@ Ohio State · Wk 3Win prob 0%Model +37.9Schedule & Results
SCSouth CarolinaL0-57✓Wk 2vsWOFFWoffordW36-15✓Wk 3@OSUOhio State+37.90%Wk 4vs
BALLBall State-8.672%Wk 5vs
OHIOOhio+8.030%Wk 6@
WMUWestern Michigan+19.510%Wk 7@
USFSouth Florida+19.910%Wk 8vs
AKRAkron+4.639%Wk 9@
SACSacramento State+16.515%Wk 11@
BGSUBowling Green-1.354%Wk 12vs
M-OHMiami (OH)+3.641%Wk 13@
EMUEastern Michigan+12.722%Team Leaders
Dru DeshieldsPassing311 yds · 1 TD · 2 INT- Dru DeshieldsRushing101 yds · 2 TD · 7.8 avg
Wayne HarrisReceiving6 rec · 93 yds · 1 TD
Rocco NichollTackles13 tackles · 2 TFL · 2 sacks
Latest on Kent State
All news →Lanorris Sellers produced 8 of South Carolina's 13 explosive plays
Kent State's run game meets the nation's sixth-best front
The number-setters left 8 points of Kent State on the table
We liked Tennessee by a touchdown-plus. They won by 71.
Roster · 111 players
| # | Player | Pos | Cl | Ht | Wt | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Nolan Good | QB | FR | 6'2" | 200 | Avon, OH |
| 10 | Ethan Thanthanavong | QB | SO | 6'0" | 205 | Lithopolis, OH |
| 12 | Dru DeShields | QB | JR | 6'2" | 195 | Beloit, OH |
| 14 | Deante Ruffin | QB | FR | 6'1" | 215 | Philadelphia, PA |
| 15 | Gavin Peeps | QB | FR | 6'5" | 185 | Kent, OH |
| 17 | Cole Miller | QB | FR | 6'4" | 225 | North Ridgeville, OH |
| 0 | Mason King | RB | SR | 6'2" | 215 | Centralia, IL |
| 5 | Jakorion Caffey | RB | SO | 5'11" | 220 | Avon, OH |
| 20 | Marques Hicks | RB | JR | 5'8" | 190 | Cherry Hill, NJ |
| 22 | Brandon White | RB | FR | 5'8" | 190 | Euclid, OH |
| 24 | Jackson Farley | RB | FR | 5'9" | 185 | Mentor, OH |
| 25 | Donovan Delaney Jr. | RB | SR | 5'11" | 220 | Middletown, DE |
| 26 | Dylan Armentrout | RB | SO | 5'9" | 200 | Carroll, OH |
| 29 | Cade Romanini | RB | FR | 5'10" | 200 | Bainbridge, OH |
| 33 | Ayden Harris | RB | SO | 5'8" | 205 | Exton, PA |
| 18 | Hunter Hopperton | FB | SR | 6'2" | 255 | Streetsboro, OH |
| 1 | Ardell Banks | WR | JR | 6'4" | 195 | Massillon, OH |
| 3 | Jay Jay Etheridge | WR | JR | 5'10" | 150 | Cincinnati, OH |
| 4 | Jared Kelley | WR | JR | 5'10" | 190 | North Olmsted, OH |
| 6 | Wayne Harris | WR | SO | 5'9" | 165 | Huntington, WV |
| 8 | Da'Realyst Clark | WR | SR | 5'10" | 160 | Lima, OH |
| 19 | Ali Fisher | WR | SR | 6'0" | 205 | Belleville, MI |
| 23 | Maurice Stephens | WR | FR | 6'0" | 175 | Louisville, KY |
| 27 | Javier Wills | WR | SR | 6'0" | 190 | Columbus, OH |
| 36 | Wyatt Januska | WR | FR | 6'2" | 185 | Mantua, OH |
| 80 | Teaunn Hunter | WR | FR | 6'0" | 180 | Huber Heights, OH |
| 81 | Zymir Reed | WR | FR | 6'1" | 200 | Middletown, OH |
| 84 | Aidan Stewart | WR | FR | 5'11" | 180 | Avon Lake, OH |
