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04 / Players

EVERY PLAYERHAS A STORY.

One player's season, told in order: game by game, against his position, where he does his damage, and who he plays like.

Braden Bays, Rice DL: the 2026 season story

Braden Bays is a freshman defensive lineman for Rice (American Athletic). He ranks 163rd of 1,709 defensive linemen in Division I by the Player Index, which judges every defensive lineman on the measures that matter at the position, adjusted for the opponents he faced.

01

Scouting report

Why it matters. Knowing the one or two things a player does best, and where he is ordinary, says more than any single total. Braden Bays's strongest measure is tackles for loss per game at 1.20, 13th of 892 (the average is 0.40). His weakest is passes defended per game at 0.00, 372nd of 892 (the average is 0.08).

02

Season production

Why it matters. Totals reward staying healthy and getting the ball; per-game numbers show how much he really carries each week. His tackles per game, 2.8, ranks 272nd among 892 ranked defensive linemen.

03

Against every defensive lineman

Why it matters. Splitting the measures into how much, how well and how many big plays shows what kind of defensive lineman he is. Among ranked defensive linemen he sits, on average, in the 70th percentile for volume and 54th for impact.

04

The season, game by game

Why it matters. A season average can hide a player who is great one week and absent the next; game by game shows how dependable he is. Over 9 games, Braden Bays's best came in week 7 against Tulsa and his quietest in week 4 at Fresno State.

05

Where he does his damage

Why it matters. Where and how a player makes his plays shows how his team uses him and what a defense has to take away.

06

National and conference

Why it matters. A national rank shows how a player stacks up beyond his own league, where the competition can be very different. Braden Bays is 133rd of 892 FBS defensive linemen and 14th of 98 in the American Athletic. Next up nationally is Lucas Lambert-Pipkin of Toledo, 0.01 ahead on the index.

07

Defensive linemen like him

Why it matters. Comparing a player with his closest statistical matches puts his season in context beyond the rankings. His closest match this season is Jerod Smith II of Louisville.

Rice

Rice season storyNo. 122 · 1-8

More Rice players

AJ BrownS · 256th of 1,841Koa AkuiS · 316th of 1,841Austin HarnetiauxLB · 184th of 930Kyren CondollCB · 483rd of 1,841Jamir BenjaminCB · 484th of 1,841Daveon HookS · 499th of 1,841Aquantis ClemmonsDL · 481st of 1,709Jordan ClarkWR · 308th of 988Stone CombsLB · 316th of 930Matthew AribisalaDL · 654th of 1,709Dillan BottsDL · 667th of 1,709Joseph MutomboDL · 774th of 1,709

Top defensive linemen in the American Athletic

Thomas DavisTulsaNolan McCamyNavyAiden LyczekNavyElijah KinslerMemphisC.J. HicksSouth FloridaMakai WilliamsTulaneMarcAnthony ParkerNavyKyran DuhonTulsaJ.D. LampleyEast CarolinaDavion RhodesNorth Texas

About this page

A season, told as a story

Every player page tells one player's season in order. It shows where he ranks at his position in the Player Index, what he has done game by game, and how each game measured up against the defense or offense he faced.

What each part shows

The story covers his production against every qualified player at his position, where on the field he does his damage, how his usage has changed over the season, his best and quietest games, and the players whose seasons look most like his. Transfers show the school he came from. Any chart can be switched from the whole season to a single game.

Where the numbers come from

Everything is built from public play-by-play data for this season, with every game adjusted for the strength of the opponent. Past seasons back to 2015 are available from the season menu, so a player's career can be read year by year.