Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 16-17@ Auburn | 25 | 88 | 3.5 | 0 | 7 | Season-high 88 yds |
| Wk 2 | W 44-3vs Prairie View A&M | 15 | 69 | 4.6 | 0 | 13 | |
| Wk 3 | W 36-19vs Louisiana Tech | 16 | 46 | 2.9 | 1 | 8 | |
| Total | 56 | 203 | 3.7 | 1 | 13 |
#35
Dawson Pendergrass
Baylor doesn't have to wonder what it gets from Dawson Pendergrass; that certainty is the whole point of him.
6′2″ · 225 lb · Alba, TX · Mineola HS
CFB Index 57 · #78 of 310 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
203
rushing yards · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 88 rush yds, 11 rec yds, vs Auburn
The play that turned itSwung Baylor from 55% to 91% to win.Oklahoma State at Baylor · 38-28
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior running back for Baylor. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Baylor in 2023.
How he plays
Just keeps getting the ball, series after series.
Success rate: 77th percentile.
The full scouting readBuzz vs Tape
Fans warmer than rivals
His own fans are far more bullish than the rival fanbase.
23.7own fans
0rival fans
Very disappointing to lose Bryson Washington. But with Dawson Pendergrass coming back I think the Bears could have a really good unit again. https://www.si.com/college/baylor/football/one-baylor-offensive-returner-a-force-to-be-reckoned-wit…
Also worth knowing:
In Their Words
104 windows · 2026 fan posts
dawson×567.9knighten×1874.2turner×199.4baylor×24.2fall×26.2running×13.1last×8.8
“Presser: Coach Khenon Hall, Runnnig Backs Answer Fall Camp Questions The Baylor Football running backs coach, as well as Dawson Pendergrass, Caden Knighten, and Michael Turner, fielded questions after Tuesday's practice.”
board/Baylor University Football · fan post, verbatim
Dawson Pendergrass
Filling the Shoesas of 2026-09-22
Dawson Pendergrass is a cornerstone for Baylor — measured against the line he joined.
203RUSH YDS1RUSH TD56CARRIES
Read the story so far
AI-generated narrative · may contain errors · not journalism · updated 2026-09-22
His career
He was on the field for 3 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
202311 games
- Signed with Baylor3-star out of Mineola
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
Baylor
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
1 coach2023–2024
Baylor
2026
Baylor
Played his entire career under Dave Aranda.
Career stats
Game log
Game by game
Dawson Pendergrass'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 44–3
69 rush yds (15 car)
Dominant 41-point win at home against Prairie View A&M.
With N. Bennett — 301 yds · 2 TD · 2 INT · QBR 29.6 · 13 rush yds (2 car) · 1 TD · C. Knighten — 66 rush yds (12 car) · 1 TD
Signature plays
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
- Week 3 · Louisiana Tech · 3&1 · Q2 · EPA +2.45(12:10) No Huddle-Shotgun #35 D.Pendergrass rush middle for 1 yard gain to the LATECH00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 12:08 #98 R.Armstrong kick attempt good (H: #94 P.Williams, LS: #93 D.Schaub)
- Week 2 · Prairie View A&M · 4&1 · Q3 · EPA +2.38(13:34) No Huddle-Shotgun #35 D.Pendergrass rush middle for 5 yards gain to the PVAMU44 (#11 N.Harris), 1ST DOWN
- Week 2 · Prairie View A&M · 2&10 · Q1 · EPA +2.25(09:54) No Huddle-Shotgun #12 N.Bennett pass complete short right to #35 D.Pendergrass caught at BAYLOR44, for 19 yards to the PVAMU33 (#3 J.Ward; #25 R.Carter), out of bounds, 1ST DOWN
- Week 2 · Prairie View A&M · 3&1 · Q4 · EPA +2.02(12:05) No Huddle-Shotgun #35 D.Pendergrass rush middle for 13 yards gain to the PVAMU46 (#33 C.Thompson), 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · Auburn · 3&5 · Q4 · EPA +1.86(13:50) No Huddle-Shotgun #35 D.Pendergrass rush middle for 5 yards gain to the AUB44 (#5 E.Winters), 1ST DOWN
- Week 3 · Louisiana Tech · 3&1 · Q1 · EPA +1.20(14:14) No Huddle-Shotgun #35 D.Pendergrass rush middle for 4 yards gain to the LATECH47 (#10 K.Fields), 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · Auburn · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA -1.13(02:09) No Huddle-Shotgun #35 D.Pendergrass rush middle for 1 yard loss to the AUB43 (#5 E.Winters)
- Week 3 · Louisiana Tech · 2&2 · Q1 · EPA -1.07(14:34) No Huddle-Shotgun #35 D.Pendergrass rush middle for 1 yard gain to the BAYLOR49 (#24 A.Jackson Jr.; #93 J.Bradford)
- Week 1 · Auburn · 2&10 · Q1 · EPA -1.06(11:50) No Huddle-Shotgun #35 D.Pendergrass rush right for 0 yards to the AUB47 (#0 S.Smith-Reed; #9 E.Melendez)
- Week 1 · Auburn · 2&5 · Q4 · EPA +1.04(14:59) No Huddle-Shotgun #35 D.Pendergrass rush right for 7 yards gain to the BAY46 (#17 X.Atkins), 1ST DOWN
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +46 rushing yards, +1 rushing TD, +1 catch.
