Usage Score
15.5
Player Profile
Clayton Thorson
QB • 6'4" • 226 lbs • Wheaton, IL, USA
Balanced quarterback profileVolume operator
Clayton Thorson is a balanced quarterback profile with 15.5 usage in the latest tracked season.
Efficiency
52.1
Consistency
67.8
Season Value
58.8
Career Arc
Season-by-season value trend
Best season by value score: 2016 Postseason · Northwestern
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Quick Facts
- Career Teams
- 1
- Seasons Tracked
- 9
- Primary stop by seasons
- Northwestern
- Best season by value score
- Best season by value score: 2016 Postseason · Northwestern
- Peak game by takeover score
- Peak game by takeover score: Nebraska
Clayton Thorson, QB. Best season Best season by value score: 2016 Postseason · Northwestern. Clayton Thorson is a balanced quarterback profile with 15.5 usage in the latest tracked season.
Player insights
Lead takeaway
Best season by value score: 2016 Postseason
Northwestern paired 3,280 primary output with 56.7 efficiency.
Supporting note
2018 Postseason role shape
pass-led usage with 52.1 efficiency.
Supporting note
Career value stayed steady
2018 Regular Season tracked close to the prior stop by season value score.
Supporting note
Peak game by takeover score: Nebraska
Win shaped by high passing volume and turnover pressure. It landed in the 100th percentile of the selected season.
Season Explorer
Understand the selected season before dropping into the full game log.
2018 Postseason · Northwestern
Games
14
Primary Metric / G
219.4
Efficiency
52.1
Usage
15.5
Consistency
67.8
Best Game by takeover score
Utah
Hover a point or expand a game row to keep the active game context visible here.
Game-by-Game Trend
1234567891011121314
Chronological game order.
Game by game trend chart. Utah: 235. Purdue: 180. Duke: 179. Akron: 363. Michigan: 138. Michigan State: 365. Nebraska: 448. Rutgers: 123. Wisconsin: 196. Notre Dame: 131. Iowa: 123. Minnesota: 220. Illinois: 108. Ohio State: 262
Volume vs Efficiency
Low volume / high quality
High volume / high quality
Low volume / lower quality
High volume / lower quality
Volume on the x-axis, quality on the y-axis.
Volume versus efficiency scatter chart. Utah: 35 by 55.9. Purdue: 30 by 59.8. Duke: 41 by 47.7. Akron: 56 by 52.4. Michigan: 38 by 53.2. Michigan State: 50 by 53.8. Nebraska: 68 by 52.7. Rutgers: 43 by 46.7. Wisconsin: 38 by 49.8. Notre Dame: 40 by 48.9. Iowa: 35 by 39.8. Minnesota: 24 by 65.7. Illinois: 21 by 54.4. Ohio State: 49 by 48.3
Split Comparison
Wins222 · n=9 · +7.4 vs Losses
Losses214.6 · n=5 · -7.4 vs Wins
First Half272.6 · n=7 · +106.4 vs Second Half
Second Half166.1 · n=7 · -106.4 vs First Half
Game Log
Dense stat lines with inline explanations and season-linked highlights.
14 games
Featured metric
Total Offense
Top game by takeover score
Nebraska
Best efficiency game
65.7 vs Minnesota
| Result | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 1/1 | @ Utah | W 31-20 | 21 | 30 | 241 | 70.0 | 2 | 1 | 55.9 | 5 | -6 | -1.20 | 0 | 10 |
| Sun 12/2 | @ Ohio State | L 24-45 | 26 | 43 | 265 | 60.5 | 1 | 2 | 48.3 | 6 | -3 | -0.50 | 1 | 18 |
| Sat 11/24 | vs Illinois3+ TD | W 24-16 | 12 | 18 | 110 | 66.7 | 2 | 0 | 54.4 | 3 | -2 | -0.70 | 1 | 8 |
| Sat 11/17 | @ Minnesota | W 24-14 | 15 | 21 | 230 | 71.4 | 0 | 0 | 65.7 | 3 | -10 | -3.30 | 1 | 13 |
| Sat 11/10 | @ Iowa | W 14-10 | 15 | 30 | 122 | 50.0 | 1 | 2 | 39.8 | 5 | 1 | 0.20 | 0 | 8 |
