Passer Rating vs EPA: Which Tells You More?
Why we rank quarterbacks by EPA per dropback, and what passer rating still gets right.
Read Article →2021 College EPA per Dropback Leaders
College play-by-play before 2025 does not record where passes went, so depth, direction, ACE and throw maps start in 2025. Counting stats are the official NCAA season lines.
Expected points added per dropback. Every play changes how many points a team can expect to score from where it stands; EPA is that change. Dropbacks are pass attempts, sacks and scrambles, so a sack counts against the quarterback and a scramble for a first down counts for him. Spikes and kneel-downs are left out.
How to read it. 0.00 is about average. +0.20 is very good; +0.30 is a top-three season. Below −0.10 is a struggle.
The 2021 leaders: Grayson McCall (+0.68), C.J. Stroud (+0.48), Bailey Zappe (+0.45).
EPA per Dropback
Minimum to rank: 15 pass attempts per team game (the NCAA's minimum for passing efficiency). 118 players.
More 2021 College Quarterback Leaderboards
Success Rate Total Passing EPA Total QB EPA (Passing + Rushing) First-Down Rate per Dropback Explosive Pass Rate Negative-Play Rate EPA per Dropback, Excluding Garbage Time NFL Passer Rating Completion % Yards per Attempt Adjusted Net Yards per Attempt Adjusted Yards per Attempt Net Yards per Attempt Yards per Completion Touchdown % Interception % TD:INT Ratio Sack % Passing Yards per Game Pass Attempts per Game Passing Yards Passing Touchdowns Completions Pass Attempts Interceptions Thrown Sacks Taken Passing First Downs 20+ Yard Completions 40+ Yard Completions Longest Completion 300-Yard Passing Games 4-Touchdown Games Wins as Starter 3rd-Down Conversion Rate Red Zone Touchdown Rate Clutch EPA per Dropback Clutch Passer Rating Two-Minute Drill EPA per Dropback Game-Winning Drives 4th-Quarter Comebacks Quarterback Rushing Yards Quarterback Rushing EPA Quarterback Rushing Yards Excluding Sacks NCAA Passing Efficiency QB Sneak Conversion Rate Touchdowns Responsible For Total Yards (Passing + Rushing)
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QBS BLOG · PASSING QUESTIONS · MINDSET
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