Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 14-49@ Nevada | 21 | 102 | 4.9 | 2 | 23 | Season-high 102 yds |
| Wk 2 | L 20-70@ Georgia | 11 | 19 | 1.7 | 0 | 7 | |
| Wk 3 | L 0-38@ Indiana | 10 | 22 | 2.2 | 0 | 9 | |
| Total | 42 | 143 | 2.9 | 2 | 23 |
#3
Ajay Allen
Ajay Allen packed up and started over at Western Kentucky — the fit is the whole question.
5′11″ · 200 lb · Monroe, LA · Neville HS
CFB Index 45 · #176 of 326 RBsHigh confidenceIn transfer portal — destination TBD (from Tulsa)
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
The numbers
143
rushing yards · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 102 rush yds, 2 TD, 7 rec yds, at Nevada
The play that turned itSwung Tulsa from 56% to 90% to win.UAB at Tulsa · 31-24
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Redshirt senior running back for Western Kentucky. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Nebraska in 2022.
How he plays
Does a little of everything without one standout trait.
TD rate: 56th percentile.
The full scouting readAjay Allen
Filling the Shoesas of 2026-09-22
Ajay Allen arrives at Western Kentucky with a new fit to prove and an old chapter behind him.
143RUSH YDS2RUSH TD42CARRIES
Read the story so far
AI-generated narrative · may contain errors · not journalism · updated 2026-09-22
His career
7 programs, one constant: he played.
20224 games
- Signed with Nebraska3-star out of Neville
20239 games
The role got bigger.
- Entered the portal
202511 games
- Entered the portal
20263 games
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
4 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2022–2026
1 coach2022–2026
Western Kentucky
Played his entire career under Tyson Helton.
In Portal · 2026
In transfer portal
2025Tulsa
DestinationTBD
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Western Kentucky | 42 | 143 | 3.4 | 2 | -- |
| 2025 | Tulsa | 97 | 497 | 5.1 | 5 | -- |
| 2024 | Miami | 24 | 183 | 7.6 | 2 | -- |
| 2023 | Miami | 70 | 361 | 5.2 | 5 | -- |
| 2022 | Nebraska | 33 | 190 | 5.8 | 2 | -- |
| Career | 266 | 1,374 | 5.2 | 16 | -- |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Western Kentucky | 6 | 13 | 2.2 | 0 | -- |
| 2025 | Tulsa | 10 | 98 | 9.8 | 0 | -- |
| 2024 | Miami | 2 | 23 | 11.5 | 0 | -- |
| 2023 | Miami | 4 | 9 | 2.2 | 0 | -- |
| 2022 | Nebraska | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 0 | -- |
| Career | 23 | 152 | 6.6 | 0 | -- |
Game log
Game by game
Ajay Allen's 2026 production
Point color shows the opponent's defensive strength that week (red = weaker defense, blue = stronger) — dashed line is this player's own season average.
Signature plays
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
- Week 3 · Indiana · 4&1 · Q2 · EPA -4.38(02:00) Shotgun #3 A.Allen rush middle for 1 yard loss to the IND35 (#46 I.Jones), TURNOVER ON DOWNS
- Week 1 · Nevada · 4&2 · Q3 · EPA -4.15(01:06) No Huddle-Shotgun #3 A.Allen rush middle for 0 yards to the Nevada43 (#32 D.Labarbera; #2 E.Smith), TURNOVER ON DOWNS
- Week 1 · Nevada · 4&3 · Q2 · EPA +2.56(00:27) No Huddle #5 R.Tisdale Jr. pass complete short right to #3 A.Allen caught at Nevada44, for 6 yards to the Nevada39 (#1 J.Naborne-Owens), out of bounds, 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · Nevada · 1&10 · Q4 · EPA +2.51(01:21) No Huddle-Shotgun #3 A.Allen rush middle for 10 yards gain to the Nevada00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 01:18, 1ST DOWN #33 M.Smith kick attempt good (H: #43 J.Smith, LS: #49 N.Imhoff)
- Week 1 · Nevada · 2&9 · Q2 · EPA +2.43(08:18) No Huddle-Shotgun #3 A.Allen rush right for 23 yards gain to the Nevada32 (#2 E.Smith), 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · Nevada · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA +1.85(01:18) Shotgun #3 A.Allen rush middle for 20 yards gain to the WKU49 (#18 A.Walker), 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · Nevada · 1&4 · Q2 · EPA +1.69(05:24) Shotgun #3 A.Allen rush middle for 4 yards gain to the Nevada00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 05:20 #33 M.Smith kick attempt good (H: #43 J.Smith, LS: #49 N.Imhoff)
- Week 2 · Georgia · 3&3 · Q2 · EPA +1.51(05:01) No Huddle-Shotgun #3 A.Allen rush middle for 6 yards gain to the WKU38 (#12 J.Riddle), 1ST DOWN
- Week 2 · Georgia · 3&2 · Q1 · EPA -1.27(04:14) No Huddle-Shotgun #3 A.Allen rush middle for 1 yard loss to the UGA36 (#3 Q.Johnson; #4 K.Bolden)
- Week 3 · Indiana · 3&2 · Q3 · EPA +1.25(09:36) No Huddle-Shotgun #3 A.Allen rush middle for 4 yards gain to the WKU37 (#5 R.Hardy; #6 P.Zachman), 1ST DOWN
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +22 rushing yards, +3 catches.