| 85 | Brendyn Smith | WR | FR | 5'9" | 160 | York, PA |
| 86 | Matthew Maxey | WR | FR | 5'10" | 165 | Avon, OH |
| 87 | William Bierfeldt | WR | FR | 6'2" | 185 | Westlake, OH |
| 88 | Luke Simms | WR | FR | 5'11" | 175 | Westlake, OH |
| 11 | Zy'aire Fletcher | TE | FR | 6'4" | 245 | Springfield, OH |
| 13 | Dakota Taylor | TE | SO | 6'4" | 240 | Akron, OH |
| 44 | Holtz Maine | TE | FR | 6'4" | 250 | Milford Center, OH |
| 45 | Tommy Arnold | TE | JR | 6'0" | 220 | Wadsworth, OH |
| 47 | Andrew Rickelman | TE | FR | 6'4" | 225 | Stow, OH |
| 89 | Terik Mulder | TE | SR | 6'5" | 250 | Lexington, KY |
| 50 | Ben Midea | OL | JR | 6'2" | 320 | Medina, OH |
| 52 | Gavin Kanar | OL | FR | 6'5" | 275 | Northfield, OH |
| 54 | Dustyn Morell | OL | SR | 6'4" | 290 | Lapeer, MI |
| 55 | Jaxon Dunn | OL | SO | 6'3" | 320 | Brunswick, OH |
| 56 | Moustafa Daoud | OL | FR | 6'6" | 300 | Des Moines, IA |
| 58 | Colin Prichard | OL | FR | 6'5" | 260 | Mentor, OH |
| 62 | Mason Imbt | OL | SR | 6'3" | 315 | Troy, PA |
| 64 | David Iannini | OL | FR | 6'1" | 295 | Mentor, OH |
| 66 | Quinten Young | OL | FR | 6'1" | 280 | Strongsville, OH |
| 67 | Max Gembus | OL | FR | 6'0" | 275 | Cleveland, OH |
| 70 | Hudson Chasko | OL | SR | 6'5" | 300 | Encino, CA |
| 71 | Liam Dalton | OL | FR | 6'4" | 315 | Hilliard, OH |
| 72 | Cecil Wilson | OL | JR | 6'4" | 320 | Lakeville, MN |
| 73 | William Johnson III | OL | FR | 6'3" | 270 | Avon, IN |
| 74 | Donovan Dark | OL | FR | 6'0" | 305 | Niceville, FL |
| 75 | Boston Crowell | OL | FR | 6'4" | 290 | New Philadelphia, OH |
| 76 | Mofe Adewole | OL | SR | 6'3" | 275 | Ellicott City, MD |
| 77 | Rico Steele | OL | SO | 6'3" | 300 | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 78 | Tyler Meadows | OL | SO | 6'8" | 340 | Cincinnati, OH |
| 0 | Darian Blachewicz | DL | SO | 6'2" | 300 | Millville, NJ |
| 5 | Thomas Aden | DL | SR | 6'1" | 275 | Lakewood, OH |
| 8 | Josue Cordoba | DL | SO | 6'3" | 280 | Plainfield, NJ |
| 11 | Camdon Wilborn | DL | SO | 6'1" | 285 | Cincinnati, OH |
| 31 | Jacob Broach | DL | FR | 6'3" | 190 | Cincinnati, OH |
| 33 | Jaihien Roy | DL | SO | 6'2" | 245 | Centreville, MD |
| 44 | Antonio Bottiggi | DL | SO | 6'2" | 255 | Painesville, OH |
| 50 | Garrett Dial | DL | SO | 6'3" | 235 | Littleton, CO |
| 52 | Aiden Burgess | DL | SO | 6'2" | 300 | Hanover, MD |
| 56 | Carlos Shird | DL | FR | 6'3" | 270 | Baltimore, MD |
| 59 | Eckley Bridges | DL | FR | 6'1" | 260 | Hamilton, OH |
| 83 | Garrett Long | DL | FR | 6'3" | 235 | Columbus, IN |
| 88 | Mohammed Hazime | DL | SR | 6'4" | 270 | Dearborn, MI |
| 90 | Bryce Griffin | DL | FR | 6'2" | 235 | Yorkville, IL |
