Inside The Numbers: Ethan Grunkemeyer Comparisons, And The Neo Avdalas Injuries That Nobody Has Talked About

23 Comments

1. 

   reconhokie February 11, 2026 at 4:08 PM

   College QBR summary interpretation: https://www.shakinthesouthland.com/football/27783/understanding-ncaa-passer-rating-what-it-is-how-it-works-and-why-it-matters
   1. 

      reconhokie February 11, 2026 at 4:13 PM

      Drake Maye, the former North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback (2021–2023), finished his college career with a 154.1 passer rating, 8,018 passing yards, 63 passing touchdowns, and 16 interceptions, plus 1,147 rushing yards. Renowned for his elite arm talent, IQ, and size, he was a 2024 top-three NFL Draft pick. 2 https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT_sfDu7Loib9LLxGLr1eRm0IsgLEeMaCgZ6KlhRqXRauyfHRhX Sam Darnold had a standout career as a USC Trojans quarterback (2016–2017), boasting a 161.1 passer rating in 2016 and a 148.1 rating in 2017, finishing his college career with a 153.7 rating.
2. 

   extremehokie February 11, 2026 at 9:52 AM

   Initial thought-Neo should have sat. For the good of both team and individual. But we only know what we are told, which is only what they want us to know.
3. 

   OhioHokie74 February 11, 2026 at 9:06 AM

   Of a player is too hurt to play effectively then they should be held out until their injuries are better.
4. 

   ChapelHill Hokie February 11, 2026 at 7:58 AM

   It’s never appropriate to boo your own player, injured or not. Just my opinion.
   1. 

      Beach Hokie February 11, 2026 at 10:33 AM

      I completely agree!!
5. 

   133270Hokie February 11, 2026 at 7:20 AM

   Josh Jackson’s redshirt freshman qbr was 137, Grunks was 142 so Jackson never ranked higher on the list that I seen
6. 

   cdogvt February 10, 2026 at 10:57 PM

   Excellent article. Great use of data.
   1. 

      Cappydave February 11, 2026 at 5:03 AM

      +1.
      1. 

         Beach Hokie February 11, 2026 at 10:34 AM

         +2
7. 

   MKD February 10, 2026 at 10:08 PM

   Thanks Chris. This article took a lot of time to put together and was very informative.
8. 

   proudhokie2001 February 10, 2026 at 4:57 PM

   to combine the two: its forgotten what injuries those QBs had that impacted their qb ratings. Can we get an interview with Deshazo and ask him if he had injuries in that senior season?
9. 

   Newt February 10, 2026 at 4:54 PM

   This is a fabulous bit of information and analysis. You are spot on about Avdalas. I remember when he first bummed that ankle, and it seemed to affect him in every game since, until the last one. He's been frustrating to watch at time, but I've tried to keep the ankle in the back of my mind and show him some grace-as they say.
10. 

    Walkin` Willie February 10, 2026 at 4:25 PM

    Wow! This changes the Avdalas narrative in a big way. I wish the coaching staff had been a little more forthcoming. I've made posts critical of Avdalas play - not snarky though - but I was under the assumption that because he was playing, he was pretty much injury free. Now I know better... Hope you get back to where you were, Neo!
    1. 

       NMB Hokie February 10, 2026 at 5:12 PM

       None of them are playing injury free at this point in the season
       1. 

          Chris Coleman February 10, 2026 at 6:24 PM

          Sure they are. It's basketball, not football. Everybody probably has something that hurts a bit, but there's a difference between being hurt and being injured. Neo sort of straddled the fence between the two, and probably closer to the injury side since (IMO) it has impacted his shooting form.
          1. 

             huskerHokie February 10, 2026 at 8:42 PM

             Kind of like playing a QB when he is limited by an injury. Of course, no coaching staff would ever do that.
    2. 

       HokieDelNorte February 10, 2026 at 8:39 PM

       Not sure what coaches can and cannot say (on their own) due to HIPPA.
       1. 

          ShockWaveVT February 10, 2026 at 11:57 PM

          absolutely nothing to do with HIPPA, which applies only to medical professionals, providers and insurance companies and limits their ability to disclose medical information without permission of the patient. the limited release of injury info is 100% a gamesmanship thing to keep the opponent du jour guessing
          1. 

             Will Stewart February 11, 2026 at 8:49 AM

             I tend to agree. I'm very cynical when it comes to college sports staffs invoking HIPPA. I think it's just gamesmanship and obfuscation.
             1. 

                atlhokie1 February 11, 2026 at 12:33 PM

                If the player okays giving out the information, the coach/staff can discuss it.
11. 

    Tallwino February 10, 2026 at 4:22 PM

    Nice insight. Good to know about Avdalas. I'll stop questioning his play now. It's hard to know your team is better than their record. Wish we could ban injuries. Go Hokies!!!!!!
12. 

    vt90 February 10, 2026 at 4:16 PM

    I'm not sure if the numbers support this and I haven't checked but I watched most of Grunk's games when he became the starter and my eyes told me he was throwing the ball down the field significantly more in the last few games than he was in the first few. That makes sense for a number of reasons. Against Clemson, the weather and receivers who couldn't catch worked against him but I still remember a few medium to deep balls.