The self-proclaimed “Worldwide Leader in Sports” is always creating something to capture the minds of people.
On Monday, ESPN decided to unveil its latest work – the PlayStation Player Impact Rating – which will come out every Monday of this year’s college football season.
The wrinkle will provide a number from 0 to 100 for every player in the sport based on its impact.
Per an article from ESPN, the company is looking for different ways to measure the impact of players and while no one can watch every single athlete, the mathematical being used will spit out accurate data.
The National Basketball Association (NBA) has a plus-minus system for its impact stars and Major League Baseball (MLB) has WAR, meaning “wins above replacement.”
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To gauge the potential success of this experiment, ESPN featured a pair of offensive stars via Alabama football.
Tua Tagovailoa (quarterback) and Jerry Jeudy (wide receiver) were both awarded with a grade of 99.
Despite losing to Trevor Lawrence in the College Football Playoff title game, Tagovailoa’s rating was higher than Clemson’s signal caller (95).
When it comes to the relationship of Tagovailoa and Jeudy, ESPN used the NBA’s plus-minus mechanism.
According to a graphic it posted, the Crimson Tide’s trigger man has an impact rating of 94.1 when Jeudy is on the field and a 41.2 mark with he is not.
ESPN launched its brand new PlayStation Player Impact Rating Monday, which provides a 0-100 number for every player in college football.
Alabama has two members of “the 99 club” in QB Tua Tagovailoa and WR Jerry Jeudy. Learn more about the metric here: https://t.co/AD3SkhlfrM pic.twitter.com/CER3iFD11Y
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) August 20, 2019
Jeudy, a junior, comes off a campaign where he won the Fred Biletnikoff Award.
He is on multiple preseason award watch lists – including Biletnikoff and Maxwell, while also being named to the preseason All-SEC and All-America Teams. The native Floridian led Alabama in receptions (68), receiving yards (1,315) and touchdowns (14) last year.
Tagovailoa was a Heisman finalist and an All-American in 2018.
He became the fourth 3,000-yard passer of the Nick Saban era (3,966) and set a single-season school record for passing yards, touchdown passes (43) and total touchdowns (48).
Both players look to capture a national title this fall.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