| 91 | Dion'Dre Taylor | DL | FR | 6'0" | 280 | Cleveland, OH |
| 93 | Daiveon Taylor | DL | FR | 6'2" | 225 | Moon Township, PA |
| 94 | Kale Webb | DL | FR | 6'1" | 235 | Xenia, OH |
| 95 | Anthony Adams III | DL | FR | 5'10" | 275 | Long Grove, IL |
| 98 | Bryce Faulk | DL | JR | 6'1" | 235 | Mason, OH |
| 4 | Rocco Nicholl | LB | SR | 6'5" | 245 | Philadelphia, PA |
| 10 | Hayden Dawahare | LB | JR | 6'4" | 245 | Lexington, KY |
| 13 | Quan Rhodes-McKee | LB | SO | 6'1" | 225 | Columbus, OH |
| 15 | Sayed Abuhamdeh | LB | JR | 6'1" | 230 | North Royalton, OH |
| 17 | Semaj Bridgeman | LB | JR | 6'2" | 230 | Philadelphia, PA |
| 20 | Rafael Terrero Jr. | LB | FR | 6'3" | 220 | Emmaus, PA |
| 24 | Tanner Mintz | LB | FR | 6'0" | 220 | Akron, OH |
| 28 | Brodyn Bishop | LB | SO | 6'1" | 205 | Carroll, OH |
| 30 | Matthew Sollberger | LB | SO | 5'9" | 165 | Uniontown, OH |
| 32 | Trey Rubinstein | LB | SO | 6'3" | 225 | Napoleon, OH |
| 35 | Nate Gregory | LB | FR | 5'11" | 235 | Stow, OH |
| 43 | Kendall McNutt | LB | FR | 6'0" | 220 | St. Louis, MO |
| 1 | A'tiq Muhammad | DB | SR | 6'3" | 200 | Rockford, IL |
| 2 | Joel Cordoba | DB | SO | 6'3" | 190 | Plainfield, NJ |
| 3 | Derrick Jackson III | DB | SO | 6'0" | 210 | Detroit, MI |
| 7 | Angelo Stockstill | DB | JR | 6'3" | 180 | Chicago, IL |
| 12 | Lionel Burns III | DB | FR | 6'0" | 185 | Duluth, GA |
| 14 | Tyler Bivens | DB | SR | 5'11" | 170 | Ann Arbor, MI |
| 18 | Norey Johnson | DB | SR | 6'3" | 200 | Cincinnati, OH |
| 19 | DJ Barnes | DB | SR | 5'8" | 170 | Tallahassee, FL |
| 21 | Tejuan Barbour | DB | FR | 6'3" | 170 | Columbus, OH |
| 22 | Davion Pritchard | DB | SO | 6'0" | 175 | Youngstown, OH |
| 23 | Ezekiel Castex | DB | FR | 5'10" | 175 | Sacramento, CA |
| 25 | Martell Buchanan | DB | SO | 6'1" | 175 | Stilwell, KS |
| 26 | BuddyRow Garrer | DB | FR | 5'9" | 150 | Evans, GA |
| 27 | Lennox Lemon | DB | FR | 6'1" | 180 | Massillon, OH |
| 29 | Jeremiah Johnson | DB | FR | 6'3" | 175 | Rochester, NY |
| 38 | Clinton Robinson | S | SO | 6'0" | 205 | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 39 | Eli Tucker | PK | SO | 5'11" | 205 | Wheeling, WV |
| 49 | Tommy Newcomb | PK | SO | 5'11" | 185 | Lagrange, IL |
| 96 | Sean Leonard | PK | FR | 6'3" | 230 | Xenia, OH |
| 42 | Kolten Ford | P | SR | 6'2" | 195 | Queen Creek, AZ |
| 97 | Jake Stoeckel | P | FR | 6'1" | 190 | Sydney, NSW |
| 41 | Gus Goodell | LS | SR | 6'1" | 215 | Stafford, VA |
| 48 | Chase Mantooth | LS | FR | 6'0" | 160 | Pickerington, OH |
Team Statistics · per game, with national FBS rank
Rank is national among all FBS teams (#1 = best), oriented so higher rank = better even for defensive and discipline metrics. Bars show percentile.