Season context · Team result + system
2022Nebraska4-8HC: Mickey Joseph · Run-leaning
2023Miami7-6HC: Mario Cristobal · Balanced
2024Miami10-3HC: Mario Cristobal · Balanced
2025Tulsa4-8HC: Tre Lamb · Run-leaning
2026Western Kentucky0-3HC: Tyson Helton · Balanced, fast tempo
Where this profile ranks vs the RB cohort
Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles
High confidence
Concern: epa / carry (1st percentile).
Real play-by-play efficiency
Box-score rates (7)
Season trend
Last seasonThis season
EPA / carry
42nd → 1st percentile
Success rate
61st → 21st percentile
Explosive rate
28th → 42nd percentile
Yards / carry
39th → 5th percentile
TD rate
38th → 56th percentile
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season. Most bars are box-score rates; EPA / success-rate bars are computed from real play-by-play (offense only — no defensive EPA model exists yet).
Rushing profile
Rush profile · Shape, efficiency, and ball security
How he gets his yards, and how often it works
41 of 42 carries matched to play-by-play
Success rate
39%41 carriesStuffed
0 or fewer yds32%of carries
13 carries
Grind
1–3 yds27%of carries
11 carries
Chunk
4–9 yds32%of carries
13 carries
Explosive
10+ yds10%of carries
4 carries
2 of 6 (33%) converted on 3rd/4th & short (≤2 to go)
3.4 yds/carry on 42 carries · 10% explosive (10+ yds) · 39% success rate.
Splits & context
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Road3g | 47.7 | 2.9 | 0.7 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 47.7 | 2.9 | 0.7 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Tyson Helton
Pass share
50.0%
138 pass / 138 run
Plays / game
92.0
3 games
Team sack rate
6.0%
117 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced, fast tempo.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
How he plays
Play style
Does a little of everything without one standout trait.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Balanced Back
Plays within the scheme — consistent production without a dominant dimension.
RB
His 2026 production profile sits closest to D.J. Howard’s 2014 season.
Matches D.J. on
Height
Receiving share
Yards / carry
Through 5 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Luke Yoder’s path through Lehigh.
Matches Luke on
Yards per carry
As a graduate, his production profile tracks closest to Lexington Joseph's graduate season at Florida International (2024).
71%match
All-Conference USA
Matches Lexington on
Weight
Total rush EPA (college ability)
Differs from Lexington on
EPA / carry (adj) (lower)
Height (higher)
Yards / reception (lower)
Player DNA
Players who play like Ajay Allen
Background
AWARDS/HONORS 2026 Athlon Sports Preseason All Conference USA Second Team (RB) 2026 Phil Steele Preseason CUSA All-Conference Second Team (RB) Before WKU: Allen joins the Hilltoppers after spending one season at Tulsa, where he played in all 12 games for the Golden Hurricane. He recorded 497…
The backfield · Western Kentucky
- #3Ajay Allen497 rushing yards · 2025
- #9George Hart III300 rushing yards · 2025
- #9Kalib Hicks128 rushing yards · 2025
- #25Jaden McGill63 rushing yards · 2025
- #23Jalen Hampton27 rushing yards · 2025
6 more on the roster · Western Kentucky team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology