Sam Mays

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). From CollegeFootballData, 2013 on.

2018 Illinois 11 games, 29 catches, 331 yards

Date	Opponent	Result	Rec	Yds	TD	Long
Sep 1	vs.Kent State	W 31–⁠24	4	47	0	17
Sep 8	vs.Western Illinois	W 34–⁠14	4	42	0	16
Sep 15	vs.South Florida	L 19–⁠25	1	13	0	13
Sep 21	vs.Penn State	L 24–⁠63	3	26	0	11
Oct 6	atRutgers	W 38–⁠17	2	11	0	7
Oct 13	vs.Purdue	L 7–⁠46	2	37	0	30
Oct 27	atMaryland	L 33–⁠63	2	16	0	10
Nov 3	vs.Minnesota	W 55–⁠31	2	14	0	9
Nov 10	atNebraska	L 35–⁠54	2	32	0	17
Nov 17	vs.Iowa	L 0–⁠63	3	24	0	12
Nov 24	atNorthwestern	L 16–⁠24	4	69	0	28

2017 Illinois 1 game

Date	Opponent	Result	Rec	Yds	TD	Long
Oct 21	atMinnesota	L 17–⁠24	0	−4	0	−4

2016 Illinois 6 games, 13 catches, 158 yards, 1 TD

Date	Opponent	Result	Rec	Yds	TD	Long
Sep 3	vs.Murray State	W 52–⁠3	2	27	0	19
Sep 10	vs.North Carolina	L 23–⁠48	1	5	0	5
Oct 29	vs.Minnesota	L 17–⁠40	2	39	0	30
Nov 5	vs.Michigan State	W 31–⁠27	4	39	1	16
Nov 12	atWisconsin	L 3–⁠48	2	16	0	10
Nov 26	atNorthwestern	L 21–⁠42	2	32	0	25

2015 Illinois 4 games, 7 catches, 78 yards, 1 TD

Date	Opponent	Result	Rec	Yds	TD	Long
Sep 5	vs.Kent State	W 52–⁠3	2	37	1	27
Sep 19	atNorth Carolina	L 14–⁠48	1	15	0	15
Oct 3	vs.Nebraska	W 14–⁠13	2	21	0	15
Oct 10	atIowa	L 20–⁠29	2	5	0	7

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