Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 38-10vs Southeast Missouri State | 3 | 8 | 2.7 | 0 | 6 | |
| Wk 2 | L 13-16@ Iowa | 3 | 9 | 3.0 | 0 | 4 | |
| Wk 3 | W 55-7vs Bowling Green | 13 | 63 | 4.8 | 2 | 10 | Season-high 63 yds |
| Total | 19 | 80 | 3.5 | 2 | 10 |
#3
Arnold Barnes
Senior running back for Iowa State. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
5′10″ · 220 lb · New Orleans, LA
CFB Index 31 · #312 of 326 RBsHigh confidenceTransferred Tulane → Iowa State for 2026
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
80
rushing yards · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 63 rush yds, 2 TD, vs Bowling Green
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior running back for Iowa State. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
- Transferred from Tulane to Iowa State in 2026.
Arnold Barnes
Does a little of everything without one standout trait. Across four seasons and two programs, three head coaches: Slade Nagle, Jon Sumrall and Jimmy Rogers. One game to point at: 63 rush yds, 2 rush TD against Bowling Green — Week 3, 2026.
80 RUSH YDS · 2 RUSH TD · 19 CARRIES
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
5 programs, one constant: he played.
20263 games
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
—
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
2 coaches2023–2025
Iowa State
2026era →
Jimmy Rogers
Iowa State
Coaching transition mid-career: Matt Campbell → Jimmy Rogers. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Iowa State
2025Tulane
2026Iowa State
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Iowa State | 19 | 80 | 4.2 | 2 | -- |
| 2025 | Tulane | 51 | 217 | 4.3 | 0 | -- |
| 2024 | Tulane | 87 | 402 | 4.6 | 6 | -- |
| 2023 | Tulane | 23 | 138 | 6.0 | 0 | -- |
| Career | 180 | 837 | 4.7 | 8 | -- |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Iowa State | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Tulane | 2 | 16 | 8.0 | 0 | -- |
| 2024 | Tulane | 8 | 19 | 2.4 | 1 | -- |
| 2023 | Tulane | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 10 | 35 | 3.5 | 1 | -- |
Game log
Game by game
Arnold Barnes'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 game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 38–10
Signature plays
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
- Week 3 · Bowling Green · 4&2 · Q2 · EPA -4.11(00:40) No Huddle-Shotgun #3 A.Barnes rush left for 1 yard gain to the BGSU20 (#52 E.Durham-Smith), TURNOVER ON DOWNS
- Week 3 · Bowling Green · 2&7 · Q4 · EPA +2.62(08:34) #3 A.Barnes rush middle for 8 yards gain to the BGSU00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 08:27, 1ST DOWN #97 K.Konrardy kick attempt good (H: #99 J.DuPont, LS: #57 G.Schieler)
- Week 3 · Bowling Green · 2&3 · Q2 · EPA +2.21(09:51) #3 A.Barnes rush middle for 3 yards gain to the BGSU00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 09:47 #97 K.Konrardy kick attempt good (H: #99 J.DuPont, LS: #57 G.Schieler)
- Week 3 · Bowling Green · 3&3 · Q2 · EPA +1.62(06:41) #3 A.Barnes rush left for 5 yards gain to the BGSU46 (#5 E.George), 1ST DOWN
- Week 3 · Bowling Green · 3&1 · Q2 · EPA +1.46(04:13) Shotgun #3 A.Barnes rush middle for 8 yards gain to the BGSU43 (#9 P.EstoEsta), 1ST DOWN
- Week 3 · Bowling Green · 2&5 · Q3 · EPA +0.57(00:55) #3 A.Barnes rush middle for 10 yards gain to the ISU23 (#0 K.Pascal), 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · Southeast Missouri State · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA -0.43(03:46) #3 A.Barnes rush right for 1 yard loss to the SEMO19 (#93 A.Jones)
- Week 3 · Bowling Green · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA -0.42(00:17) Shotgun #3 A.Barnes rush right for 2 yards gain to the ISU25 (#3 D.Pringle; #10 A.Hines III)
- Week 3 · Bowling Green · 2&7 · Q4 · EPA -0.37(12:53) #3 A.Barnes rush right for 3 yards gain to the ISU42 (#26 J.Andrews)
- Week 2 · Iowa · 3&2 · Q2 · EPA +0.35(08:59) #3 A.Barnes rush middle for 4 yards gain to the IOWA08 (#33 C.Buffington; #8 D.Lee), 1ST DOWN
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +63 rushing yards, +2 rushing TD.
Season context · Team result + system
2023Tulane11-3HC: Slade Nagle · Run-leaning
2024Tulane9-5HC: Jon Sumrall · Run-heavy
2025Tulane11-3HC: Jon Sumrall · Run-leaning
2026Iowa State2-1HC: Jimmy Rogers · Run-heavy, slow tempo
Where this profile ranks vs the RB cohort
Box-score percentiles
High confidence
Concern: rush yards (0th percentile).
Box-score rates (5)
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Splits & context
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home2g | 35.5 | 3.8 | 1.0 |
| Road1g | 9.0 | 3.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 26.7 | 3.5 | 0.7 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Jimmy Rogers
Pass share
32.7%
54 pass / 111 run
Plays / game
55.0
3 games
Team sack rate
3.3%
60 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy, slow tempo.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
How he plays
Play style
Plays within the scheme — consistent production without a dominant dimension.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Balanced Back
Plays within the scheme — consistent production without a dominant dimension.
RB
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Kavosiey Smoke’s 2022 season.
Matches Kavosiey on
Yards / carry
Weight
Receiving share
Through 4 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Andrew Body’s path through Alabama State.
Andrew Body
98%match
#3
Narii Gaither
97%
Matches Andrew on
Yards per carry
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Leshon Williams's junior season at Iowa (2023).
79%match
Matches Leshon on
Yards / carry
Rush TD rate
Receiving share
Differs from Leshon on
Class year (lower)
Player DNA
Players who play like Arnold Barnes
The backfield · Iowa State
- Cameron Pettaway365 rushing yards · 2025
- #3Arnold Barnes217 rushing yards · 2025
- #7Salahadin Allah71 rushing yards · 2025
- #21Aiden Flora58 rushing yards · 2025
- #25Easton Miller23 rushing yards · 2025
4 more on the roster · Iowa State team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology