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 →Jacksonville State Gamecocks Quarterbacks and Receivers
Conference USA. Starting quarterbacks by year: 2026: Caden Creel; 2025: Caden Creel, Gavin Wimsatt; 2024: Tyler Huff, Logan Smothers; 2023: Zion Webb, Logan Smothers.
Jacksonville State Starting Quarterbacks and Receivers by Season
| Season | Quarterbacks (starts) | Top receivers (targets) | Pass Yds | TD-INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Caden Creel (5) | Darius Cannon 23, Deondre Johnson 19, Ronnel Johnson 18 | 1,158 | 9-4 |
| 2025 | Caden Creel (8), Gavin Wimsatt (5) | Caleb Coombs 55, Deondre Johnson 54, Brock Rechsteiner 50 | 2,288 | 13-6 |
| 2024 | Tyler Huff (12), Logan Smothers (1) | Cam Vaughn 40, Michael Pettway 24, Tre Stewart 15 | 2,265 | 13-6 |
| 2023 | Zion Webb (8), Logan Smothers (4) | Perry Carter 34, Quinton Lane 26, Sean Brown 18 | 1,979 | 11-8 |
College starts are inferred: the team's first passer in each game.
2026 Jacksonville State Target Tree
| Player | Pos | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darius Cannon | WR | 23 | 16 | 141 | 0 |
| Deondre Johnson | WR | 19 | 14 | 226 | 2 |
| Ronnel Johnson | WR | 18 | 10 | 107 | 0 |
| Jamill Williams | WR | 17 | 17 | 231 | 4 |
| Lucas Farrington | RB | 9 | 6 | 72 | 0 |
| Jalen Likely | RB | 8 | 5 | 35 | 1 |
| Luke Gilbert | TE | 7 | 6 | 159 | 2 |
| Jameson Scissum | TE | 4 | 4 | 28 | 0 |
| Dylan Gentry | WR | 4 | 3 | 29 | 0 |
| David Alpers III | TE | 3 | 3 | 40 | 0 |
| Khristian Lando | RB | 3 | 2 | 22 | 0 |
| DJ Vinson | WR | 2 | 1 | 22 | 0 |
2026 Jacksonville State Games
| Week | Opponent | Result | Quarterback | Cmp-Att | Yds | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | at NDSU | L 7-33 | Caden Creel | 12-23 | 85 | 0 | 1 |
| Week 1 | vs eastern kentucky | W 49-7 | Caden Creel | 23-30 | 352 | 5 | 1 |
| Week 2 | at OHIO | L 27-29 | Caden Creel | 20-26 | 286 | 1 | 0 |
| Week 3 | vs GASO | W 31-27 | Caden Creel | 17-24 | 194 | 2 | 0 |
| Week 4 | vs MTSU | W 23-13 | Caden Creel | 19-27 | 241 | 1 | 2 |
2026 Jacksonville State Connections
| QB → Receiver | Tgt | Cmp | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caden Creel → Darius Cannon | 23 | 16 | 141 | 0 |
| Caden Creel → Deondre Johnson | 19 | 14 | 226 | 2 |
| Caden Creel → Ronnel Johnson | 18 | 10 | 107 | 0 |
| Caden Creel → Jamill Williams | 17 | 14 | 159 | 1 |
| Caden Creel → Lucas Farrington | 9 | 6 | 72 | 0 |
| Caden Creel → Jalen Likely | 8 | 5 | 35 | 1 |
| Caden Creel → Luke Gilbert | 7 | 5 | 77 | 1 |
QBS BLOG · PASSING QUESTIONS · MINDSET
All Posts →Understanding the Throw.
What the box score cannot tell you about the people behind the pass.
What CPOE Means, and How ACE Builds on It
Completion percentage over expected gives credit for difficult completions. Here is how ACE measures it.
Read Article →Why Sacks Belong Partly to the Quarterback
A sack is the rush, the line and the decision. Why our dropback stats count them.
Read Article →FROM THE A-GAME PODCAST
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