Cole McDonald, 2021
Photo: Cmm3, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Quarterback, Hawai’i, 2016–⁠19

Cole McDonald

Number
No. 13
Height
6′4″
Weight
220 lb
Class (2019)
Junior
Hometown
La Mirada, CA
Born
May 20, 1998, in La Mirada, California

Wikipedia readers: about 788 a month over the past year

Cole McDonald played quarterback at Hawai’i (2016–⁠19). The Tennessee Titans took McDonald in round 7, No. 224 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft.

At a glance

Best season
4,138
Passing yards, 2019 (Hawai’i, 10–⁠5)
Best game
493 yards
Vs. BYU, bowl season 2019: No. 2 passing game in FBS that week
National rank
No. 3
In FBS in passing yards, 2019
Drafted
No. 224
Round 7, 2020 NFL Draft (Tennessee Titans)

Career highs

493passing yards, best game on filevs. BYU, 20196touchdown passes, best game on filevs. Navy, 2018140rushing yards, best game on fileat New Mexico, 20192rushing touchdowns, best game on filethree times; last at UNLV, 2019

Passing

Passing yards, season by season, with his team’s record
SeasonTeamCmpAttPctYdsY/ATDInt
2017Hawai’i5955.6222.410
2018Hawai’i28548458.93,8758.03610
2019Hawai’i32651163.84,1388.13314
On file (2017–⁠19)6161,00461.48,0358.07024

Rushing

SeasonTeamCarYdsAvgTDLong
2017Hawai’i161388.6158
2018Hawai’i1343462.6428
2019Hawai’i1033773.7776
On file (2017–⁠19)2538613.41276

Season lines from CollegeFootballData, regular season and bowls.

On the roster

SeasonTeamNo.PosClassHtWt
2017Hawai’i13QBFr.
2018Hawai’i13QBSo.
2019Hawai’i13QBJr.6′4″220

As each season’s roster listed the player (CollegeFootballData). Classes before the latest listing are counted back from it; “Yr 1” is the year on file where that count can’t place a season he played (a redshirt, transfer or 2020 year); height and weight as last listed.

Per play

SeasonTeamPlaysEPA/playPctileMedianTotalUsageAdj. passAdj. rush
2017Hawai’i250.23––5.75%––
2018Hawai’i6170.3373rd (n=160)0.26202.968%0.380.20
2019Hawai’i6130.3473rd (n=155)0.27206.762%0.340.20

Expected points added: how much the player’s plays moved the team’s expected score, per play and in total. Plays: total EPA divided by EPA per play, the plays the source credits to him (for a receiver roughly his catches and runs, not every target; for a passer, not every attempt), so it can differ from attempts plus carries. Percentile: against the position’s regulars that season across all divisions on file (quarterbacks with 150+ plays, backs 60+, receivers and tight ends 30+), with how many there were (n) and their median; a dash means too few plays to rank. A season in progress uses the full-season bar scaled by games played, never below 75 plays for quarterbacks, 30 for backs and 20 for receivers. The cohort grows or shrinks with the source’s coverage each season (2025 lists far more players), so compare percentiles rather than raw EPA across years. FCS seasons are marked. Usage: the share of the team’s plays the player was part of (shown from 20 plays). Adjusted pass and rush: EPA per play adjusted for the defenses faced (CollegeFootballData’s WEPA). From CollegeFootballData, 2013 on.

Game by game

2019 Hawai’i 14 games, 4,138 passing yards, 33 TD
DateOpponentResultCmpAttYdsTDIntRush
Aug 24vs.ArizonaW 45–⁠3829413784421
Sep 7vs.Oregon StateW 31–⁠2830524214119
Sep 14atWashingtonL 20–⁠5222352181329
Sep 21vs.Central ArkansasW 35–⁠1625323004131
Sep 28atNevadaW 54–⁠32530312401
Oct 12atBoise StateL 37–⁠5923412513054
Oct 19vs.Air ForceL 26–⁠5634524043141
Oct 26atNew MexicoW 45–⁠31173023711140
Nov 2vs.Fresno StateL 38–⁠4121422751117
Nov 16atUNLVW 21–⁠720262110043
Nov 23vs.San Diego StateW 14–⁠11131914411−5
Nov 30vs.ArmyW 52–⁠311929250307
Dec 7atBoise StateL 10–⁠31203624401−11
Dec 24 ✦vs.BYUW 38–⁠34284649340−10
2018 Hawai’i 13 games, 3,875 passing yards, 36 TD
DateOpponentResultCmpAttYdsTDIntRush
Aug 25atColorado StateW 43–⁠3426374183096
Sep 1vs.NavyW 59–⁠41304142860−14
Sep 8vs.RiceW 43–⁠2922333194036
Sep 15atArmyL 21–⁠2820323212019
Sep 22vs.DuquesneW 42–⁠2124402735156
Sep 29atSan José StateW 44–⁠4134573414127
Oct 13atBYUL 23–⁠4922382482122
Oct 20vs.NevadaL 22–⁠4019372593021
Oct 27atFresno StateL 20–⁠5017282251162
Nov 3vs.Utah StateL 17–⁠5618453312217
Nov 17vs.UNLVW 35–⁠2814301750224
Nov 24atSan Diego StateW 31–⁠30294645230−3
Dec 22 ✦vs.Louisiana TechL 14–⁠3110208512−17
2017 Hawai’i 6 games, 22 passing yards, 1 TD
DateOpponentResultCmpAttYdsTDIntRush
Sep 2vs.Western CarolinaW 41–⁠1813000–
Sep 9atUCLAL 23–⁠56–––––75
Sep 23atWyomingL 21–⁠28–––––14
Oct 14vs.San José StateW 37–⁠2611410–
Nov 4atUNLVL 23–⁠31–––––4
Nov 18atUtah StateL 0–⁠3835180045

Box scores from CollegeFootballData, 2004 on. ✦ postseason; ★ a career high on file.

Before the draft

DrillCombine 2020
Height6′3⅛″
Weight215 lb
Arm length32¼″
Hand size9¾″
Wingspan76¾″W
40-yard dash4.58 s
10-yard split1.55 sW
Vertical jump36″
Broad jump10′1″
3-cone drill7.13 s
20-yard shuttle4.52 s

Unmarked: Combine and pro day results compiled by array-carpenter (nfl-draft-data); W: Pre-draft measurables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

Other pro football

YearsLeagueTeam
2021CFLToronto Argonauts
2023XFLHouston Roughnecks
2024CFLEdmonton Elks *

Leagues other than the NFL, from the infobox of his Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA), as it names the teams. * Off-season roster or practice squad only.

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