| Sat 11/3 | vs Notre Dame3+ TD | L 21-31 | 16 | 29 | 141 | 55.2 | 1 | 0 | 48.9 | 11 | -10 | -0.90 | 2 | 5 |
| Sat 10/27 | vs Wisconsin3+ TD | W 31-17 | 17 | 30 | 167 | 56.7 | 1 | 3 | 49.8 | 8 | 29 | 3.60 | 2 | 27 |
| Sat 10/20 | @ Rutgers | W 18-15 | 17 | 34 | 150 | 50.0 | 0 | 0 | 46.7 | 9 | -27 | -3 | 0 | 4 |
| Sat 10/13 | vs Nebraska300-yard game · 3+ TD | W 34-31 | 41 | 64 | 455 | 64.1 | 3 | 2 | 52.7 | 4 | -7 | -1.80 | 0 | 4 |
| Sat 10/6 | @ Michigan State300-yard game · 3+ TD | W 29-19 | 31 | 47 | 373 | 66.0 | 3 | 2 | 53.8 | 3 | -8 | -2.70 | 1 | 2 |
| Sat 9/29 | vs Michigan | L 17-20 | 16 | 27 | 174 | 59.3 | 0 | 0 | 53.2 | 11 | -36 | -3.30 | 1 | 6 |
| Sat 9/15 | vs Akron300-yard game · 3+ TD | L 34-39 | 33 | 52 | 383 | 63.5 | 3 | 2 | 52.4 | 4 | -20 | -5 | 0 | 3 |
| Sat 9/8 | vs Duke | L 7-21 | 22 | 38 | 198 | 57.9 | 0 | 1 | 47.7 | 3 | -19 | -6.30 | 0 | 0 |
| Fri 8/31 | @ Purdue | W 31-27 | 16 | 27 | 172 | 59.3 | 0 | 0 | 59.8 | 3 | 8 | 2.70 | 0 | 6 |
Career Arc
Track team changes, role shifts, and season-to-season movement.
- 1
Northwestern
2014-2018
Opening stop
Season Progression
201420152015201620162017201720182018
| Season | Team | Primary | Efficiency | Usage | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 Regular Season | Northwestern | 0 | — | — | — |
| 2015 Postseason | Northwestern | 1,919 | 55.1 | 19.3 | 1,919 |
| 2015 Regular Season | Northwestern | 1,919 | 55.1 | 19.3 | 0 |
| 2016 Postseason | Northwestern | 3,280 | 56.7 | 20.8 | 1,361 |
| 2016 Regular Season | Northwestern | 3,280 | 56.7 | 20.8 | 0 |
| 2017 Postseason | Northwestern | 2,867 | 54.3 | 17.5 | -413 |
| 2017 Regular Season | Northwestern | 2,867 | 54.3 | 17.5 | 0 |
| 2018 Postseason | Northwestern | 3,071 | 52.1 | 15.5 | 204 |
| 2018 Regular Season | Northwestern | 3,071 | 52.1 | 15.5 | 0 |
Signature Performances
Top Games
#1 Featured game
Nebraska
Win with balanced pass-rush production and strong creator value.
303
Primary metric
303 total offense with 74.8 efficiency.
#2
Bowling Green
398
Primary metric
Win with 398 yards of offense and 79.2 efficiency.
398 total offense with 79.2 efficiency.
#3
Ball State
301
Primary metric
Win with 301 yards of offense and 66 efficiency.
301 total offense with 66 efficiency.
#4
Michigan State
367
Primary metric
Win with 367 yards of offense and 61.6 efficiency.
367 total offense with 61.6 efficiency.
#5
Nebraska
292
Primary metric
Loss shaped by high passing volume and turnover pressure.
292 total offense with 60.6 efficiency.
Top Seasons
#1 Season by value score
2016 Postseason · Northwestern
3,280 primary output · 56.7 efficiency · 20.8 usage
65.3
#2
2016 Regular Season · Northwestern
65.3
3,280 primary · 56.7 efficiency · 20.8 usage
#3
2018 Postseason · Northwestern
58.8
3,071 primary · 52.1 efficiency · 15.5 usage
Milestones
20
250+ passing yards
13
300+ total offense
1
3+ takeover TD games
15
Above avg efficiency
Bio, Recruit, and Data Context
Recruit Profile
4★
Class 2014 · Rating 0.9244
Wheaton North · Wheaton, IL
- Committed To
- Northwestern
- Commit Date
- Jan 1, 2014
Career Facts
1
Career teams
9
Seasons tracked
11,137
Career Total Offense
Data Context
Coverage spans 9 tracked seasons, 53 games, and base opponent context only. Derived metrics fall back to raw production when share or rating context is missing.
Career Metric Focus
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