NFCA welcomes TruMedia as an official sponsor
NFCA welcomes TruMedia as an official sponsor

The NFCA welcomes TruMedia, a Boston-based engineering firm that develops tier one sports analytics solutions, as a new Official Sponsor of the Association.

“We are thrilled to welcome TruMedia as a new Official Sponsor,” said NFCA Executive Director Carol Bruggeman. “Their user-friendly product provides detailed data and video information to help coaches and student-athletes perform at a high level. TruMedia is committed to the sport of softball and this commitment has led to unprecedented growth in the softball space. We look forward to working with them to grow the game.”

TruMedia will have a pronounced presence at the Association’s in-person events, including the NFCA Convention and NFCA Coaches Clinics, as well as the NFCA’s website, NFCA.org, in publications, and at all other NFCA events. 

“TruMedia wants to empower everyone working in sports to do more with data and video,” said Lexie Elkins, Softball Team Lead. “Collaborating with the NFCA, which does amazing work growing the game of softball at all levels, is a natural partnership to ensure collegiate softball coaches know they can access the same industry-leading product used by hundreds of softball and baseball programs, media, agencies, facilities and the vast majority of MLB teams.”

TruMedia's baseball, football and soccer platforms provide professional teams as well as sports media properties with the ability to conduct granular analysis associated with integrated play-by-play video. TruMedia's open API provides its partners with maximum confidentiality and unlimited customization. In late 2023, TruMedia launched its softball product, which provides teams the ability to quickly analyze data and video within one intuitive user interface.

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Press ReleasePaul CarrsoftballComment
TruMedia Networks Partners With Reboot Motion to Deliver Cutting Edge Biomechanic Analysis
TruMedia Networks Partners With Reboot Motion to Deliver Cutting Edge Biomechanic Analysis

TruMedia Networks is excited to announce that its partnership with Reboot motion to provide Major League Baseball clubs with access to Reboot’s most powerful Biomechanics data within TruMedia’s industry leading baseball analytics platform

Reboot Motion is known throughout Major League Baseball as the industry leader in biomechanics- taking in movement data of any form (including raw video) and outputting simple, objective, and actionable metrics. Reboot Motion works closely throughout organizations to deliver the right data to the right people.


Reboot’s mission is to empower coaches, data scientists, and biomechanics, allowing them to help athletes and drive change. To learn more about Reboot Motion, visit www.rebootmotion.com or follow Reboot Motion on Twitter.

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TruMedia announces NCAA Division I baseball product
TruMedia announces NCAA Division I baseball product

TruMedia Networks is excited to announce that its industry-leading baseball analytics platform is available to NCAA Division I college baseball teams beginning in the 2022 season.

In the past decade, TruMedia’s Major League Baseball and minor-league baseball products have become the primary way a majority of MLB teams watch video, build advance scouting reports and automate player-development reports. Coaches, players and front offices use the TruMedia analytics platform to query, filter and visualize traditional statistics and tracking data across all levels of professional baseball. Using Synergy video and Trackman data, TruMedia is bringing the same software to the college game.

Over 20 Division I schools have already signed up for 2022, including the 2021 NCAA champion Mississippi State Bulldogs, who trialed the product last season. For more information, please email ncaasupport@trumedianetworks.com.

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Press ReleasePaul Carrbaseball, College Baseball Comment
Will 49ers bounce back?
Will 49ers bounce back?

In his post-draft NFL power rankings, Sheil Kapadia suggest the 49ers are set to bounce back after a tough 2020 season:

“There are a number of statistical indicators to suggest the 49ers could be due for a bounce-back season in 2021. According to TruMedia’s Expected Points Added (EPA) model, only two teams were hurt more by turnovers than the 49ers last season. It’s true that bad teams often get crushed by turnovers. But there’s also luck and randomness involved. A little regression to the mean with turnovers would help San Francisco in a big way.”

Full article: The Athletic

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In the MediaRafe AndersonNFL, The Athletic, footballComment
Chelsea will keep a clean sheet
Chelsea will keep a clean sheet

James Benge uses TruMedia’s ProVision research platform and graphics to make predictions for the UEFA Champions League semifinals:

“Some of the defensive numbers emerging from Stamford Bridge are simply staggering. In 18 Premier League and Champions League matches since appointing Tuchel Chelsea have faced shots on their goals worth an average of 0.58 xG per game. Only two teams have had a shot profile that was better than one expected goal, the aforementioned Porto in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal and a West Bromwich Albion side that were playing against 10 men for over an hour.”

Full article: CBS Sports

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In the MediaRafe Andersonsoccer, CBSComment
deGrom's incredible bad luck
deGrom's incredible bad luck

Neil Greenberg uses TruMedia’s research site to look at the numbers behind Jacob deGrom’s incredible bad luck:

“Since 2018, the year of his first Cy Young Award, deGrom has made 78 starts and pitched 503 innings. Seventy-eight percent (61) of those starts were quality starts, meaning he lasted six or more innings and surrendered three or fewer earned runs. He’s struck out 649 batters, walked 110 and allowed just 115 earned runs (2.06 ERA) over that span. Yet the Mets are 36-42 in those matchups. No, that’s not a typo. …

How does that happen? A lack of run support is part of it. Over the past four seasons, the Mets have given deGrom 4.1 runs of support per nine innings pitched, the third-lowest of any starting pitcher over the past four years. If he had been given an average number of runs (4.6 per data from TruMedia) in support of his 2.06 ERA, we’d expect the Mets to be 45-10 in those starts. Instead they went 36-19, nine fewer wins.”

Full article: The Washington Post

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In the MediaRafe Andersonbaseball, Washington PostComment
Should teams pass on first down?
Should teams pass on first down?

How valuable is starting a drive with a pass play? The Athletic’s Andy Staples and Jason Starrett talked to. coaches and used TruMedia’s research site to crunch the numbers:

“Sometimes, the numbers can identify something that was painfully obvious in the most excruciating manner possible. For example, only one team in the entire FBS gained more on opening runs than it did on opening passes: Kentucky. From 2019-20, the Wildcats averaged 7.2 yards per rush on the first play of a drive and 5.5 yards a pass. Every other team in the country was at least equal, and that level of dysfunction in the passing game is why Kentucky coach Mark Stoops fired coordinator Eddie Gran and replaced him with former Los Angeles Rams assistant Liam Coen.

Not surprisingly, Wisconsin ranked near the bottom in first-play pass rate at No. 120. The Badgers, who make clear that they intend to establish the run and have built a very successful identity doing that, only threw on 30.5 percent of first plays. But if you’re averaging 6.6 yards per carry on those plays and 8.8 yards per pass attempt, that’s not nearly as big a difference as when other programs make that choice.”

Full article: The Athletic

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In the MediaRafe AndersonCollege Football, football, The AthleticComment
Sadio Mane not finishing
Sadio Mane not finishing

James Benge looks at Liverpool’s struggles and sees Sadio Mane taking similar shots to last season, but not converting at the same rate:

“Despite taking half a shot more than last season he is logging the same quality of shots per game -- as measured by expected goals (xG) -- and Opta's xG on target metric shows that a player who was averaging half a goal per game last season based on where his shots actually ended up is now only a small fraction over one goal per three games. In other words, Mane is getting into similar positions to last season but making far less of the opportunities that come his way. Just look at his shot points below, there are a lot of good quality looks in red.”

Full article: CBS Sports

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In the MediaRafe Andersonsoccer, CBSComment
Aldon Smith deepens Seahawks pass rush
Aldon Smith deepens Seahawks pass rush

Michael-Shawn Dugar uses TruMedia’s PFF-powered research platform to look at what Aldon Smith brings to the Seahawks:

“Smith had 50 quarterback pressures, five sacks and a generated pressure on 12.1 percent of his pass-rush reps, ranking 35th among qualifying edge defenders, according to TruMedia. He was one spot behind Chicago’s Khalil Mack and one above Cleveland’s Myles Garrett, both of whom made the Pro Bowl in 2020. Smith’s total pressures would have led the Seahawks last season; his pressure percentage would have ranked second among Seattle defensive linemen and would have been third overall behind safety Jamal Adams and defensive end Carlos Dunlap.”

Full article: The Athletic

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In the MediaRafe AndersonThe Athletic, NFL, footballComment
Raiders making questionable moves
Raiders making questionable moves

For The Athletic, Sheil Kapadia ponders what he’s learned about all 32 NFL teams this offseason, including the Raiders' questionable moves:

“In 2019 and 2020, the Raiders’ offense ranked eighth in TruMedia’s Expected Points Added (EPA) per snap metric. Translation: The offense has worked, and offensive efficiency is the biggest key to sustained success in the NFL. A big part of that was the play of the offensive line. But in the offseason, Jon Gruden decided to move on from offensive tackle Trent Brown, center Rodney Hudson and guard Gabe Jackson.

The initial thought was to use some of those financial resources on the defensive side of the ball, but then they signed running back Kenyan Drake to a two-year, $11 million deal with $8.5 million guaranteed.”

Full article: The Athletic

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In the MediaRafe Andersonfootball, NFL, The AthleticComment
Can Darnold replicate Tannehill's success?
Can Darnold replicate Tannehill's success?

Can Sam Darnold follow Ryan Tannehill's career path? Sheil Kapadia analyzes the Jets-Panthers trade:

“As for the Panthers, they’ve done nothing to hide the fact that they want an upgrade over Teddy Bridgewater. So what’s the case for taking a chance on Darnold? One, trading for players who underachieved under Adam Gase is not a bad plan. The name that will come up often is Ryan Tannehill. In three seasons (2016-2018) on the Miami Dolphins with Gase, Tannehill produced -0.04 Expected Points Added (EPA) per play, according to TruMedia’s model. That ranked 33rd out of 39 qualifying quarterbacks. As a point of reference, Darnold has performed at a similar level (-0.06 EPA per play) over the last three seasons — two with Gase.

Tannehill turned his career around with the Tennessee Titans and has produced 0.27 EPA per play, which ranks second. The Panthers will hope that Darnold can make a similar leap in a new scheme with better coaching and an improved supporting cast, led by Christian McCaffrey, D.J. Moore and Robby Anderson (a former Jets teammate of Darnold).”

Full article: The Athletic

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In the MediaRafe AndersonThe Athletic, football, NFLComment
Can City shut down Haaland?
Can City shut down Haaland?

Can Manchester City shut down Dortmund dynamo Erling Haaland? James Benge analyzes their matchup:

“City are exceptional at stopping the ball from reaching Haaland's spot. The English giants have only conceded one goal because they have faced a ludicrously small number of shots (35 in eight games) and most of those have been low probability efforts. According to Opta, City's combined expected goals (xG) conceded tally -- a metric that assesses the probability of any shot being scored -- is 2.26, a comically low number when the competition's next best defense is Chelsea with more than double that figure (5.73).”

Full article: CBS Sports

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In the MediaRafe Andersonsoccer, CBSComment
Why Mourinho is to blame
Why Mourinho is to blame

Mike Goodman uses TruMedia’s ProVision research platform to analyze Tottenham’s struggles under Jose Mourinho this season:

“Same coach, different players indeed. Jose Mourinho's players are not particularly good at defending. You might not recognize that from their topline numbers, which are deceiving. They've only conceded 1.07 goals per match, that's the third-best total in the league. Look a little deeper, however, and the numbers get uglier. Spurs conceded 12.57 shots per match, there are only eight teams in the league that concede more. They concede 1.30 expected goals per match, exactly league average.

Their stingy defensive record is not the result of a side that is difficult to score goals against, rather it's the result of Hugo Lloris having another excellent shot-stopping season in goal. No team has a larger gap between its expected goals on target conceded and actual goals conceded than Spurs' 4.66.”

Full article: CBS Sports

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In the MediaRafe AndersonCBS, soccerComment
Did Rams overpay for Stafford?
Did Rams overpay for Stafford?

NFL executives and talent evaluators give Mike Sando their thoughts on every team's free-agency period so far, including one evaluator thinking the Rams overpaid for Matthew Stafford:

“I think really the Rams overpaid for Stafford,” an evaluator said. “He’s an upgrade over Goff, but they gave up a ton. They are clearly in win-now mode. Are they better this year? Yeah, but the amount of capital they gave up to get Stafford was outrageous. I don’t think Goff is that much worse than Stafford. He is not as good, but not terrible. Maybe I’m mis-evaluating Goff.”

Stafford’s Lions went 11-5 and 10-6 in the only two seasons they ranked among the top 10 in defensive expected points added (EPA), according to TruMedia. They ranked 20th or worse eight times. The Rams were No. 1 in that category last season. Over the past 15 seasons, every team that finished first in defensive EPA had a winning record, including teams that got 10-plus starts from Mitch Trubisky, Blake Bortles, Mark Sanchez, Kyle Orton and Trevor Siemian.”

Full article: The Athletic

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In the MediaRafe AndersonNFL, football, The AthleticComment
Matt Corral surprisingly efficient
Matt Corral surprisingly efficient

Max Olson writes on the last season’s most efficient college quarterback, with Ole Miss’ Matt Corral landing in the second spot…

“Among returning Power 5 passers, nobody enjoyed a greater improvement in their YPP average than Ole Miss’ Matt Corral. He jumped from 6.37 YPP to 8.77 in just one year with Lane Kiffin and Jeff Lebby, turning into a 71 percent passer after completing just 59 percent of his throws in 2019. Nobody in college football hit more 50-plus-yard passes (11), and his 57 plays of 20 or more yards ranked fifth nationally according to TruMedia. Corral averaged 39.5 yards per completion on throws of 20-plus yards. If you want explosive offense, you want this dude.”

Full article: The Athletic

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In the MediaRafe Andersonfootball, College Football, The AthleticComment
Lockett worth the extension
Lockett worth the extension

Michael-Shawn Dugar uses TruMedia’s PFF-powered research platform to assess the Seahawks’ extension of star receiver Tyler Lockett:

“After signing his first contract extension in August 2018, Lockett began performing like a top-10 receiver. Since 2018, Lockett ranks 13th in receiving yards, fifth in receiving touchdowns and second in reception percentage among qualifying receivers, according to TruMedia. In 2020, Lockett ranked sixth in receiving touchdowns, 10th in reception percentage and 15th in receiving yards.”

Full article: The Athletic

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In the MediaRafe Andersonfootball, NFLComment
Sounders must adapt without Morris
Sounders must adapt without Morris

Matt Pentz looks at the challenges the Seattle Sound will face this season, including the absence of left winger Jordan Morris:

“Just look at this heat map from TruMedia, which shows the average position of all Seattle players over the course of last season, and keep in mind that Morris played on the left wing.

Other advanced metrics from last season bode more positively for the Sounders. They finished close to the top of the league in possession, touches, passes attempted and pass completion in the final third. They like to proactively take control of games and dictate tempo; that’s unlikely to change given that most of the midfield remains intact, and such a style can help teams ride out stretches when they might not be their sharpest. Their expected goals and assists were both third in MLS, a good sign that they aren’t due for too much regression. “

Full article: The Athletic

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In the MediaRafe AndersonsoccerComment
Offseason coverage relies on TruMedia
Offseason coverage relies on TruMedia

The Athletic continues to use TruMedia’s PFF-powered research platform extensively in offseason coverage of teams including:

Seahawks: “Seattle is likely attracted to his physical tools. (Akhello) Witherspoon is 6-foot-3 with long arms and a 4.45 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine. He hasn’t gotten his hands on the ball much, totaling just 24 passes defensed in his career. That ranks 93rd since 2017, with only four interceptions. In 2020, Witherspoon had four passes defensed in 203 coverage snaps (per TruMedia) and one interception – all in San Francisco’s final three games.”

49ers: “Although (Alex) Mack may have lost a step since his dominant prime, he’s still a solid pass protector who allowed only one sack over 633 pass-blocking snaps in 2020, per TruMedia. Mack will mark a surefire improvement for a 49ers’ center situation that endured a few disasters in 2020. By the end of the season, the 49ers were starting their fourth-string center, Daniel Brunskill. This also created a big issue at right guard, Brunskill’s original position.”

Giants: “(Leonard) Williams, who turns 27 in June, recorded a career-high 11.5 sacks in 2020. Per TruMedia, his 12.7 percent pressure rate ranked among the league’s top-five interior defensive linemen. Williams has also been a stout run defender throughout his entire career, which began with the New York Jets in 2015. The Giants traded a third- and fifth-round pick for him in October of 2019.”

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Seahawks RB possibilities
Seahawks RB possibilities

Michael-Shawn Dugar looks at Seahawks free-agent running back options, including former Packer Jamaal Williams:

“Williams, who will be 26 at the start of the season, also has potential to create a nice 1-2 punch with Penny. The former Green Bay Packer put together an efficient season complementing Aaron Jones in 2020. Williams ranked third in EPA per carry and 15th in total EPA on rushes, per TruMedia. He caught 31 of 35 targets (with two drops) and averaged as many yards per reception (7.6) as Jones. Production by Green Bay running backs must be taken with a grain of salt because the Packers’ offensive line is elite, and it’s unreasonable to assume someone carrying the ball behind that front will bring that same exact efficiency to a team with a lesser run-blocking group. Still, Williams would be a low-risk option and has shown to have talent that may be showcased regardless of the O-line.”

Full article: The Athletic

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Texans free-agency board check-in
Texans free-agency board check-in

Aaron Reiss checks in on the Texans free-agency board, including their defensive line options:

“DT Sheldon Rankins (27): The No. 12 overall pick in 2016 was solid but unspectacular in five seasons with the Saints. He played 40 percent of defensive snaps last season and recorded nine QB hits and 1.5 sacks. He produced pressure on 8.9 percent of opportunities, according to TruMedia and Pro Football Focus. That would’ve ranked second among Texans defensive linemen, behind only Charles Omenihu.”

Full article: The Athletic

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In the MediaRafe AndersonNFL, football, The AthleticComment