JJ Buchanan is a Red Zone Weapon TE for Utah. JJ's 2025 season produced 19.5 total EPA across 40 plays.
2026 Usage Outlook · projected share of team plays
Regressed toward the TE mean. Model correlation r≈0.42 on a 2019-2025 walk-forward — volume only; efficiency not projected.
2025 Production
Performance Analysis · 2025 · vs TE peers
Goes from good to great inside the 20 — high TD conversion on limited looks makes this receiver a scoring machine.
- ▸Top-10% efficiency among TEs — elite opponent-adjusted EPA rate.
- ▸Limited usage share suggests a rotational or specialist role.
- ▸6 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 — 0.44 EPA/play decline from first to second half.
- ▸Peak game: 1.86 EPA/play in Wk 5 vs West Virginia (SP+ -7).
NIL Market Tier· 2025
On3 valuation ↗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.
Historical Comparables · TE · efficiency + volume + value
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ty Thompson | Tulane | 2024 | 48 | 0.420 | 0.4 | 20.2 |
| Seth Green | Minnesota | 2018 | 83 | 0.390 | 0.0 | 32.4 |
| Johnny Langan | Rutgers | 2020 | 59 | 0.300 | 0.0 | 17.7 |
| Evan Svoboda | Wyoming | 2024 | 75 | 0.290 | 0.0 | 21.8 |
| Jordan Myers | Rice | 2021 | 59 | 0.270 | 0.2 | 15.9 |
Comps are statistical — efficiency, volume, and value tier all factor in. Style and conference context differ.
Game Log · box score + EPA, week by week
| Wk | Opponent | Result | Opp SP+ | Rec | Rec Yds | Avg | Rec TD | Long | EPA/play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | @UCLA | W43-10 | -8.7 | 3 | 29 | 9.7 | 0 | 18 | 0.63 |
| 3 | @Wyoming | W31-6 | -11.3 | 1 | 14 | 14.0 | 1 | 14 | 0.28 |
| 4 | vsTexas Tech | L10-34 | 27.6 | 2 | 3 | 1.5 | 0 | 4 | -0.18 |
| 5 | @West Virginia | W48-14 | -6.8 | 3 | 32 | 10.7 | 1 | 14 | 1.86 |
| 8 | @BYU | L21-24 | 15.9 | 2 | 43 | 21.5 | 0 | 31 | 0.93 |
| 9 | vsColorado | W53-7 | -8.3 | 2 | 35 | 17.5 | 1 | 22 | — |
| 10 | vsCincinnati | W45-14 | 4.5 | 2 | 15 | 7.5 | 0 | 14 | -0.47 |
| 12 | @Baylor | W55-28 | 1.4 | 3 | 41 | 13.7 | 0 | 16 | 0.89 |
| 13 | vsKansas State | W51-47 | 7.0 | 2 | 74 | 37.0 | 0 | 60 | 0.59 |
| 14 | @Kansas | W31-21 | 4.1 | 2 | 65 | 32.5 | 1 | 58 | -0.16 |
| 1 | vsNebraska | W44-22 | 6.2 | 4 | 76 | 19.0 | 1 | 29 | 0.45 |
Usage & Situational · Pro
- Standard downs
- 0.14
- Passing downs
- 0.88
- Pass / Rush EPA
- 0.49 / —
Usage = share of team plays (CFBD has no true snap counts).