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Cole Rusk is a Slot Specialist TE for Illinois.
2026 Usage Outlook · projected share of team plays
4%
projected
band 2%'25 4%6%
Regressed toward the TE mean. Model correlation r≈0.42 on a 2019-2025 walk-forward — volume only; efficiency not projected.
2025 Production
Receiving
19 Receptions217 Rec yards1 Rec TD11.4 Yards/rec
Performance Analysis · 2025 · vs TE peers
Player type
Slot Specialist TE
The offense's primary passing-down weapon — routes, separation, and reliability on 3rd down define this role.
3rd-down converterRoute technicianHigh passing-down share
Peer percentiles
Opponent-adjusted EPA (WEPA/play)100th %ile · elite
Game-to-game consistency57th %ile · average
Key findings
- ▸Top-10% efficiency among TEs — elite opponent-adjusted EPA rate.
- ▸Limited usage share suggests a rotational or specialist role.
- ▸4 high-impact games (EPA/play > 0.4) this season — elite ceiling.
- ▸Particularly dangerous on passing downs — efficiency spikes in obvious pass situations.
- ▸Production faded as the season progressed — 0.24 EPA/play decline from first to second half.
- ▸Peak game: 2.95 EPA/play in Wk 2 vs Duke (SP+ 7).
NIL Market Tier· 2025
On3 valuation ↗Elite
Top-3 player at position nationally. Collective + national brand deals.
Tier is a model estimate based on position, school brand, performance rank, and usage — not a reported deal. NIL deals are private. For a real market valuation, see On3's NIL profile, which factors in social following and actual deal tracking.
Game Log · box score + EPA, week by week
EPA per play, by weekabove 0 = added points · below = lost
| Wk | Opponent | Result | Opp SP+ | Rec | Rec Yds | Avg | Rec TD | Long | EPA/play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | @Duke | W45-19 | 6.6 | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | 1 | 8 | 2.95 |
| 3 | vsWestern Michigan | W38-0 | -1.4 | 1 | -1 | -1.0 | 0 | -1 | -0.91 |
| 4 | @Indiana | L10-63 | 32.4 | 2 | 21 | 10.5 | 0 | 14 | 0.73 |
| 5 | vsUSC | W34-32 | 16.9 | 1 | 17 | 17.0 | 0 | 17 | 0.76 |
| 7 | vsOhio State | L16-34 | 30.1 | 5 | 68 | 13.6 | 0 | 20 | 1.46 |
| 9 | @Washington | L25-42 | 18.4 | 4 | 56 | 14.0 | 0 | 27 | — |
| 12 | vsMaryland | W24-6 | 0.6 | 2 | 15 | 7.5 | 0 | 9 | 0.17 |
| 13 | @Wisconsin | L10-27 | -4.4 | 3 | 33 | 11.0 | 0 | 13 | 0.29 |
Usage & Situational · Pro
Snap-share proxy
Overall
4.0%
Passing plays
7.8%
Rushing plays
0.0%
Standard downs
2.5%
Passing downs
7.2%
EPA by down type
- Standard downs
- 0.47
- Passing downs
- 1.24
- Pass / Rush EPA
- 0.90 / —
Usage = share of team plays (CFBD has no true snap counts).