Quarterback, Oregon State (from Mercer), 2025–⁠26

Braden Atkinson

Number
No. 2
Height
6′1″
Weight
208 lb
Class (2026)
Sophomore
Hometown
Raleigh, NC

Braden Atkinson plays quarterback for Oregon State, after Mercer (2025). Atkinson leads FBS in passing touchdowns this season. Last time out, against Washington State: 23 of 38, 347 yards, 3 TD.

2026 so far

2,583 passing yards, 24 TD

No. 1 in FBS in passing touchdownsNo. 1 in FBS in passing yards

Last game: 23 of 38, 347 yards, 3 TD vs. Washington State, W 48–⁠30

Next game: at Fresno State, Oct 31

Game by game this season, passing yards
  1. 376@HOU
  2. 413TTU
  3. 333MONT
  4. 301@UTEP
  5. 404@CSU
  6. 409SDSU
  7. 347WSU

Filled bars: wins; outlined: losses.

At a glance

Best season
3,611
Passing yards, 2025 (Mercer, 9–⁠3)
Best game
409 yards
Vs. San Diego State, week 6, 2026: No. 1 passing game in FBS that week
National rank
No. 1
In FBS in passing touchdowns, 2026

Career highs

538passing yards, career highvs. VMI, 20255touchdown passes, career highsix times; last vs. San Diego State, 2026

Honors

Team titles: Southern champions, 2025

Players of the year, conference and regional honors: Wikipedia’s lists (CC BY-SA), each linked from its honor.

Passing

Passing yards, season by season, with his team’s record

* The season in progress, so far.

SeasonTeamCmpAttPctYdsY/ATDInt
2025Mercer26840765.83,6118.93411
2026Oregon State18827269.12,5839.5242
Career45667967.26,1949.15813

Rushing

SeasonTeamCarYdsAvgTDLong
2025Mercer1490.618
2026Oregon State2210.0217
Career36100.3317

Season lines from CollegeFootballData, regular season and bowls.

On the roster

SeasonTeamNo.PosClassHtWt
2025Mercer2QBFr.
2026Oregon State2QBSo.6′1″208

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. pass
2025Mercer (FCS)4080.5197th (n=314)0.24206.050%–
2026Oregon State2940.5096th (n=273)0.21146.758%0.31

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.

Passing detail

SeasonTeamSuccessDepthAfter catchDeep throwsDeep completed
2026Oregon State52%9.3 yds8.3 yds56 of 26838%

Success: passes that kept the offense on schedule. Depth: how far downfield his passes traveled in the air, on average. After catch: yards his receivers gained after the catch, per completion. Deep throws: the play-by-play gives depth and direction for about half of a passer’s throws; this is how many of those went deep, and how many of the deep ones were caught. From CollegeFootballData, FBS games, 2025 on.

Rushing detail

SeasonTeamSuccessLine yardsSecond levelOpen fieldStuffed
2026Oregon State75%4.101.400.708%

Where his yards came from, per carry: line yards are the ones credited to the blockers (the first few, and losses), second level the yards 5 to 10 past the line, open field those beyond 10. Success: carries that kept the offense on schedule. Stuffed: carries stopped at or behind the line. From CollegeFootballData, FBS games, 2025 on.

Game by game

2026 Oregon State 7 games, 2,583 passing yards, 24 TD
DateOpponentResultCmpAttYdsTDIntRush
Sep 5atHoustonL 20–⁠33294837610−31
Sep 12vs.Texas TechL 24–⁠35315141321−13
Sep 19vs.MontanaW 52–⁠172230333504
Sep 26atUTEPW 33–⁠72434301318
Oct 3atColorado StateW 56–⁠2630334045026
Oct 10vs.San Diego StateW 66–⁠14293840950−9
Oct 17vs.Washington StateW 48–⁠3023383473016
2025 Mercer 11 games, 3,611 passing yards, 34 TD
DateOpponentResultCmpAttYdsTDIntRush
Sep 13vs.WoffordW 22–⁠21263731612−5
Sep 20atThe CitadelW 38–⁠0293530540−7
Sep 27atEast Tennessee StateW 38–⁠34182618731−3
Oct 4vs.SamfordW 45–⁠212235365502
Oct 11atPrincetonW 38–⁠142742347317
Oct 25vs.VMIW 62–⁠0293553850–
Nov 1atFurmanW 52–⁠282849426408
Nov 8atWestern CarolinaW 49–⁠4723394433012
Nov 15vs.ChattanoogaW 63–⁠172837326510
Nov 22atAuburnL 17–⁠62203321012−9
Dec 6vs.South DakotaL 0–⁠471839148044

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

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