Senior running back for San Diego State. 2026: 38 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD, 2 catches.
6′0″ · 215 lb · San Diego, CA
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
rushing yards · 2026 · through week 3
Best game: 10 rush yds, 1 TD, at New Mexico State
The play that turned itSwung San Diego State from 28% to 66% to win.Wyoming at San Diego State · 24-7
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior running back for San Diego State. 2026: 38 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD, 2 catches.
Byron Cardwell
Does a little of everything without one standout trait. Byron Cardwell has played for four head coaches across five seasons and three programs. The receipt: 16 rush yds against Glenville State — Week 3, 2026.
38 RUSH YDS · 1 RUSH TD · 23 CARRIES
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
His career
He was on the field for 5 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
Career arc
Coaching lineage · 2021–2026
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Brady Hoke → Sean Lewis. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | San Diego State | 23 | 38 | 1.7 | 1 | -- |
| 2025 | San Diego State | 48 | 267 | 5.6 | 1 | -- |
| 2024 | California | 24 | 75 | 3.1 | 0 | -- |
| 2022 | Oregon | 11 | 76 | 6.9 | 1 | -- |
| 2021 | Oregon | 61 | 417 | 6.8 | 3 | -- |
| Career | 167 | 873 | 5.2 | 6 | -- |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | San Diego State | 2 | 17 | 8.5 | 0 | -- |
| 2025 | San Diego State | 5 | 108 | 21.6 | 1 | -- |
| 2024 | California | 2 | 31 | 15.5 | 0 | -- |
| 2022 | Oregon | 4 | 34 | 8.5 | 1 | -- |
| 2021 | Oregon | 4 | 3 | 0.8 | 0 | -- |
| Career | 17 | 193 | 11.4 | 2 | -- |
Game by game
Point color shows the opponent's defensive strength that week (red = weaker defense, blue = stronger) — dashed line is this player's own season average.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 4 games
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 10-43@ Youngstown State | 5 | -4 | -0.8 | 0 | 2 | |
| Wk 1 | L 14-51@ New Mexico State | 7 | 10 | 1.4 | 1 | 6 | |
| Wk 2 | L 7-70@ New Mexico | 6 | 16 | 2.7 | 0 | 12 | Season-high 16 yds |
| Wk 3 | W 49-20vs Glenville State | 5 | 16 | 3.2 | 0 | 5 | |
| Total | 23 | 38 | 1.6 | 1 | 12 |
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
Since week 2: +16 rushing yards.
Season context · Team result + system
Where this profile ranks vs the RB cohort
Box-score percentiles
Concern: rush yards (0th percentile).
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 4 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home1g | 16.0 | 3.2 | 0.0 |
| Road3g | 7.3 | 1.1 | 0.3 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-74g | 9.5 | 1.6 | 0.2 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Sean Lewis
Pass share
32.7%
72 pass / 148 run
Plays / game
73.3
3 games
Team sack rate
6.2%
81 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy.
Player standing · 2026
Earning real snaps in the rotation without a starting job.
Recognition
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-Pac-12
Based on 2025: #21 of 34 Mountain West RBs — his program moves to the Pac-12 for 2026
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. The base rate was measured on players who stayed in the same conference; this estimate is not adjusted for the move to the Pac-12.
Play style
Plays within the scheme — consistent production without a dominant dimension.
CFB Index positional classification
Returning starter at running back for a 9-4 San Diego State team that went +0 in the portal.
Player DNA
Plays within the scheme — consistent production without a dominant dimension.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Ari Broussard’s 2021 season.
Matches Ari on
Through 5 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Elijah Tau-Tolliver’s path through Michigan State.
Matches Elijah on
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Pat Garwo III's senior season at Boston College (2023).
Matches Pat on
Differs from Pat on
Player DNA
1 more on the roster · San Diego State team page