SMG Player of the Year Pyramid | 12.4.25

With the 2026 Call of Duty League season starting tomorrow, it’s officially time to bring back the player pyramids, with the SMGs up next! Last year, we ranked each position every few weeks based on recent form, team success, and in-series impact. That same system returns this season, with updates rolling out throughout all four CDL stages.

This preseason SMG Player Pyramid sets expectations for the year ahead, using both each player’s track record and their performances at the kickoff events as the baseline. From aggressive entry subs who crack open hills to objective kings who play around the points & sacrifice, here’s how the CDL’s top SMGs stack up heading into the first matches of the 2026 season.

The Ladder (Not Left to Right, just Tiers)

Tier 1

Cuyler "Huke" Garland - OpTic Texas

Next Match: December 5th at 3:00 pm EST vs Riyadh Falcons

Overall Preseason Stats (Active SMG Ranks)
KD: 1.17 (3rd)
Slayer Rating: 95.4 (4th)
Hardpoint KD: 1.18 (2nd)
SND KD: 1.31 (1st)
Overload KD: 1.11 (8th)

Tier 2

Anthony "Shotzzy" Cuevas-Castro - OpTic Texas

Next Match: December 5th at 3:00 pm EST vs Riyadh Falcons

Overall Preseason Stats (Active SMG Ranks)
KD: 1.01 (11th)
Slayer Rating: 88.4 (12th)
Hardpoint KD: 0.90 (21st)
SND KD: 1.31 (2nd)
Overload KD: 1.07 (10th)

📸 Photo by @CODLeague

Travis "Neptune" McCloud - Paris Gentle Mates

Next Match: December 6th at 4:30 pm EST vs Vancouver Surge

Overall Preseason Stats (Active SMG Ranks)
KD: 1.09 (7th)
Slayer Rating: 98.4 (2nd)
Hardpoint KD: 1.14 (7th)
SND KD: 0.93 (15th)
Overload KD: 1.07 (9th)

Tier 3

Paco "HyDra" Rusiewiez - LA Thieves

Next Match: December 5th at 4:30 pm EST vs FaZe Vegas

Overall Preseason Stats (Active SMG Ranks)
KD: 1.04 (9th)
Slayer Rating: 91.8 (6th)
Hardpoint KD: 0.93 (17th)
SND KD: 1.25 (5th)
Overload KD: 1.16 (7th)

Chris "Simp" Lehr - FaZe Vegas

Next Match: December 5th at 6:00 pm EST vs LA Thieves

Overall Preseason Stats (Active SMG Ranks)
KD: 0.97 (13th)
Slayer Rating: 91.4 (8th)
Hardpoint KD: 0.91 (20th)
SND KD: 1.02 (9th)
Overload KD: 1.05 (11th)

📸 Photo by @CODLeague

Joseph "JoeDeceives" Romero - Toronto KOI

Next Match: December 6th at 3:00 pm EST vs Miami Heretics

Overall Preseason Stats (Active SMG Ranks)
KD: 1.18 (2nd)
Slayer Rating: 91.0 (9th)
Hardpoint KD: 1.16 (5th)
SND KD: 1.12 (6th)
Overload KD: 1.24 (4th)

Tier 4

Dylan "Envoy" Hannon - Paris Gentle Mates

Next Match: December 6th at 4:30 pm EST vs Vancouver Surge

Overall Preseason Stats (Active SMG Ranks)
KD: 0.88 (22nd)
Slayer Rating: 84.9 (16th)
Hardpoint KD: 0.89 (22nd)
SND KD: 0.86 (17th)
Overload KD: 0.87 (19th)

Tyler "aBeZy" Pharris - LA Thieves

Next Match: December 5th at 4:30 pm EST vs FaZe Vegas

Overall Preseason Stats (Active SMG Ranks)
KD: 0.99 (12th)
Slayer Rating: 88.4 (13th)
Hardpoint KD: 1.00 (11th)
SND KD: 1.04 (8th)
Overload KD: 0.98 (14th)

📸 Photo by @CODLeague

Kyle "Kremp" Haworth - G2 Minnesota

Next Match: December 6th at 6:00 pm EST vs Cloud9 New York

Overall Preseason Stats (Active SMG Ranks)
KD: 1.18 (1st)
Slayer Rating: 106.1 (1st)
Hardpoint KD: 1.16 (6th)
SND KD: 1.09 (7th)
Overload KD: 1.26 (3rd)

Eric "Snoopy" Pérez - Boston Breach

Next Match: December 5th at 4:30 pm EST vs Carolina Royal Ravens

Overall Preseason Stats (Active SMG Ranks)
KD: 0.89 (20th)
Slayer Rating: 84.6 (17th)
Hardpoint KD: 1.16 (6th)
SND KD: 0.93 (14th)
Overload KD: 0.70 (24th)

Tier 5

Jovan "O4" Rodriguez - FaZe Vegas

Next Match: December 5th at 6:00 pm EST vs LA Thieves

Overall Preseason Stats (Active SMG Ranks)
KD: 0.92 (17th)
Slayer Rating: 89.3 (11th)
Hardpoint KD: 0.97 (13th)
SND KD: 0.94 (13th)
Overload KD: 0.83 (22nd)

Justice "Estreal" McMillan - G2 Minnesota

Next Match: December 6th at 6:00 pm EST vs Cloud9 New York

Overall Preseason Stats (Active SMG Ranks)
KD: 1.14 (5th)
Slayer Rating: 90.4 (10th)
Hardpoint KD: 1.16 (4th)
SND KD: 0.96 (11th)
Overload KD: 1.17 (5th)

José "ReeaL" Castilla - Toronto KOI

Next Match: December 6th at 3:00 pm EST vs Miami Heretics

Overall Preseason Stats (Active SMG Ranks)
KD: 1.01 (10th)
Slayer Rating: 86.2 (15th)
Hardpoint KD: 0.96 (14th)
SND KD: 1.29 (3rd)
Overload KD: 1.00 (13th)

Evan "Purj" Perez - Boston Breach

Next Match: December 5th at 4:30 pm EST vs Carolina Royal Ravens

Overall Preseason Stats (Active SMG Ranks)
KD: 0.88 (21st)
Slayer Rating: 77.7 (22nd)
Hardpoint KD: 0.81 (23rd)
SND KD: 0.50 (24th)
Overload KD: 1.30 (1st)

📸 Photo by @CODLeague

Amer "Pred" Zulbeari - Riyadh Falcons

Next Match: December 5th at 3:00 pm EST vs OpTic Texas

Overall Preseason Stats (Active SMG Ranks)
KD: 0.91 (18th)
Slayer Rating: 83.3 (20th)
Hardpoint KD: 1.01 (9th)
SND KD: 0.71 (21st)
Overload KD: 0.84 (21st)