Tristian Gardner stats, 2026
Coastal Carolina (2–5, Sun Belt). Wide receiver. 2026 season, games through Oct 24, 2026.
Tristian Gardner is a wide receiver for Coastal Carolina (2–5). Among receivers and tight ends this season he's 122nd in explosive catches (16+ yards) (8), 191st in receiving TDs (2), 199th in yards per catch (14.6), in 7 games. This week: Coastal Carolina at Georgia State.
Bio
Who is Tristian Gardner?
- Position
- Wide receiver
- Class
- Sophomore
- Height
- 6-2
- Weight
- 180 pounds
- Number
- No. 3
- Hometown
- Dallas, TX
- High school
- Waxahachie (Waxahachie, TX)
- Transfers
- Missouri State to Coastal Carolina (2026)
From the 2026 roster, the 247Sports recruiting composite and the transfer portal, all via CollegeFootballData.com.
The season
Tristian Gardner's receiving stats
He's 191st of 506 receivers and tight ends in receiving TDs (2) and 199th of 675 receivers and tight ends in yards per catch (14.6).
| Stat | Season | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Receiving yards | 263 | 272nd of 682 |
| Catches | 18 | 296th of 682 |
| Yards per catch | 14.6 | 199th of 675 |
| Receiving TDs | 2 | 191st of 506 |
The season
Tristian Gardner's receiving efficiency and big plays
He's 122nd of 657 receivers and tight ends in explosive catches (16+ yards) (8).
| Stat | Season | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Explosive catches (16+ yards) | 8 | 122nd of 657 |
Ranks are among every FBS receivers and tight end with the stat this season. Rates need a minimum sample (50 dropbacks for passing rates, 20 carries, 8 catches). From the play-by-play.
Charts
How does Tristian Gardner compare, in charts?
Career
Tristian Gardner's career stats
| Season | Team | Catches | Rec yds | Yds/catch | Rec TD | Rush yds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Missouri State | 30 | 465 | 15.5 | 6 | — |
| 2026 | Coastal Carolina | 18 | 263 | 14.6 | 2 | 0 |
| Career | 48 | 728 | 15.2 | 8 | 0 |
Past seasons (back to 2022) from CollegeFootballData.com; 2026 from the play-by-play, games through Oct 24, 2026.
By school
How did Tristian Gardner do at Missouri State and Coastal Carolina?
Missouri State (2025) is where he's been best: his best on 3 of the 4 rates below. That's +0.96 EPA per play (+0.41 at Coastal Carolina), 15.5 yards a catch (14.6) and touchdowns on 20.0% of his catches (11.1%). His weakest stretch was Coastal Carolina this season: +0.41 EPA per play and 14.6 yards a catch. His biggest season for receiving yards was 2025 at Missouri State, with 465. The Coastal Carolina numbers are 2026 so far, through Oct 24, 2026. The rates compare fairly with his other seasons; the totals are still growing.
| School | Seasons | Catches | Rec yds | Yds/catch | Rec TD | Rush yds | Explosive catches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri State | 2025 | 30 | 465 | 15.5 | 6 | — | 36.0% |
| Coastal Carolina | 2026 (so far) | 18 | 263 | 14.6 | 2 | 0 | 44.4% |
* 2026 so far, through Oct 24, 2026.
Totals for his seasons at each school; rates worked out from those totals. Success and explosive rates count every play; EPA per play leaves out garbage time. Rates need the same minimum sample as the season stats.
Advanced
Tristian Gardner's advanced stats by season
| Season | Team | EPA/play | Pass EPA/play | Explosive catches | Total EPA | Usage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Missouri State | +0.96 | +0.96 | 36.0% | 36.6 | 5% |
| 2026 | Coastal Carolina | +0.41 | +0.41 | 44.4% | 15.3 | 8% |
EPA per play is the expected points a player adds on each of his plays (0 is average; glossary). Success means the play stayed on schedule: half the yards to go on first down, 70% on second, all of them on third or fourth. Explosive means a run of 12+ yards or a completion of 16+, as a share of his throws, carries or catches. Usage is the share of his team's plays that went to him. EPA and usage leave out garbage time; success and explosive rates count every play. From CollegeFootballData.com and cfbfastR.
Game log
Tristian Gardner's game log, 2026
| Week | Opponent | Result | Receiving yards | Catches | Receiving TDs | Explosive catches (16+ yards) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | at West Virginia | L 24–31 | 47 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| 2 | vs. Fordham | W 45–7 | 26 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 3 | at Delaware | L 14–22 | 22 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | vs. Liberty | L 17–34 | 86 | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| 5 | vs. Georgia Southern | L 24–31 | 37 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | at Marshall | W 27–21 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | vs. App State | L 32–35 | 35 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
FAQ
Questions about Tristian Gardner
What position does Tristian Gardner play?
Tristian Gardner plays wide receiver for Coastal Carolina, which is 2–5 this season.
