By: Ryan Moreland (@ryanmoreland)
How JTR Works
JTR ranks players by comparison to the league average using unbiased stats. By unbiased stats, we mean stats that don’t show a preference for one style of play over another. For example, we expect a quarterback in an air raid system to throw the ball more often than a quarterback in a multiple set. So comparing the two based on completions wouldn’t be fair. Once we determine stats that we believe to be unbiased, we create a league average. Outperforming the league average earns a player positive points. Stats that fall below the league average will earn a player negative points. Points for each stat are calculated and combined with a base rating given to each player. The combination results in a player’s JTR metric score. 0 is the worst possible score and 100 is the best possible score.
For QBs, the stats we chose to use are completion percentage, yards per attempt, touchdown percentage, interception percentage, passing yards per game, and unique rushing index. The rushing index excludes sacks from a quarterback’s rush totals to get a more accurate sense of them as a runner. Also, QBs cannot take negative points from the rushing index (outside of fumbles). This is because a running ability for a quarterback is a plus, but not a requirement.
JTR is not a predictive metric. It cannot tell the future. It can only measure what a player has done up to that point.
Rankings
| Rank (Last Week) | Player | Team | JTR Score (Change) |
| 1 (1) | TJ Cunnington | Kentucky | 94.799 (-3.126) |
| 2 (3) | Kevin Price | North Carolina | 91.999 (+9.418) |
| 3 (8) | Leisa Pink | Miami | 89.288 (+9.533) |
| 4 (5) | Saint Major | Cincinnati | 85.938 (+4.203) |
| 5 (4) | Luke Cannon | Clemson | 84.251 (+2.101) |
| 6 (10) | Greg Cooksey | Michigan | 80.348 (+3.076) |
| 7 (2) | Gunner Rice | West Virginia | 79.920 (-17.766) |
| 8 (18) | Sky Sanders | Colorado | 79.858 (+11.236) |
| 9 (14) | Windham Carter | Baylor | 79.650 (+8.039) |
| 10 (12) | Jamesyn Golde | USC | 79.044 (+6.772) |
| 11 (7) | Beau Dale | LSU | 76.982 (-3.003) |
| 12 (13) | Johnny Ray Davis | Alabama | 73.906 (+1.972) |
| 13 (11) | Andrei Belov | Notre Dame | 73.625 (-0.588) |
| 14 (16) | Jack Schmidt | Florida | 73.275 (+4.002) |
| 15 (15) | Jay Duke | Auburn | 72.136 (+1.010) |
| 16 (23) | Kolten Powell | Texas | 68.719 (+7.495) |
| 17 (22) | Sterling Verdugo | Tennessee | 68.224 (+4.252) |
| 18 (20) | Sean Keohane | Penn State | 67.626 (+2.431) |
| 19 (19) | Brandon Petty | Georgia | 67.026 (-1.284) |
| 20 (6) | Zeus Claydon | Florida State | 66.634 (-14.876) |
| 21 (9) | Cole Mantell | Michigan State | 65.998 (-11.682) |
| 22 (21) | JK Matthews | Syracuse | 64.568 (-0.251) |
| 23 (17) | Jaylen Tyree | Ohio State | 64.107 (-4.564) |
| 24 (24) | Noir Royal | Illinois | 63.914 (+6.206) |
| 25 (25) | Claude DuBois | Oregon | 56.768 (-0.085) |
| 26 (26) | Owen Dart | Texas A&M | 53.370 (-2.726) |
Findings
Kentucky’s TJ Cunnington earned the top spot for the first time last week and he will keep it this week. His 14 touchdowns are the most in the league and he only has two interceptions. His start has been fantastic, but 25 QBs are looking to replace him at the top. We will find out if he can hold on to that spot next week.
This week Colorado QB Sky Sanders increased his score more than anyone else. He added over 11 points to his JTR this week after a great performance against Penn State. He threw for 476 yards. That is more than 100 more than he has put up in a single game this season. Other quarterbacks that had improved scores are Miami’s Leisa Pink and North Carolina’s Kevin Price.
Sander’s increase in score also led to him having the largest jump in rank. He moved up 10 spots this week, which is a huge jump. His jump led him into the top 10 for the first time in his career. Other big movers include Texas QB Kolten Powell (+7 spots), Miami QB Leisa Pink (+5 spots), Baylor QB Windham Carter (+5 spots), and Tennessee QB Sterling Verdugo (+5 spots).
Good luck to the 26 signal callers next week!