Scouting Report · 2026 projection
Kent State is in year 2 under Mark Carney. The strengths are offensive, led by 12th at hitting chunk plays. The way in is 134th at holding teams to field goals, and they are 133rd at running it.
Kent State has played 2 games against an average slate, adjusted for here. That football carries about 0% of what is below; the rest is still the preseason projection.
Projected strengths
- Offensehitting chunk plays#12projected
Projected soft spots
- Defenseturning trips inside the 40 into points#134projected
- Offenserunning it#133projected
- Defensesacks and tackles for loss#131projected
Each bar is where this team sits in the country. Before the season has produced enough football these are PROJECTIONS — last season regressed to the mean, plus talent, returning production, recruiting and whether the staff is the same one — and the season replaces them as it is played. Head coaches only — there is no free feed for coordinators, so on a program where the head coach does not call the offense this describes the staff he hired. Play-calling identity is a style, not a grade: throwing more than the situations warrant is not better than throwing less than they warrant.
2026 Season Projection
model win prob · 10 to playHow the season could finish · 2026 · chance of each final win total · 10 games left
Every remaining game simulated from the model's win probability for it. Tallest bar is the single likeliest finish, not a prediction that it happens.
Player Value
EPA contribution by position group + estimated NIL market value (derived from position rates and on-field production — not actual deal figures).
Total EPA produced by each positional group this season. OL value is captured via the rush/pass efficiency of skill players; OL-specific EPA isn't separately reported.
Estimated from position-group market rates and on-field EPA contribution. Actual NIL valuations depend on social media following, brand fit, and market negotiations — these figures are directional only.
The Five Factors
ranked vs. FBS · bar = betterOpponent-adjusted efficiency
EPA/play vs. schedulePass vs. rush (PPA)
Trenches & disruption
- Line yards (off)
- 3.04#70
- 2nd-level / open-field
- 0.93 / 0.98
- Power / stuff (off)
- 60.0% / 20.7%
- Havoc — total (def)
- 14.8%#88
- Havoc — front 7 / DB
- 9.4% / 5.5%
Standard vs. passing downs
ProPPA on each down type (off vs. def).
Opponent-adjusted by down
Pro| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.13#57 | -0.29#129 | 0.78#40 |
| Defense | 0.40#134 | -0.31#17 | 0.29#60 |
Elo Trajectory
Team Fingerprint · 2026 · 43 opponent-adjusted metrics · percentile vs 138 FBS teams
Plot these →Efficiency
- Offense EPA/play-0.0410th
- Defense EPA/play allowed0.681st
- Offense success rate27%5th
- Defense success rate allowed69%1st
Downs
- Offense success — standard downs35%8th
- Offense success — passing downs17%8th
- Defense success allowed — standard downs71%1st
- Defense success allowed — passing downs58%2nd
Explosiveness
- Offense explosiveness1.582nd
- Defense explosiveness allowed1.251st
- Offense explosiveness — standard downs1.281st
- Offense explosiveness — passing downs2.057th
Trenches
- Offense line yards2.728th
- Defense line yards allowed4.11st
- Offense highlight yards1.256th
- Defense highlight yards allowed2.57th
- Offense power success0.5022nd
- Defense power success allowed0.8334th
- Offense stuff rate0.2127th
- Defense stuff rate0.084th
Third down
- Third down conversion36%28th
- Third down distance faced7.623rd
- Third down conversion allowed89%1st
- Third down distance forced6.630th
Halves
- Net success rate — first half-0.372nd
- Net success rate — second half-0.521st
Drives
- Points per drive0.007th
- Points per drive allowed6.21st
- Average starting field position2420th
- Opponent starting field position2099th
- Available yards gained23%8th
- Available yards allowed91%2nd
- Scoring opportunities per drive78%47th
- Scoring opportunities allowed100%16th
- Points per scoring opportunity0.005th
- Points allowed per opportunity6.21st
- Three-and-out rate33%36th
- Three-and-outs forced0%9th
Roster
- Returning usage52%61st
- Returning EPA10852nd
- Team talent composite5236th
- Recruiting class rank12212th
- Recruiting class points16212th
Every metric is opponent-adjusted and ranked so that higher is always better — a defensive rate that is good when low is ranked accordingly. Sack and tackle-for-loss composition are deliberately absent: their relationship to team quality is a measured null, so they carry a style rather than a rank, and they appear in the pressure signature instead.
