Cole McDonald is a 2-year Dual-Threat QB for Hawai'i. Cole's 2018 season ranks in the 23th percentile nationally by opponent-adjusted EPA per play across 571 plays — a developing rate for the QB.
A genuine rushing threat who stresses defenses horizontally. Extends plays with legs and forces extra gap assignments.
Players from 2014–2024 matched on EPA efficiency, play volume, and adjusted value tier — not just one metric.
| Player | Team | Yr | Plays | WEPA/play | Line val | Total EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jordan Travis | Florida State | 2021 | 690 | 0.476 | 10.1 | 328.3 |
| Kyle McCord | Syracuse | 2024 | 632 | 0.509 | 12.1 | 321.4 |
| Sam Hartman | Wake Forest | 2021 | 647 | 0.556 | 11.8 | 359.6 |
| Trace McSorley | Penn State | 2017 | 626 | 0.513 | 12.7 | 321.0 |
| Stetson Bennett | Georgia | 2022 | 509 | 0.635 | 12.4 | 323.0 |
Comps are statistical — efficiency, volume, and value tier all factor in. Style and conference context differ.
| Wk | Opponent | Result | Opp SP+ | C/ATT | Pass Yds | Pass TD | INT | QBR | Rush Yds | Rush TD | EPA/play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | @Colorado State | W43-34 | -10.3 | 26/37 | 418 | 3 | 0 | 97.6 | 96 | 2 | 0.80 |
| 1 | vsNavy | W59-41 | -10.2 | 30/41 | 428 | 6 | 0 | — | -14 | 0 | 0.80 |
| 2 | vsRice | W43-29 | -26.4 | 22/33 |
Usage = share of team plays (CFBD has no true snap counts).
Chart shows per-game EPA (bars) and rolling 5-game average (line). Season breaks marked with dashed lines. Line value = est. points over replacement per game.
C/ATT 10/20 · Pass Yds 85 · Pass TD 1 · INT 2
| 319 |
| 4 |
| 0 |
| — |
| 36 |
| 0 |
| 0.61 |
| 3 | @Army | L21-28 | -1.5 | 20/32 | 321 | 2 | 0 | — | 19 | 0 | 0.34 |
| 4 | vsDuquesne | W42-21 | — | 24/40 | 273 | 5 | 1 | — | 56 | 0 | 0.26 |
| 5 | @San José State | W44-41 | -17.1 | 34/57 | 341 | 4 | 1 | — | 27 | 0 | 0.25 |
| 7 | @BYU | L23-49 | 6.2 | 22/38 | 248 | 2 | 1 | — | 22 | 0 | 0.26 |
| 8 | vsNevada | L22-40 | -0.5 | 19/37 | 259 | 3 | 0 | — | 21 | 0 | 0.10 |
| 9 | @Fresno State | L20-50 | 17.4 | 17/28 | 225 | 1 | 1 | — | 62 | 0 | 0.39 |
| 10 | vsUtah State | L17-56 | 14.2 | 18/45 | 331 | 2 | 2 | — | 17 | 0 | 0.05 |
| 12 | vsUNLV | W35-28 | -11.1 | 14/30 | 175 | 0 | 2 | — | 24 | 1 | -0.01 |
| 13 | @San Diego State | W31-30 | 6.0 | 29/46 | 452 | 3 | 0 | — | -3 | 1 | 0.51 |
| 1 | vsLouisiana Tech | L14-31 | -6.9 | 10/20 | 85 | 1 | 2 | — | -17 | 0 | -0.06 |