Where has Tristian Gardner played?
Missouri State (2025) and Coastal Carolina (2026).
Where is Tristian Gardner from, and what year is he?
Tristian Gardner is a sophomore wide receiver for Coastal Carolina, listed at 6-2 and 180 pounds, from Dallas, TX.
How tall is Tristian Gardner, and how much does he weigh?
Tristian Gardner is listed at 6-2 and 180 pounds on Coastal Carolina's 2026 roster.
What year is Tristian Gardner?
Tristian Gardner is a sophomore, from the 2025 recruiting class.
What are Tristian Gardner's career stats?
Over 2 seasons (2025–2026), Tristian Gardner has 48 catches for 728 yards and 8 touchdowns.
Who does Tristian Gardner play for?
Coastal Carolina (2–5, Sun Belt), where he plays wide receiver and wears No. 3.
Is Tristian Gardner eligible for the NFL Draft?
Not yet. Players can enter the NFL Draft three years after high school; Tristian Gardner was in the 2025 class, so his first chance is the 2028 draft.
How did Tristian Gardner play in his last game?
Week 7 vs. App State: 35 receiving yards, 3 catches, 1 receiving TD, 1 explosive catch (16+ yards). Coastal Carolina lost 32–35.
Where did Tristian Gardner go to high school?
Waxahachie (Waxahachie, TX).
Is Tristian Gardner a transfer?
Yes. He transferred from Missouri State to Coastal Carolina (2026).
What are Tristian Gardner's stats this season?
263 receiving yards, 18 catches, 14.6 yards per catch, 2 receiving TDs, 8 explosive catches (16+ yards) in 7 games, through Oct 24, 2026.
How does Tristian Gardner rank nationally?
Among FBS receivers and tight ends: 122nd of 657 in explosive catches (16+ yards), 191st of 506 in receiving TDs, 199th of 675 in yards per catch.
When does Tristian Gardner play next?
Coastal Carolina visits Georgia State Sat, Oct 31, 2:00 PM ET on ESPN+. The numbers' pick: Georgia State.
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Everything on this site starts with someone else's data, and we credit all of it. The projections, picks, rankings and tiers are our own math on top.
Where the data comes from
| Source | What we use | How often |
|---|---|---|
| CollegeFootballData.com, via the public cfbfastR files | Schedules, final scores, pregame Elo, play-by-play and box score stats, rosters | Usually posted Sunday or Monday morning after games |
| DraftKings lines (via The Odds API and CollegeFootballData.com) | The line and total on each game, and where each opened | Every morning, and before kickoffs Thursday to Saturday |
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| PRIME (primecfb.com) | Net, offense, defense and special teams ratings, strength of schedule, strength of record | Weekly |
| AP Top 25 (via NCAA.com) | Rankings and points, including others receiving votes | Sunday afternoons |
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| 247Sports | Team talent composite, star counts, 2026 transfer portal rankings | Preseason |
| The NIL Standard | Estimated NIL roster values | Preseason |
| us-atlas (U.S. Census Bureau boundaries) | State shapes for the map | Once |
How we turn it into projections
- Projected score. Each team's SP+ offense, plus how far the opponent's SP+ defense is from average, plus special teams. The home team gets half of a 2.5-point home edge added and the visitor half subtracted.
- Win chance. The projected margin turned into a probability, assuming games usually land within about 14 points of the projection. A 0-point margin is 50%; 14 points is about 84%.
- The three ratings. SP+ is built from every play this season. PRIME is a possession-efficiency rating. Elo uses only final scores and carries over from year to year, with 55 Elo points of home edge.
- The numbers' pick. The team at least two of the three ratings favor, with our confidence the average of their three win chances for that team. On the game cards, a pick is a lock when all three favor the same team and the average win chance is 80% or more, a coin flip when it's under 55%, and a lean otherwise. Injuries can drop the tier: each key player out counts by what he does for his team (a starting quarterback is 2 points, the feature back or top receiver half a point, doubtful counts half), the other side's injuries offset, and 1 point drops a tier, 2 points two. The game page shows it as an injury alert. Nobody overrides the numbers' pick.
- CFB Charts Top 25. SP+, PRIME and strength of record, each converted to a common scale and averaged.
- Playoff picture. The 2026-27 rules: automatic bids for the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC champions (the current conference leader stands in until the title games) and for the highest-ranked team from the American, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West, Pac-12 or Sun Belt. Notre Dame is in if it ranks in the top 12. The rest are at-large teams by the chosen rating, and all 12 are seeded straight by that rating, so the top four get the byes. Once the committee's rankings are out (first release Tuesday, Nov. 3), they become the default ranking.
- Missing data. When a team's play-by-play is clearly incomplete (fewer than 45 offensive plays a game), we hide its offense stats instead of showing bad numbers.
Rushing yards here exclude sacks, so they run higher than official totals. Ranks are out of the 138 FBS teams.
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- SP+
- Bill Connelly's rating, built from play-by-play efficiency and explosiveness and adjusted for who each team played. The number is how many points better than an average FBS team a team is on a neutral field. SP+ 20 beats SP+ 10 by about 10.
- PRIME
- A rating built possession by possession: how well a team turns drives into points and keeps opponents from doing the same, adjusted for opponents. Zero is an average FBS team.
- Elo
- A results-only rating. Every team has a number, 1500 is average, and the winner takes points from the loser after every game. Beat a great team and you take a lot. Beat a bad one and you take a few. It carries part of last season over, so it's slow to catch a team that changed.
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- How impressive a record is, given who a team played: how many more games it won than an average team would have against the same schedule. It grades the resume. SP+ and PRIME grade how good the team is.
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- How hard a team's opponents have been so far.
- Opponent-adjusted
- Corrected for who a team played. Hanging 50 on an FCS team counts for less than hanging 30 on Georgia.
- EPA (expected points added)
- Every down, distance and spot on the field is worth some number of points on average. 1st and 10 at the opponent's 20 is worth a lot more than 3rd and 15 at your own 10. EPA is how much one play changed that number. A 50-yard bomb is a big plus. A pick-six is a very big minus.
- EPA per play
- A team's average EPA across all its plays. For an offense, above zero means it adds points and higher is better. For a defense, lower is better.
- Success rate
- The share of plays that keep an offense on schedule: half the yards needed on 1st down, 70% of them on 2nd, all of them on 3rd and 4th. A 4-yard run on 1st and 10 is a success. A 4-yard run on 3rd and 6 isn't.
- Explosive play rate
- The share of plays that go for a run of 12 or more yards or a completion of 16 or more.
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- Schedule, Roster, Coach and Luck RECEIPTS
- The four parts of RECEIPTS. Schedule: what an average team would win against that schedule, minus .500. Roster: the extra wins from a roster this good on paper (247Sports talent and returning production). Coach: wins from playing better or worse than that roster should. Luck: actual wins against the wins SP+ expects. Recruiting rankings undersell the service academies, so their coaches get extra credit.
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- The wins a team should have, adding up its win chance in every game it played. Winning more than that usually means a lot of close wins, and close wins are mostly luck.
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- 247Sports' score for a roster, built from every player's recruiting rating, with the best players counting most. The blue-chip ratio is the share of the roster that were 4- or 5-star recruits.
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How the picks, tiers and projections work. The full method is on Sources and methods.
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- 12 teams, under the 2026-27 rules. Automatic bids go to the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC champions, and to the highest-ranked team from the American, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West, Pac-12 or Sun Belt. Until the title games, each conference's current leader stands in as its champion.
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Each column is that week's ranking. Arrows compare the latest poll to the week before. NR means not ranked.
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SP+ vs. payroll is the average, across a conference's teams with an NIL valuation (positive means its teams play better than their payrolls predict). Blue-chip ratio is the share of all its rostered players who were 4- or 5-star recruits.
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Seeds 1–4 get first-round byes. Seeds 5–8 host the first round.
The field and the bubble
The columns on the right show where each team would be seeded under the other ratings. A dash means out.
How the field is built
- 12 teams. Five get in automatically: the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC champions, plus the highest-ranked team from the American, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West, Pac-12 or Sun Belt (champion or not).
- Notre Dame is in if it ranks in the top 12.
- At-large. The remaining spots go to the highest-ranked teams left. If an automatic qualifier ranks outside the top 12, it takes the last at-large spot.
- Seeding follows the ranking, as it has since 2025. A conference champion isn't guaranteed a bye.
- Champions mid-season. "Current conference leader" uses the best conference record so far, with ties broken by the chosen rating. "Highest-rated team" picks the best-rated team in each conference instead.
- Composite averages SP+, PRIME and strength of record after putting each on a common scale.
- This is a projection from today's numbers. The real field is chosen by a committee on Dec. 6, after conference title games.
How we picked it
How we picked it
Three ratings look at a team in three different ways. The numbers' pick is the team at least two of them favor.
Where the game is won
Where the game is won
Each row puts one team's unit against the unit it faces, by national rank out of all FBS teams. An edge is a gap of 25 spots or more.
Injuries and availability
Statuses come from the conference availability reports and team news, as of the date shown. "Hasn't played" means a regular (the main passer, a quarter of the carries or 15% of the catches) with no pass, carry or catch in his team's last two games, from the play-by-play. That can be an injury, a benching or a suspension. Linemen and defenders don't show up in that check.
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Ratings: SP+ via CFB Update; PRIME via primecfb.com. Box and play stats computed from CollegeFootballData.com play data (via the public cfbfastR files), FBS games only for scoring. Rushing yards here exclude sacks, so they run higher than official totals. Ranks are out of 138 FBS teams.