Season context · Team result + system
3 seasons under Dave Aranda — 13-15 over that span.
2023Baylor3-9HC: Dave Aranda · Balanced
2024Baylor8-5HC: Dave Aranda · Run-leaning
2026Baylor2-1HC: Dave Aranda · Balanced, fast tempo
Where this profile ranks vs the RB cohort
Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles
High confidence
Concern: explosive rate (3rd percentile).
Real play-by-play efficiency
Box-score rates (7)
Season trend
EPA / carry— first qualifying season
Success rate— first qualifying season
Explosive rate— first qualifying season
Yards / carry— first qualifying season
TD rate— first qualifying season
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season. Most bars are box-score rates; EPA / success-rate bars are computed from real play-by-play (offense only — no defensive EPA model exists yet).
Rushing profile
Rush profile · Shape, efficiency, and ball security
How he gets his yards, and how often it works
56 of 56 carries matched to play-by-play
Success rate
50%56 carriesStuffed
0 or fewer yds14%of carries
8 carries
Grind
1–3 yds32%of carries
18 carries
Chunk
4–9 yds50%of carries
28 carries
Explosive
10+ yds4%of carries
2 carries
6 of 6 (100%) converted on 3rd/4th & short (≤2 to go) · 1 of 5 (20%) scored from inside the 5-yard line
3.6 yds/carry on 56 carries · 4% explosive (10+ yds) · 50% success rate.
Splits & context
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home2g | 57.5 | 3.8 | 0.5 |
| Road1g | 88.0 | 3.5 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 67.7 | 3.7 | 0.3 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Dave Aranda
Pass share
48.2%
119 pass / 128 run
Plays / game
82.3
3 games
Team sack rate
4.6%
131 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced, fast tempo.
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 2026 production profile sits closest to Josh Hokit’s 2018 season.
Matches Josh on
Yards / carry
Weight
Rush TD rate
Differs from Josh on
Height (higher)
Class year (higher)
Through 3 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Athean Renfro’s path through Texas Southern.
Athean Renfro
97%match
#4
Plez Lawrence
90%
Matches Athean on
Yards per carry
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Tai Lavatai's junior season at Navy (2023).
87%match
Matches Tai on
Total rush EPA (college ability)
Yards / carry
EPA / carry (adj)
Player DNA
Players who play like Dawson Pendergrass
Heisman trajectory
Heisman Trajectory · 2026
Peak #249
Peaked at #249 this season.
Background
2025 (Junior): Redshirted the season while recovering from a preseason injury. 2024 (Sophomore): Played in 13 games as a key member of a primarily two-man rotation at running back … Finished with 121 carries for 671 yards and six TDs … Also caught 11 balls for 103 yards and a score … Averaged 51....
The backfield · Baylor
- #11Caden Knighten469 rushing yards · 2025
- #23Michael Turner320 rushing yards · 2025
- #27Joseph Dodds104 rushing yards · 2025
- #20Jacorey Watson1 game · 2025
- #35Dawson Pendergrass3 games · 2026
3 more on the roster · Baylor team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology