CJ Donaldson
CJ Donaldson
Wears you down at the goal line. Across four seasons and two programs, three head coaches: Neal Brown, Chad Scott and Ryan Day. One game to point at: 67 rush yds, 9 rec yds against Texas — Week 1, 2025.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
2025 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
Splits & context
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Ryan Day
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Ohio State | 96 | 361 | 3.8 | 10 | -- |
| 2024 | West Virginia | 163 | 734 | 4.5 | 11 | -- |
| 2023 | West Virginia | 171 | 798 | 4.7 | 11 | -- |
| 2022 | West Virginia | 87 | 526 | 6.0 | 8 | -- |
| Career | 517 | 2,419 | 4.7 | 40 | -- |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Ohio State | 15 | 96 | 6.4 | 1 | -- |
| 2024 | West Virginia | 14 | 104 | 7.4 | 1 | -- |
| 2023 | West Virginia | 9 | 59 | 6.6 | 0 | -- |
| 2022 | West Virginia | 10 | 17 | 1.7 | 0 | -- |
| Career | 48 | 276 | 5.8 | 2 | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 5 · 2025
W 24–6
at Washington
39 rush yds (9 car) · 1 TD
How he plays
Play style
Short-yardage and goal-line specialist. Carries the load, owns the red zone.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Ohio State
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Running back · Ohio State
Returning around him
- 31% of 2024 offensive production back (Moderate turnover)
- 11 Ohio State players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -20 net (17 in / 37 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Ohio State · Last season: 12-2 (AP #3) · Talent rank #3 · 2026 recruiting class #4
DNA match
Player DNA
Power Back
Short-yardage and goal-line specialist. Carries the load, owns the red zone.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Nicholas Singleton’s 2025 season.
Matches Nicholas on
Differs from Nicholas on
Through 4 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Demetric Felton’s path through UCLA.
Demetric Felton
Peytton Pickett
Caleb Huntley
Joshua Samuel
Dedrick Mills
Matches Demetric on
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Nicholas Singleton's senior season at Penn State (2025).
Matches Nicholas on
Differs from Nicholas on
Player DNA
Players who play like CJ Donaldson
Heisman trajectory
Heisman Trajectory · 2025
Peak #80
Peaked at #80 this season.
Development
Development Trajectory · rushing yards
2022–2025-31%
Sharp dropoff (-31%) — career inflection point.