Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 56-9vs Furman | 4 | 12 | 3.0 | 0 | 6 | |
| Wk 3 | W 42-9vs Kennesaw State | 7 | 63 | 9.0 | 1 | 38 | Season-high 63 yds |
| Total | 11 | 75 | 6.0 | 1 | 38 |
#24
Hunter Barnes
Senior running back for Tennessee. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
6′0″ · 200 lb · Memphis, TN · Memphis School
The numbers
75
rushing yards · 2026 · through week 3
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 63 rush yds, 1 TD, vs Kennesaw State
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior running back for Tennessee. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
The full story, with sourcesBuzz vs Tape
Every angle we can check here reads about where you'd expect this season.
25.4own fans
30national conversation
Hunter Barnes
Fifth year in the Tennessee backfield, same address the whole way. The receipt on tape: 63 rush yds, 1 rush TD against Kennesaw State, Week 3, 2026.
75 RUSH YDS · 1 RUSH TD · 11 CARRIES
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- seasons on the roster
- game log
Career arc
HS
Recruit
—
CFB
College
Tennessee
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2022–2026
1 coach2022–2026
Tennessee
Played his entire career under Josh Heupel.
Career stats
Game log
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 56–9
vs Furman
12 rush yds (4 car)
Dominant 47-point win at home against Furman.
With F. Brandon — 226 yds · 3 TD · 0 INT · 68 rush yds (10 car) · 2 TD · M. Matthews — 4 rec · 132 yds · 2 TD
Signature plays
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
- Week 3 · Kennesaw State · 2&10 · Q4 · EPA +2.78(11:52) No Huddle-Shotgun #24 H.Barnes rush right for 38 yards gain to the KSU16 (#13 C.Miller), out of bounds, 1ST DOWN
- Week 3 · Kennesaw State · 1&3 · Q4 · EPA +1.46(08:55) Shotgun #24 H.Barnes rush middle for 3 yards gain to the KSU00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 08:49 #28 C.Ranvier kick attempt good (H: #98 J.Ross, LS: #48 B.Brady)
- Week 1 · Furman · 3&4 · Q4 · EPA -1.07(02:23) Shotgun #24 H.Barnes rush middle for 0 yards to the FUR46 (#8 M.Dobbins)
- Week 1 · Furman · 2&5 · Q4 · EPA -0.93(03:05) Shotgun #24 H.Barnes rush middle for 1 yard gain to the FUR46 (#8 M.Dobbins)
- Week 3 · Kennesaw State · 2&6 · Q4 · EPA -0.54(01:58) Shotgun #24 H.Barnes rush right for 1 yard gain to the TENN30 (#12 K.Jones)
- Week 1 · Furman · 1&10 · Q4 · EPA +0.29(06:55) No Huddle-Shotgun #24 H.Barnes rush middle for 6 yards gain to the TENN26 (#59 J.Okolo)
- Week 3 · Kennesaw State · 2&1 · Q3 · EPA +0.28(07:37) No Huddle-Shotgun #24 H.Barnes rush right for 12 yards gain to the KSU39 (#7 L.Evans; #13 C.Miller), 1ST DOWN. #13 C.Miller injured on the play
- Week 3 · Kennesaw State · 2&8 · Q4 · EPA -0.18(10:30) No Huddle-Shotgun #24 H.Barnes rush middle for 2 yards gain to the KSU12 (#46 J.Greaves Jr.; #55 U.Nwoha)
- Week 3 · Kennesaw State · 3&5 · Q4 · EPA -0.16(01:10) Shotgun #24 H.Barnes rush middle for 3 yards gain to the TENN33 (#16 A.Thomas; #97 J.Crawford)
- Week 3 · Kennesaw State · 1&10 · Q4 · EPA -0.11(02:43) No Huddle-Shotgun #24 H.Barnes rush middle for 4 yards gain to the TENN29 (#16 A.Thomas; #28 K.Moss)
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +63 rushing yards, +1 rushing TD.
Season context · Team result + system
5 seasons under Josh Heupel — 41-14 over that span.
2022Tennessee11-2HC: Josh Heupel · Run-leaning
2023Tennessee9-4HC: Josh Heupel · Run-leaning
2024Tennessee10-3HC: Josh Heupel · Run-heavy
2025Tennessee8-5HC: Josh Heupel · Balanced
2026Tennessee3-0HC: Josh Heupel · Run-heavy
Where this profile ranks vs the RB cohort
Box-score percentiles
Elite: yards / carry (87th percentile). Concern: rush yards (0th percentile).
Box-score rates (5)
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 2 games: 37.5 YDS/g, 6.0 YPC, 0.5 TD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Josh Heupel
Pass share
35.9%
74 pass / 132 run
Plays / game
68.7
3 games
Team sack rate
5.0%
80 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Background
CAREER HONORS 2025 Fall SEC Academic Honor Roll 2024 Fall SEC Adademic Honor Roll 2023 Fall SEC Academic Honor Roll CAREER In-state running back from West Tennessee entering his fifth year with the program … Played in eight career games … Owns 12 career carries for 57 yards and one tackle on…
The backfield · Tennessee
- #18DeSean Bishop1,076 rushing yards · 2025
- #6Javin Gordon516 rushing yards · 2025
- #17Daune Morris133 rushing yards · 2025
- #2Justin Baker43 rushing yards · 2025
- #24Hunter Barnes2 rushing yards · 2025
1 more on the roster · Tennessee team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology