Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 45-0vs Marshall | 11 | 48 | 4.4 | 0 | 10 | |
| Wk 2 | W 27-9@ Temple | 19 | 84 | 4.4 | 0 | 13 | Season-high 84 yds |
| Wk 3 | W 55-13vs Buffalo | 5 | 37 | 7.4 | 1 | 16 | |
| Total | 35 | 169 | 5.4 | 1 | 16 |
#21
Carson Hansen
Carson Hansen packed up and started over at Penn State, and the new tape already reads 950 team rushing yards leader.
6′2″ · 216 lb · Lakeville, MN · Lakeville South
CFB Index 61 · #68 of 326 RBsHigh confidenceTransferred Iowa State → Penn 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
169
rushing yards · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Backed by 20 car · 96 yds · 3 TD -- top 1% rushing TDs game.
The play that turned itSwung Penn State from 35% to 72% to win.Penn State at Temple · 27-9
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior running back for Penn State. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Iowa State in 2023.
- Transferred from Iowa State to Penn State in 2026.
Aura™ · Him Watch
Hype = tape
+5aura tax
Fans rank this player in the 68th percentile of RBs; the tape says
63rd pctl our rushing-value metric (wEPA) RBs · 140 qualified, n=49
— the discourse is fair.Aura — fan perception68th pctl
Production — on-field63rd pctl
n=49 mentions · cohort: RBs · 140 qualified · perception = conversation volume, production = our rushing-value metric (wEPA)
Buzz vs Tape
Fans warmer than rivals
His own fans are far more bullish than the rival fanbase.
32.5own fans
-20rival fans
Also worth knowing:
Carson Hansen
Filling the Shoesas of 2026-09-22
Carson Hansen arrives at Penn State with a new fit to prove and an old chapter behind him.
169RUSH YDS1RUSH TD35CARRIES
TEAM RUSHING YARDS LEADER
950
Team leader in rushing yards (950).
Read the story so far
AI-generated narrative · may contain errors · not journalism · updated 2026-09-22
His career
Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.
202310 games
- Signed with Iowa State3-star out of Lakeville South
202511 games
- All-Big 12second
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
—
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
🎖
ALL-BIG 12 · 2ND TEAM
All-Big 12 2nd team (2025)
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
3 coachesPlayed under 3 different head coaches: James Franklin, Terry Smith, and Matt Campbell. Multi-era developmental context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Penn State
2025Iowa State
2026Penn State
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Penn State | 35 | 169 | 4.8 | 1 | -- |
| 2025 | Iowa State | 187 | 950 | 5.1 | 6 | -- |
| 2024 | Iowa State | 151 | 752 | 5.0 | 13 | -- |
| 2023 | Iowa State | 22 | 67 | 3.0 | 0 | -- |
| Career | 395 | 1,938 | 4.9 | 20 | -- |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Penn State | 2 | 13 | 6.5 | 0 | -- |
| 2025 | Iowa State | 19 | 134 | 7.1 | 0 | -- |
| 2024 | Iowa State | 13 | 88 | 6.8 | 2 | -- |
| 2023 | Iowa State | 11 | 115 | 10.5 | 0 | -- |
| Career | 45 | 350 | 7.8 | 2 | -- |
Game log
Game by game
Carson Hansen'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 2 · 2026
W 27–9
at Temple
Signature plays
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
- Week 3 · Buffalo · 2&8 · Q3 · EPA +2.72No Huddle-Shotgun #21 C.Hansen rush left for 12 yards gain to the BUF00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 11:29, 1ST DOWN #94 R.Barker kick attempt good (H: #38 N.Tiyce, LS: #35 B.Sokach-Minnick)
- Week 2 · Temple · 3&3 · Q4 · EPA +1.85(09:51) No Huddle #21 C.Hansen rush right for 9 yards gain to the PSU42 (#2 S.Karriem), 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · Marshall · 4&1 · Q2 · EPA +1.58No Huddle #21 C.Hansen rush right for 10 yards gain to the PSU32 (#3 R.Hinton), out of bounds, 1ST DOWN
- Week 2 · Temple · 3&7 · Q2 · EPA +1.26(01:42) No Huddle-Shotgun #3 R.Becht pass complete short left to #21 C.Hansen caught at PSU25, for 8 yards to the PSU28 (#13 D.Chavis; #33 C.Ordonez), 1ST DOWN
- Week 2 · Temple · 3&1 · Q2 · EPA +1.12(10:42) No Huddle-Shotgun #21 C.Hansen rush right for 9 yards gain to the TEM34 (#2 S.Karriem), 1ST DOWN
- Week 2 · Temple · 1&10 · Q4 · EPA -0.93(09:24) No Huddle #21 C.Hansen rush middle for 1 yard gain to the PSU43 (#44 T.Alualu)
- Week 3 · Buffalo · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA +0.77No Huddle-Shotgun #21 C.Hansen rush right for 16 yards gain to the BUF31 (#6 M.Greer), out of bounds, 1ST DOWN
- Week 2 · Temple · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA +0.74(10:09) No Huddle-Shotgun #21 C.Hansen rush middle for 9 yards gain to the TEM25 (#33 C.Ordonez)
- Week 1 · Marshall · 2&6 · Q2 · EPA -0.66No Huddle-Shotgun #21 C.Hansen rush middle for 2 yards gain to the PSU45 (#2 C.McCartherens; #55 C.Funderbuck)
- Week 1 · Marshall · 2&5 · Q1 · EPA -0.63No Huddle-Shotgun #21 C.Hansen rush middle for 2 yards gain to the MAR42 (#52 M.Warren; #17 D.Smith)
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +37 rushing yards, +1 rushing TD.
Season context · Team result + system
2023Iowa State7-6HC: Matt Campbell · Balanced, slow tempo
2024Iowa State11-3HC: Matt Campbell · Balanced
2025Iowa State8-4HC: Matt Campbell · Run-leaning
2026Penn State3-0HC: Matt Campbell · Run-heavy
Where this profile ranks vs the RB cohort
Box-score percentiles
High confidence
Concern: carries (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 | 42.5 | 5.9 | 0.5 |
| Road1g | 84.0 | 4.4 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 56.3 | 5.4 | 0.3 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Matt Campbell
Pass share
40.0%
80 pass / 120 run
Plays / game
66.7
3 games
Team sack rate
3.5%
86 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
How he plays
Play style
Just keeps getting the ball, series after series.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Workhorse
Built to take 20+ carries per game. Volume is the value.
RB
His 2025 production profile sits closest to TJ Harden’s 2023 season.
Matches TJ on
Weight
Total rush EPA (college ability)
Receiving share
Differs from TJ on
Rush TD rate (lower)
Through 4 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Calvin Turner’s path through Hawai'i.
100%match
All-Mountain West
#2
Cooper Wallace
99%
Matches Calvin on
Yards per carry
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Carson Steele's junior season at UCLA (2023).
78%match
All-MAC
Matches Carson on
Yards / carry
Weight
Total rush EPA (college ability)
Differs from Carson on
Yards / reception (lower)
Player DNA
Players who play like Carson Hansen
Heisman trajectory
Heisman Trajectory · 2026
Peak #135
Peaked at #135 this season.
The backfield · Penn State
- #21Carson Hansen950 rushing yards · 2025
- #1James Peoples344 rushing yards · 2025
- #25Quinton Martin Jr.103 rushing yards · 2025
- #26Cam Wallace23 rushing yards · 2025
- #36Amar'e Glover1 game · 2026
2 more on the roster · Penn State team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology