Students Present Big Data to the NFL

July 2026

BYU graduate students Grant Nielson, Connor Thompson, and Evan Miller analyzed NFL player-tracking data to determine what defenders can and cannot do in the split second between the quarterback’s release and the receiver’s catch point.

The group’s work is grounded in stats rather than opinion. “If you think [the receiver] should have jumped the route, our computations show where he could have gone and the probability that he could have gotten an interception,” says Thompson. It’s more than wishful thinking: “Data. Not just vibes,” he says.

The team of grad students submitted their work to the NFL’s annual Big Data Bowl and were among the five finalists, earning a $9,000 prize and an invitation to present their findings to league executives at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.

When the team arrived in Indianapolis, the scale of the event hit them at once. NFL logos were everywhere—on shirts, lanyards, and banners. One logo even had their names printed alongside the league’s iconic shield.

The room was packed for their presentation, and the energy was high. Organizers reminded them that their ideas would not stay in the room: their research would shape coaching strategies, player development, and broadcast direction.

“I was nervous to make sure we got everything right but also really excited,” Nielson says.
 While building the data model had been difficult, turning the complex statistical modeling into something everyday fans and non-statisticians could understand was a separate puzzle. To meet the challenge, the team recruited a different kind of player—freelance motion designer Evan West, a Utah Valley University graduate—to help them enhance their presentation.

A BYU team comprising some of this year’s winners competed at last year’s Big Data Bowl. “The whole idea of coming back this year was ‘Hey, let’s give it our best shot again,’” Nielson says.
 

“There’s some really great sports analytics research going on by professors, graduate students, and undergrads here at BYU,” Nielson says. Having a BYU team succeed in the Big Data bowl makes a clear statement to the field of sports analytics: “[BYU doesn’t] have the dedicated sports analytics program some schools have, [but] we’re learning the fundamentals, we’re learning the theory, [and] we can also hang with the big guys.’”

[source: https://news.byu.edu/intellect/byu-student-finalists-tackle-the-nfl-big-data-bowl-present-to-league-executives]