Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 33-20vs Oregon State | 2 | 17 | 8.5 | 0 | 9 | |
| Wk 2 | W 77-6vs Southern | 6 | 55 | 9.2 | 1 | 15 | Season-high 55 yds |
| Wk 3 | L 26-28@ Texas Tech | 2 | 11 | 5.5 | 0 | 12 | |
| Total | 10 | 83 | 7.7 | 1 | 15 |
#25
DJ Butler
Junior running back for Houston. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
6′0″ · 190 lb · Mobile, AL · WP Davidson HS
CFB Index 36 · #270 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
83
rushing yards · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 55 rush yds, 1 TD, 1 rec yds, vs Southern
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Junior running back for Houston. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Houston in 2024.
DJ Butler
Does a little of everything without one standout trait. DJ Butler has played for two head coaches in three seasons at Houston. The receipt on tape: 55 rush yds, 1 receptions against Southern, Week 2, 2026.
83 RUSH YDS · 1 RUSH TD · 10 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.
20247 games
- Signed with Houston3-star out of WP Davidson
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
Houston
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
2 coaches2024
Houston
Coaching transition mid-career: Dana Holgorsen → Willie Fritz. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Career stats
Game log
Game by game
DJ Butler'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 77–6
vs Southern
55 rush yds (6 car) · 1 TD
Dominant 71-point win at home against Southern.
With K. Henderson — 83 yds · 2 TD · 0 INT · QBR 23.8 · 54 rush yds (1 car) · 1 TD · C. Weigman — 120 yds · 3 TD · 0 INT · QBR 48.3 · 6 rush yds (1 car)
Signature plays
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
- Week 2 · Southern · 1&9 · Q3 · EPA +2.42(09:44) No Huddle-Shotgun #25 D.Butler rush right for 9 yards gain to the SU00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 09:39 #49 J.Dimas kick attempt good (H: #15 J.Sock, LS: #69 W.Edwards)
- Week 3 · Texas Tech · 2&6 · Q3 · EPA +0.95(09:55) No Huddle-Shotgun #25 D.Butler rush right for 12 yards gain to the TTU32 (#24 M.Esquerra), 1ST DOWN
- Week 2 · Southern · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA -0.89(12:27) No Huddle-Shotgun #1 C.Weigman pass complete short left to #25 D.Butler caught at HOU43, for 1 yard to the HOU50 (#11 J.Holden)
- Week 3 · Texas Tech · 2&5 · Q3 · EPA -0.79(08:55) No Huddle-Shotgun #25 D.Butler rush middle for 1 yard loss to the TTU28 fumbled by #25 D.Butler at TTU24 forced by #20 A.Trick recovered by HOU #1 C.Weigman at TTU28, End Of Play
- Week 2 · Southern · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA +0.53(11:02) No Huddle-Shotgun #25 D.Butler rush middle for 8 yards gain to the SU24 (#28 C.Jones; #16 D.Valdrey)
- Week 1 · Oregon State · 2&10 · Q2 · EPA +0.41(12:51) No Huddle-Shotgun #25 D.Butler rush middle for 9 yards gain to the HOU22 (#36 D.Vickers)
- Week 2 · Southern · 2&10 · Q1 · EPA +0.40(09:42) No Huddle-Shotgun #25 D.Butler rush left for 9 yards gain to the SU09 (#3 H.Brister III; #20 C.Morris), out of bounds
- Week 2 · Southern · 2&4 · Q3 · EPA +0.36(11:37) No Huddle-Shotgun #25 D.Butler rush left for 8 yards gain to the SU32 (#36 K.Jones), 1ST DOWN
- Week 2 · Southern · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA +0.31(12:07) No Huddle-Shotgun #25 D.Butler rush right for 6 yards gain to the SU40 (#36 K.Jones)
- Week 1 · Oregon State · 3&19 · Q2 · EPA +0.12(09:39) No Huddle-Shotgun #25 D.Butler rush middle for 8 yards gain to the HOU38 (#5 X.Chisolm; #18 J.Comer)
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +11 rushing yards.
Season context · Team result + system
2024Houston4-8HC: Dana Holgorsen · Run-heavy, slow tempo
2025Houston10-3HC: Willie Fritz · Run-leaning
2026Houston2-1HC: Willie Fritz · Run-leaning
Where this profile ranks vs the RB cohort
Box-score percentiles
High confidence
Elite: yards / carry (98th percentile). Concern: rush yards (0th percentile).
Box-score rates (8)
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 | 36.0 | 8.8 | 0.5 |
| Road1g | 11.0 | 5.5 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 27.7 | 7.7 | 0.3 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Willie Fritz
Pass share
42.1%
88 pass / 121 run
Plays / game
69.7
3 games
Team sack rate
4.1%
97 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-Big 12
Based on 2025: #31 of 35 Big 12 RBs
- #1LJ Martin
- #30Micah Welch
- #31DJ Butler
- #32Kanye Udoh
How the All-Big 12 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
Plays within the scheme — consistent production without a dominant dimension.
CFB Index positional classification
Starter
The No. 1,220 recruit in the country is carrying the ball in the Big 12 as a junior.
DNA match
Player DNA
Balanced Back
Plays within the scheme — consistent production without a dominant dimension.
RB
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Jaivian Thomas’s 2025 season.
Matches Jaivian on
Weight
EPA / carry (adj)
Rush TD rate
Differs from Jaivian on
Class year (lower)
Height (higher)
Through 3 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Demetric Felton’s path through UCLA.
100%match
All-Pac-12NFL Rd 6
Matches Demetric on
Yards per carry
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Ca'Lil Valentine's sophomore season at Illinois (2025).
Matches Ca'Lil on
Height
Receiving share
Yards / reception
Differs from Ca'Lil on
Rush TD rate (lower)
Recruiting rating (lower)
Player DNA
Players who play like DJ Butler
Background
As a Sophomore (2025) Played in 11 games Third on the team with 301 rushing yards Third on the team with 68 rushing attempts Single-game high 69 rushing yards on a single-game high 14 rushed at UCF 50+ rushing yards in two games (at UCF, at Baylor) As a Freshman (2024) Appeared in eight games…
The backfield · Houston
- #25DJ Butler301 rushing yards · 2025
- #21Makhi Hughes70 rushing yards · 2025
- #37Zane Smith12 rushing yards · 2025
- #16JayShon Ridgle4 games · 2025
- #6Re'Shaun Sanford II3 games · 2026
3 more on the roster · Houston team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology