Nathan Hayes, North Dakota State QB: the 2026 season story
Nathan Hayes is a senior quarterback for North Dakota State (Mountain West). He ranks 104th of 365 quarterbacks in Division I by the Player Index, which judges every quarterback on the measures that matter at the position, adjusted for the opponents he faced.
Scouting report
Why it matters. Every measure is set against every ranked quarterback, so a strength here is a strength against the whole position, not just his own team. Nathan Hayes's strongest measure is rush yards per game at 25, 58th of 181 (the average is 20). His weakest is pass success rate at 45%, 117th of 181 (the average is 46%).
Season production
Why it matters. Volume is the first sign of how much a coaching staff trusts a player. His pass yards per game, 181, ranks 92nd among 181 ranked quarterbacks.
Against every quarterback
Why it matters. Volume, efficiency and impact plays can tell different stories: a player can be busy without being effective, or rarely used but dangerous every time. Among ranked quarterbacks he sits, on average, in the 59th percentile for volume, 49th for efficiency and 66th for impact.
The season, game by game
Why it matters. Consistency matters to a team: one huge game and five quiet ones is a different season from six solid ones. Over 9 games, Nathan Hayes's best came in week 5 against Wyoming and his quietest in week 6 at UNLV.
When it matters
Why it matters. Third downs, the red zone and games against good teams are where drives and seasons are decided.
Where he does his damage
Why it matters. The shape of a player's production, not just its size, is what opponents scout.
National and conference
Why it matters. The Player Index puts every quarterback on one scale, adjusted for the defenses or offenses he faced, so a rank here is comparable across conferences. Nathan Hayes is 86th of 181 FBS quarterbacks and 3rd of 12 in the Mountain West. Next up nationally is Luke Weaver of San José State, 0.01 ahead on the index.
Quarterbacks like him
Why it matters. Players with similar profiles tend to be used the same way, which makes them a quick way to picture his game. His closest match this season is Beau Pribula of Virginia.
