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Efficient or explosive: 2026 College Football Chart

College Football Charts
Data updatedOct 31, 2026

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Efficient or explosive: rushing success rate vs. yards per carry

Top 50 of 366 running backs by both stats combined. Season so far, games through Oct 24, 2026. Dashed lines are the averages; up and right is better on both.

From the play-by-play. Players with 30+ pass attempts, 15+ carries, 8+ catches, a sack, an interception or a fumble recovery this season; these stats also need 20+ carries. Labels mark the best on both stats and anyone you highlight. Hover or tap a dot for the numbers.

What this shows

Each dot is one of 50 running backs, placed by rushing success rate (across) and yards per carry (up). The share of carries that are successful plays. A successful play gains 50% of the yards needed on 1st down, 70% on 2nd, and all of it on 3rd and 4th. Rushing yards divided by carries. The dashed lines are the averages: 54.3% and 6.8.

There is moderate relationship here (r = −0.63; r runs from −1 to +1). Players who are better at one tend to be worse at the other. One explains about 40% of the differences in the other.

4 of 50 (8%) are above average on both. 17 are above average only on rushing success rate, 19 only on yards per carry, and 10 on neither.

Where the data comes from. Play-by-play from CollegeFootballData.com (the public cfbfastR files), games through Oct 24, 2026. Every stat here is computed from those plays.

Best on both

  1. Cole Tabb, Cincinnati: 54.0% rushing success rate, 9.4 yards per carry
  2. Shahn Alston, USC: 76.0% rushing success rate, 4.8 yards per carry
  3. Kam Davis, Liberty: 62.7% rushing success rate, 7.0 yards per carry
  4. Jabree Coleman, South Carolina: 61.3% rushing success rate, 7.2 yards per carry
  5. Jaylon Coleman, Liberty: 50.0% rushing success rate, 9.1 yards per carry
  6. Keyjuan Brown, Louisville: 51.1% rushing success rate, 8.9 yards per carry

Great at one, not the other

  1. Shahn Alston, USC: 76.0% rushing success rate, 4.8 yards per carry
  2. Jalen Dupree, Kansas: 68.0% rushing success rate, 4.4 yards per carry
  3. Joseph Himon II, Northwestern: 43.2% rushing success rate, 9.5 yards per carry
  4. Jayden Brown, Colorado State: 44.2% rushing success rate, 8.7 yards per carry
  5. Brandon Smith, Oregon: 62.5% rushing success rate, 4.6 yards per carry
  6. Jaylon Coleman, Liberty: 50.0% rushing success rate, 9.1 yards per carry

About the stats on this chart

What is rushing success rate?

The share of carries that are successful plays. A successful play gains 50% of the yards needed on 1st down, 70% on 2nd, and all of it on 3rd and 4th.

Why does rushing success rate matter?

Rushing success rate says how often a back gets what the down and distance needs. That's what keeps an offense on schedule.

Where does the rushing success rate data come from?

From play-by-play from CollegeFootballData.com (the public cfbfastR files), games through Oct 24, 2026.

What is yards per carry?

Rushing yards divided by carries.

Why does yards per carry matter?

Yards per carry is easy to read and easy to fool: one 80-yarder can carry a whole season. Check it against success rate.

Where does the yards per carry data come from?

From play-by-play from CollegeFootballData.com (the public cfbfastR files), games through Oct 24, 2026.