#89

Yusuf Ali

Senior wide receiver for Middle Tennessee. 2022: 51 catches, 385 receiving yards, 2 TD.

WR · Middle Tennessee · Sr. · #89

5′9″ · 183 lb · Detroit, MI

CFB Index 43 · #277 of 488 WRsHigh confidenceMiddle Tennessee 2022 alumnus

The story

4 wide receiver for Middle Tennessee. 2022: 51 catches, 385 receiving yards, 2 TD.

Transferred from Middle Tennessee to Middle Tennessee in 2021.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Four seasons at Middle Tennessee, 1,504 receiving yards — his college career is complete.

His career

He was on the field for 4 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.

The week the volume broke through — put up 98 yds at Rice.Rice · W 40-342020

202110 games

Entered the portal

Career arc

Recruit

—

No recruit profile

CFB

College

Middle Tennessee

2019–2022

NFL

NFL Draft

—

Not drafted

Coaching lineage · 2019–2022

1 coach

2019–2022

Rick Stockstill

Middle Tennessee

Played his entire career under Rick Stockstill.

2022 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

4 seasons under Rick Stockstill — 22-25 over that span.

2019Middle Tennessee4-8HC: Rick Stockstill · Balanced

2020Middle Tennessee3-6HC: Rick Stockstill · Balanced

2021Middle Tennessee7-6HC: Rick Stockstill · Balanced, fast tempo

2022Middle Tennessee8-5HC: Rick Stockstill · Balanced

Where this profile ranks vs the WR cohort

Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles

43Rotational starter #277 of 488?

High confidence13 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: catch rate (82nd percentile). Concern: yards / catch (10th percentile).

Real play-by-play efficiency

Catch rate#113 / 636 · 82nd pct

88.9%

TD rate#445 / 636 · 29th pct

3.7%

Explosive rate#516 / 636 · 18th pct

7.4%

EPA / target#567 / 636 · 11th pct

0.28

Yards / catch#574 / 636 · 10th pct

8.0

Box-score rates (8)

Receptions#117 / 550 · 78th pct

Rec yards#299 / 550 · 46th pct

385

Rush TDs#48 / 275 · 41st pct

Fumbles lost#71 / 223 · 41st pct

Rec TDs#293 / 550 · 39th pct

Rush yards#192 / 275 · 28th pct

Long catch#401 / 550 · 26th pct

Yards / catch#542 / 550 · 1st pct

7.5

Season trend

Last seasonThis season

EPA / target

7th → 11th percentile

Explosive rate

43rd → 18th percentile

Catch rate

37th → 82nd percentile

TD rate

49th → 29th percentile

Yards / catch

18th → 10th percentile

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).

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2022 season · 13 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	REC/g	YDS/g	YPR	TD/g
Home5g	3.6	31.0	8.3	0.2
Road8g	4.1	28.8	6.0	0.1

First half vs Second half

	REC/g	YDS/g	YPR	TD/g
Weeks 1-78g	4.1	31.6	7.1	0.2
Weeks 8+5g	3.6	26.4	6.5	0.0

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Derek Mason

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2022

Part-time starter

Splitting first-team reps — starts some weeks, rotates others.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

43 · #277 of 488 WRs

Career stats

Season	Team
2022	Middle Tennessee	51	385	7.5	2	--
2021	Middle Tennessee	45	472	10.5	4	--
2020	Middle Tennessee	37	457	12.4	2	--
2019	Middle Tennessee	19	190	10.0	0	--
Career		152	1,504	9.9	8	--

Season	Team
2022	Middle Tennessee	2	3	61	--	--
2021	Middle Tennessee	3	15	26	--	--
2020	Middle Tennessee	--	--	22	--	--
2019	Middle Tennessee	1	1	--	--	--
Career		6	19	109	--	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 3 · 2022

W 49–6

vs Tennessee State

3 rec · 45 yds

Dominant 43-point win at home against Tennessee State.

With C. Cunningham — 216 yds · 2 TD · 1 INT · QBR 78.2 · 23 rush yds (6 car) · 1 TD · F. Peasant — 122 rush yds (13 car) · 3 TD

Signature plays

Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|

The plays that mattered most

fact

Week 5 · UTSA · 2&8 · Q2 · EPA +3.64Chase Cunningham pass complete to Yusuf Ali for 38 yds for a TD, (Zeke Rankin KICK)
Week 1 · James Madison · 3&7 · Q3 · EPA +3.55Chase Cunningham pass complete to Yusuf Ali for 26 yds for a TD, (Zeke Rankin KICK)
Week 3 · Tennessee State · 2&7 · Q1 · EPA +2.52Chase Cunningham pass complete to Yusuf Ali for 36 yds to the TenSt 1 for a 1ST down
Week 2 · Colorado State · 4&4 · Q2 · EPA +2.27Chase Cunningham pass complete to Yusuf Ali for 11 yds to the ColSt 25 for a 1ST down
Week 6 · UAB · 3&10 · Q3 · EPA +2.26Chase Cunningham pass complete to Yusuf Ali for 10 yds to the MTnSt 40 for a 1ST down
Week 13 · Florida International · 1&10 · Q4 · EPA +2.24Chase Cunningham pass complete to Yusuf Ali for 25 yds to the 50 yard line for a 1ST down
Week 7 · Western Kentucky · 4&7 · Q3 · EPA -1.84Chase Cunningham pass complete to Yusuf Ali for 12 yds Yusuf Ali fumbled, recovered by WKent Talique Allen MIDDLE TENN Penalty, turnover on downs, . PENALTY Tripping on PALMER, Jordan ( Yards) declined
Week 10 · Louisiana Tech · 4&5 · Q4 · EPA +1.34Nicholas Vattiato pass complete to Yusuf Ali for 10 yds to the LaTch 7 for a 1ST down
Week 7 · Western Kentucky · 3&10 · Q2 · EPA +1.20Chase Cunningham pass complete to Yusuf Ali for 12 yds to the MTnSt 25 for a 1ST down
Week 5 · UTSA · 2&7 · Q1 · EPA -1.19Chase Cunningham pass complete to Yusuf Ali for a loss of 1 yard to the TexSA 39

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2022 season · 13 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	Note
Wk 1	L 7-44@ James Madison	8	60	7.5	1	26	Season-high 60 yds
Wk 2	W 34-19@ Colorado State	5	23	4.6	0	11
Wk 3	W 49-6vs Tennessee State	3	45	15.0	0	36
Wk 4	W 45-31@ Miami	1	-2	-2.0	0	0
Wk 5	L 30-45vs UTSA	4	40	10.0	1	38
Wk 6	L 14-41@ UAB	3	20	6.7	0	10
Wk 7	L 17-35vs Western Kentucky	6	43	7.2	0	12
Wk 9	W 24-13@ UTEP	3	17	5.7	0	11
Wk 10	L 24-40@ Louisiana Tech	4	33	8.3	0	11
Wk 11	W 24-14vs Charlotte	2	1	0.5	0	2
Wk 12	W 49-21vs Florida Atlantic	3	26	8.7	0	12
Wk 13	W 33-28@ Florida International	6	55	9.2	0	25
Bowl	W 25-23@ San Diego State	3	24	8.0	0	13
Total		51	385	6.9	2	38

Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology