#9Naiem Simmons

WR·South Florida·2023

Naiem Simmons is a Slot Specialist WR for South Florida. Naiem's 2023 season produced 39.1 total EPA across 45 plays.

What projects, and what doesn't · WRs · held out 2019-2025

How well one season predicts the next, measured on seasons the model never trained on. 1.00 would be perfectly predictable; 0.00 means last year told us nothing.

Usage share (volume)0.47
Beats guessing the WR average by 16%. n=6,302 WR seasons
EPA per play (efficiency)0.09
Not projectable — we do not forecast this. n=5,767 WR seasons
Total EPA (value)0.45
Beats guessing the WR average by 12%. n=5,767 WR seasons

Across all positions, usage carries year to year at 0.47 and efficiency at 0.07. So Naiem Simmons's projection is a projection of opportunity — how much of the offense he runs through. How well he converts it is something this model does not claim to know a year in advance, and the number above is why.

2023 Production

Receiving

39 Receptions637 Rec yards5 Rec TD16.3 Yards/rec

Performance Analysis · 2023 · vs WR peers

Efficiency100
Volume15
Explosiveness62
Consistency65
Pass-Down100

Player type

Slot Specialist WR

The offense's primary passing-down weapon — routes, separation, and reliability on 3rd down define this role.

3rd-down converterRoute technicianHigh passing-down share

Peer percentiles

Opponent-adjusted EPA (WEPA/play)100th %ile · elite

Game-to-game consistency65th %ile · average

Key findings

▸Top-10% efficiency among WRs — elite opponent-adjusted EPA rate.
▸Limited usage share suggests a rotational or specialist role.
▸8 high-impact games (EPA/play > 0.4) this season — elite ceiling.
▸Particularly dangerous on passing downs — efficiency spikes in obvious pass situations.
▸Strong second-half surge — EPA/play improved 0.51 from the first to second half of the season.
▸Peak game: 3.21 EPA/play in Wk 10 vs Memphis (SP+ 4).

NIL Market Tier· 2023

On3 valuation ↗

Elite

Top-3 player at position nationally. Collective + national brand deals.

Tier is a model estimate based on position, school brand, performance rank, and usage — not a reported deal. NIL deals are private. For a real market valuation, see On3's NIL profile, which factors in social following and actual deal tracking.

Historical Comparables · WR · efficiency + volume + value

Players from 2013–2025 matched on EPA efficiency, play volume, and adjusted value tier — not just one metric.

Player	Team	Yr	Plays	WEPA/play	Line val	Total EPA
Quadree Henderson	Pittsburgh	2016	63	0.530	1.6	33.4
DeAndre Hughes	Air Force	2021	60	0.470	1.3	28.2
Keytaon Thompson	Mississippi State	2017	70	0.460	1.2	32.2
Bert Emanuel Jr.	Central Michigan	2022	53	0.460	1.6	24.4
Savion Williams	TCU	2024	56	0.450	1.1	25.2

Comps are statistical — efficiency, volume, and value tier all factor in. Style and conference context differ.

Game Log · box score + EPA, week by week

EPA per play · x-axis: weekabove 0 = added points · below = lost

Wk	Opponent	Result	Opp SP+	Rec	Rec Yds	Avg	Rec TD	Long	EPA/play
1	@Western Kentucky	L24-41	-2.0	1	6	6.0	0	6	-0.60
2	vsFlorida A&M	W38-24	—	3	59	19.7	1	31	2.89
3	vsAlabama	L3-17	23.1	3	20	6.7	0	9	-0.22
4	vsRice	W42-29	-10.2	8	272	34.0	1	53	2.58
5	@Navy	W44-30	-13.7	5	23	4.6	0	9	0.48
6	@UAB	L35-56	-14.7	2	21	10.5	1	13	-0.01
7	vsFlorida Atlantic	L14-56	-9.4	2	37	18.5	0	34	0.79
8	@UConn	W24-21	-15.6	4	19	4.8	0	8	-0.03
10	@Memphis	L50-59	3.5	2	73	36.5	1	44	3.21
11	vsTemple	W27-23	-21.0	1	13	13.0	0	13	1.58
12	@UTSA	L21-49	5.4	2	21	10.5	0	12	0.44
13	vsCharlotte	W48-14	-21.4	2	17	8.5	1	16	1.62
20	vsSyracuse	W45-0	-4.4	4	56	14.0	0	33	—

Usage & Situational · Pro

Snap-share proxy

Overall

5.1%

Passing plays

10.9%

Rushing plays

0.0%

Standard downs

4.0%

Passing downs

7.2%

EPA by down type

Standard downs: 0.54
Passing downs: 1.19
Pass / Rush EPA: 0.87 / —

Usage = share of team plays (CFBD has no true snap counts).