

Team, conference, and class by season.

Season Team Conference Pos Class Bio
2025 Hawai'i Mountain West DL 4 No. 5 | 6-2 | 245 lb | New Orleans, LA
2024 Hawai'i Mountain West DL 4 No. 5 | 6-2 | 245 lb | New Orleans, LA
2023 Hawai'i Mountain West DL 4 No. 5 | 6-2 | 245 lb | New Orleans, LA
2022 Hawai'i Mountain West DL 4 No. 5 | 6-2 | 245 lb | New Orleans, LA
2021 Hawai'i Mountain West DL 4 No. 5 | 6-2 | 245 lb | New Orleans, LA