Intelligence Report
Offensive DNA
Pass efficiency edge: 0.142 EPA/play
Defensive Identity
Disruption comes evenly from front and secondary.
Season Signature
1-1 record through 2 games.
Team Shape · percentile vs. FBS · dashed = 50th
Each axis = national percentile rank. 100th = best in FBS, 0th = worst. Defense and Havoc are oriented so higher = better.
CORE efficiency · situation and opponent removed
Points per 100 plays above average, after the game state is regressed out of every snap and the schedule is solved out across the whole league. The version of this team’s efficiency that can be compared to a team it never played.
What a possession is worth · 9 drives
Play-calling identity
Against what the league calls from the same down, distance, field position, score and clock — so this is the staff, not the game script.
- Pass rate
- 53.1%
- Expected, given the spots
- 55.8%
- Over expected
- -2.7
- Fourth down vs peers
- -18
- Fourth down vs the model
- -100
National Landscape · 2026 FBS · offense vs. defense EPA/play
Each dot = one FBS team. Kent State is highlighted. Tap or hover a dot for details.
Similar Programs
Teams with the closest offense + defense efficiency profile to Kent State in 2026
Similarity = normalized Euclidean distance on season offensive and defensive EPA/play. Teams within ±0.02 EPA/play on both units score >90%.
Program Trajectory · CORE rating · 2015–2026 · points per game vs an average FBS team
Program History
recent seasons| Year | Overall | Conf | Win % | xW | Luck |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 50% | 1.0 | +0.0 |
| 2025 | 5-7 | 4-4 | 42% | 4.1 | +0.9 |
| 2024 | 0-12 | 0-8 | 0% | 1.1 | -1.1 |
| 2023 | 1-11 | 0-8 | 8% | 2.1 | -1.1 |
| 2022 | 5-7 | 4-4 | 42% | 4.2 | +0.8 |
| 2021 | 7-7 | 6-3 | 50% | 6.7 | +0.3 |
| 2020 | 3-1 | 3-1 | 75% | 3.0 | +0.0 |
| 2019 | 7-6 | 5-3 | 54% | 5.5 | +1.5 |
| 2018 | 2-10 | 1-7 | 17% | 3.3 | -1.3 |
| 2017 | 2-10 | 1-7 | 17% | 1.9 | +0.1 |
xW = expected wins from per-game dominance. Luck = actual − expected (positive = won close games).
0-1 so far, projected to finish 3.6-8.4.
down 0.0 points since preseason — lost 0-57 to South Carolina against an expected margin of −37, so −19.6 against the number.
- The Mid-American takes 0.05 bids in an average season.
Mid-American
0-0 in league play, projected 2.7-5.312 of 13 by title oddsThe Mid-American sends its top two by conference winning percentage, head-to-head breaking a tie. The last berth is level on percentage in 46% of simulated seasons, so a tiebreaker decides it about that often.
- wk6Kent State at Western Michigan2.6
- wk11Kent State at Bowling Green1.1
- wk12Miami (OH) at Kent State1.0
Points of title probability riding on each result. The whole Mid-American race →
If not the playoff, then
Kent State is 0-1 and needs 6 more wins from 11 games to reach the six that make a team eligible — at most one of which may come against an FCS opponent.
- Famous Idaho Potato Bowl3.4%
- Arizona Bowl3.1%
- Salute to Veterans Bowl2.8%
- Myrtle Beach Bowl1.3%
- 68 Ventures Bowl1.2%
- Boca Raton Bowl0.6%
Recruiting Pipelines
since 2010Of the 170 high-school programs with a pipeline page here, 7 have sent Kent State a player since 2010 — 20 signees between them. Where they signed, not where they were offered, and not a complete list of Kent State's feeder schools: only these 170 have the outcome history to measure.