596 team passing yards leader isn't a headline at Troy anymore — it's just what Will Crowder reliably is.
6′2″ · 214 lb · Gardendale, AL
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
How he plays
Operates within the system without forcing anything.
Interception rate: 65th percentile.
The full scouting readThe numbers
passing yards · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 230 pass yds, 2 TD, 1 INT, at Missouri
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior quarterback for Troy. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
Will Crowder
Will Crowder is a cornerstone for Troy — measured against the line he joined.
TEAM PASSING YARDS LEADER
596
Team leader in passing yards (596).
AI-generated narrative · may contain errors · not journalism · updated 2026-09-22
His career
He was on the field for 6 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
The role got bigger.
Career arc
Badges
Coaching lineage · 2021–2026
3 coachesPlayed under 3 different head coaches: Chip Lindsey, Jon Sumrall, and Gerad Parker. Multi-era developmental context.
| Season | Team | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Troy | 44 | 83 | 53.0% | 596 | 7.2 | 6 | 1 | 134.8 | 38 | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Troy | 115 | 196 | 58.7% | 1,327 | 6.8 | 11 | 5 | 129.0 | 20 | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Troy | 44 | 63 | 69.8% | 547 | 8.7 | 5 | 0 | 169.0 | 48 | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Troy | 9 | 13 | 69.2% | 94 | 7.2 | 1 | 0 | 155.4 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2022 | West Virginia | 6 | 6 | 100.0% | 57 | 9.5 | 1 | 0 | 234.8 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2021 | West Virginia | 2 | 2 | 100.0% | 28 | 14.0 | 0 | 0 | 217.6 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 220 | 363 | 60.6% | 2,649 | 7.3 | 24 | 6 | 140.4 | 30 | -- | -- |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Troy | 20 | 26 | 1.3 | 0 | -- |
| 2025 | Troy | 57 | 30 | 0.5 | 2 | -- |
| 2024 | Troy | 17 | 63 | 3.7 | 1 | -- |
| 2023 | Troy | 6 | -4 | -0.7 | 0 | -- |
| 2022 | West Virginia | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 | -- |
| 2021 | West Virginia | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 101 | 119 | 1.2 | 3 | -- |
Game by game
Point color shows the opponent's defensive strength that week (red = weaker defense, blue = stronger) — dashed line is this player's own season average.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | CMP/ATT | YDS | TD | INT | YPA | QBR | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 24-21vs Sam Houston | 12/24 | 165 | 3 | 0 | 6.9 | — | 3 TD passes |
| Wk 2 | W 34-17vs Alabama State | 14/27 | 201 | 1 | 0 | 7.4 | 24.0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 17-27@ Missouri | 18/32 | 230 | 2 | 1 | 7.2 | 37.5 | Season-high 230 yds |
| Total | 44/83 | 596 | 6 | 1 | 7.2 | 30.8 |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 34–17
201 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · QBR 24.0 · -1 rush yds (5 car)
With E. Crenshaw — 46 yards per punt · 3 punts · 58 long · J. Merriweather — 127 rush yds (13 car) · 3 TD
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
Since week 2: +230 passing yards, +2 passing TD, +1 interception.
Season context · Team result + system
Where this profile ranks vs the QB cohort
Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles
Concern: sack rate (7th percentile).
Real play-by-play efficiency
Season trend
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season. Most bars are box-score rates; EPA / success-rate bars are computed from real play-by-play (offense only — no defensive EPA model exists yet).
Pass Profile · True throw depth (charted plays)
Adjusted ANY/A, sack rate, and where the yards came from
Adjusted ANY/A
6.6977 of 126 QBsSack rate
8.8%113 of 126 QBsSacked on 8.8% of dropbacks (113 of 126) and Adjusted ANY/A trails the field (77 of 126).
Adjusted ANY/A uses full-season box-score totals (attempts, yards, TDs, INTs); sack rate is play-by-play-derived.
Behind LOS · Negative air yds
Short · 0–9 air yds
Middle · 10–19 air yds
Deep · 20+ air yds
Overall 53.0% completion on 83 attempts · 21% completion on 14 deep attempts (20+ air yds).
Zeitgeist Passer Rating
2026 · our own passing-efficiency number, shown next to the 1979 formula it does not replace.
Thin sample: 86 dropbacks38Zeitgeist Passer Ratingnot ranked until 125 dropbacks
--NCAA passer ratingno box-score line yet
Positive-play rate weight 24%
39.1%8th pct of FBS QBsshare of dropbacks that gained expected points · -2.8% schedule adj.Yards per attempt weight 56%
6.6434th pct of FBS QBssacks excluded · -0.8 schedule adj.Sack rate weight 21% (penalty)
9.5%4th pct of FBS QBsthe input passer rating cannot see · +0.2% schedule adj.Opponent-adjusted; garbage time excluded (4 of 90 dropbacks dropped). 50 = FBS average; the number is pulled toward 50 when the sample is thin. Scaled against the 2025 FBS population until enough 2026 QBs qualify. How ZPR is built.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | TD/g | YPA | INT/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home2g | 183 | 2.0 | 7.2 | 0.0 |
| Road1g | 230 | 2.0 | 7.2 | 1.0 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | TD/g | YPA | INT/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 199 | 2.0 | 7.2 | 0.3 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Gerad Parker
Pass share
41.7%
85 pass / 119 run
Plays / game
68.0
3 games
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Recognition
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-Sun Belt
Based on 2025: #13 of 15 Sun Belt QBs
22% estimated, 95% confidence interval 19–25%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player.
Play style
Operates within the system without forcing anything.
CFB Index positional classification
Returning starter at quarterback for a 8-6 Troy team that went -13 in the portal.
Player DNA
Balanced passer who operates within the system, without one standout number carrying the profile.
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Clayton Tune’s 2018 season.
Matches Clayton on
Through 3 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Preston Hutchinson’s path through Chattanooga.
Matches Preston on
Heisman Trajectory · 2026
Peaked at #125 this season.