Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 31-14vs North Alabama | 17 | 49 | 2.9 | 1 | 12 | Season-high 49 yds |
| Wk 2 | L 10-43@ Utah | 5 | 13 | 2.6 | 0 | 4 | |
| Wk 3 | L 17-45vs Georgia | 2 | 4 | 2.0 | 0 | 3 | |
| Total | 24 | 66 | 2.5 | 1 | 12 |
Braylen Russell
Junior running back for Arkansas. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
6′1″ · 227 lb · Benton, AR
CFB Index 38 · #242 of 326 RBsHigh confidence
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
66
rushing yards · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Backed by 16 car · 175 yds -- top 1% rushing yards game. -- Best game: 49 rush yds, 1 TD, 11 rec yds, vs North Alabama
Swing playSwung Arkansas from 56% to 78% to win.Auburn at Arkansas · 33-24
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Junior running back for Arkansas. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 4-star recruit to Arkansas in 2024.
Buzz vs Tape
Every angle we can check here reads about where you'd expect this season.
7.4own fans
-1.4national conversation
Braylen Russell
Wears you down at the goal line. Three seasons at Arkansas, two different head coaches: Sam Pittman and Ryan Silverfield. One game to point at: 49 rush yds, 11 rec yds against North Alabama — Week 1, 2026.
66 RUSH YDS · 1 RUSH TD · 24 CARRIES
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
He was on the field for 3 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
20249 games
- Signed with Arkansas4-star out of Benton
20259 games
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★★
CFB
College
Arkansas
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
2 coaches2024–2025
Arkansas
Coaching transition mid-career: Sam Pittman → Ryan Silverfield. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Career stats
Game log
Game by game
Braylen Russell'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 31–14
49 rush yds (17 car) · 1 TD
With K. Jackson — 267 yds · 3 TD · 1 INT · 27 rush yds (10 car) · G. Rush — 48 yards per punt · 3 punts · 2 inside the 20
Signature plays
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
- Week 1 · North Alabama · 2&1 · Q4 · EPA +1.90(12:01) #0 B.Russell rush middle for 1 yard gain to the UNA00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 11:58 #30 M.Gilbert kick attempt good (H: #37 G.Rush, LS: #51 A.Johnston)
- Week 1 · North Alabama · 3&3 · Q1 · EPA +1.50(10:12) No Huddle-Shotgun #0 B.Russell rush middle for 3 yards gain to the ARK44 (#15 A.Howard; #0 J.White), 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · North Alabama · 3&2 · Q3 · EPA +1.32(12:08) No Huddle-Shotgun #0 B.Russell rush middle for 4 yards gain to the ARK39 (#11 T.Butler), 1ST DOWN
- Week 3 · Georgia · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA -1.02(08:45) No Huddle-Shotgun #2 A.Hill pass complete short right to #0 B.Russell caught at ARK19, for 4 yards loss to the ARK21 (#7 K.Barnes)
- Week 1 · North Alabama · 2&6 · Q4 · EPA -0.99(08:09) No Huddle-Shotgun #0 B.Russell rush middle for 0 yards to the ARK40 (#15 A.Howard)
- Week 1 · North Alabama · 2&14 · Q1 · EPA +0.96(10:51) No Huddle-Shotgun #7 K.Jackson pass complete short right to #0 B.Russell caught at ARK24, for 11 yards to the ARK41 (#11 T.Butler; #14 T.Martin)
- Week 2 · Utah · 2&1 · Q2 · EPA -0.95(07:27) No Huddle-Shotgun #0 B.Russell rush middle for 0 yards to the UTA35 (#7 J.Hall)
- Week 1 · North Alabama · 2&4 · Q2 · EPA -0.85(04:14) No Huddle-Shotgun #0 B.Russell rush right for 1 yard gain to the ARK37 (#4 K.Thomas; #9 K.Benton)
- Week 1 · North Alabama · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA -0.72(01:07) No Huddle-Shotgun #0 B.Russell rush middle for 1 yard gain to the UNA42 (#41 W.Goggins)
- Week 3 · Georgia · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA -0.72(00:51) No Huddle-Shotgun #0 B.Russell rush left for 1 yard gain to the ARK31 (#90 E.Griffin)
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +4 rushing yards, +1 catch.
Season context · Team result + system
2024Arkansas7-6HC: Sam Pittman · Run-leaning
2025Arkansas2-10HC: Sam Pittman · Balanced
2026Arkansas1-2HC: Ryan Silverfield · Pass-leaning
Where this profile ranks vs the RB cohort
Box-score percentiles
High confidence
Concern: rush yards (0th percentile).
Box-score rates (7)
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 | 26.5 | 2.5 | 0.5 |
| Road1g | 13.0 | 2.6 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 22.0 | 2.5 | 0.3 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Ryan Silverfield
Pass share
56.6%
125 pass / 96 run
Plays / game
73.7
3 games
Team sack rate
6.2%
145 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Pass-leaning.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-SEC
Based on 2025: #28 of 37 SEC RBs
How the All-SEC estimate is computed
15% estimated, 95% confidence interval 13–17%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player.
How he plays
Play style
Short-yardage and goal-line specialist. Carries the load, owns the red zone.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Power Back
Short-yardage and goal-line specialist. Carries the load, owns the red zone.
RB
His 2025 production profile sits closest to La'Darius Jefferson’s 2022 season.
78%match
Matches La'Darius on
Weight
Total rush EPA (college ability)
Receiving share
Differs from La'Darius on
Class year (lower)
EPA / carry (adj) (higher)
Through 3 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Xavier Robinson’s path through Oklahoma.
92%match
Matches Xavier on
Yards per carry
Weight
Height
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Antwain Littleton II's sophomore season at Maryland (2022).
76%match
Matches Antwain on
Total rush EPA (college ability)
Weight
Yards / carry
Differs from Antwain on
Class year (lower)
Player DNA
Players who play like Braylen Russell
The backfield · Arkansas
- #5Sutton Smith669 rushing yards · 2025
- Braylen Russell286 rushing yards · 2025
- #21Jasper Parker93 rushing yards · 2025
- #27Cam Settles16 rushing yards · 2025
- #24Mario Robinson Jr.no box-score line yet
3 more on the roster · Arkansas team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology