Cole Payton’s 2025 breakout made him a dual-threat nightmare for defenses
In the 2025 season, Cole Payton became North Dakota State’s starter and flashed elite dual-threat juice: 2,719 passing yards, 16 passing TDs, 777 rushing yards, and 13 rushing TDs, with strong efficiency metrics that included a 72% completion rate and 12.1 yards per attempt. He stands out because he isn’t just productive—he stresses defenses vertically and with his legs, and his size/athletic profile plus clean decision-making suggest a quarterback who can fit a system built around explosive plays and run-pass stress.
