Jabari Small

Senior running back for Tennessee. 2023: 475 rushing yards, 2 rushing TD, 7 catches.

RB · Tennessee · Sr. · #2

5′11″ · 213 lb · Memphis, TN

CFB Index 44 · #159 of 310 RBsHigh confidenceTennessee 2023 alumnus

Recruiting

3★

APB recruit

No. 636 nationally · Signed with Briarcrest Christian

No college snaps yet.

His career numbers, season by season

The story

4 running back for Tennessee. 2023: 475 rushing yards, 2 rushing TD, 7 catches.

Signed as a 3-star recruit to Briarcrest Christian in 2020.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Four seasons at Tennessee, 2,118 rushing yards — his college career is complete.

His career

Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.

20206 games

Recruited3-star out of Briarcrest Christian

202213 games

The role got bigger.

All-SEC

Career arc

Recruit

★★★

#636 national

CFB

College

Tennessee

2020–2023

NFL

NFL Draft

—

Not drafted

Coaching lineage · 2020–2023

2 coaches

2020

Jeremy Pruitt

Tennessee

2021–2023

Josh Heupel

Tennessee

era →

Coaching transition mid-career: Jeremy Pruitt → Josh Heupel. Worth noting in scheme + development context.

2023 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2020Tennessee3-7HC: Jeremy Pruitt · Run-leaning

2021Tennessee7-6HC: Josh Heupel · Run-heavy, fast tempo

2022Tennessee11-2HC: Josh Heupel · Run-leaning

2023Tennessee9-4HC: Josh Heupel · Run-leaning

Where this profile ranks vs the RB cohort

Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles

44Rotational starter #159 of 310?

High confidence13 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: fumbles lost (84th percentile). Concern: td rate (16th percentile).

Real play-by-play efficiency

EPA / carry#209 / 426 · 51st pct

0.17

Yards / carry#228 / 426 · 47th pct

5.2

Explosive rate#230 / 426 · 46th pct

6.5%

Success rate#273 / 426 · 36th pct

41.9%

TD rate#357 / 426 · 16th pct

2.2%

Box-score rates (8)

Fumbles lost#1 / 207 · 84th pct

Yards / carry#146 / 333 · 54th pct

5.0

Rush yards#169 / 333 · 49th pct

475

Carries#172 / 333 · 48th pct

Long run#183 / 333 · 44th pct

Receptions#220 / 327 · 30th pct

Rush TDs#218 / 333 · 27th pct

Rec yards#244 / 327 · 25th pct

Season trend

Last seasonThis season

EPA / carry

42nd → 51st percentile

Success rate

27th → 36th percentile

Explosive rate

20th → 46th percentile

Yards / carry

31st → 47th percentile

TD rate

87th → 16th percentile

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).

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2023 season · 11 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	YDS/g	YPC	TD/g
Home7g	54.1	5.7	0.3
Road4g	24.0	3.3	0.0

First half vs Second half

	YDS/g	YPC	TD/g
Weeks 1-76g	59.8	5.5	0.3
Weeks 8+5g	23.2	4.0	0.0

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Josh Heupel

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2023

Part-time starter

Splitting first-team reps — starts some weeks, rotates others.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

44 · #159 of 310 RBs

Three-star recruit. Now #159 at the position.

Career stats

Season	Team
2023	Tennessee	95	475	5.0	2	--
2022	Tennessee	157	734	4.7	13	--
2021	Tennessee	140	792	5.7	9	--
2020	Tennessee	26	117	4.5	0	--
Career		418	2,118	5.1	24	--

Season	Team
2023	Tennessee	7	40	5.7	0	--
2022	Tennessee	12	106	8.8	2	--
2021	Tennessee	9	77	8.6	0	--
2020	Tennessee	4	24	6.0	0	--
Career		32	247	7.7	2	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 7 · 2023

W 20–13

vs Texas A&M

42 rush yds (12 car)

A wire-to-wire battle — won by 7 at home.

With J. Milton III — 100 yds · 1 TD · 1 INT · QBR 63.1 · 34 rush yds (8 car) · J. Ross — 40 AVG · 2 IN 20 · 49 LONG

Signature plays

Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|

The plays that mattered most

fact

Week 4 · UTSA · 1&25 · Q2 · EPA +3.78Jabari Small run for 40 yds to the UTSA 18 for a 1ST down
Week 5 · South Carolina · 3&5 · Q3 · EPA +2.79Jabari Small run for 16 yds to the SC 44 for a 1ST down
Week 4 · UTSA · 3&1 · Q4 · EPA +2.45Jabari Small 1 Yd Run (Charles Campbell Kick)
Week 7 · Texas A&M · 1&5 · Q2 · EPA -2.37Jabari Small run for 2 yds to the TA&M 33 Tennessee Penalty, Offensive holding (McCallan Castles) to the TA&M 43
Week 2 · Austin Peay · 2&3 · Q2 · EPA +2.32Jabari Small run for 38 yds to the APSU 25 for a 1ST down
Week 3 · Florida · 3&7 · Q4 · EPA +2.18Jabari Small run for 12 yds to the TENN 40 for a 1ST down
Week 5 · South Carolina · 2&2 · Q1 · EPA +2.07Jabari Small run for 2 yds for a TD (Charles Campbell KICK)
Week 12 · Georgia · 4&1 · Q4 · EPA +1.91Jabari Small run for 2 yds to the UGA 39 for a 1ST down
Week 5 · South Carolina · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA +1.89Jabari Small run for 21 yds to the TENN 46 Jabari Small fumbled, recovered by SC Bru Mccoy for a 1ST down
Week 3 · Florida · 2&13 · Q3 · EPA -1.85Joe Milton III pass complete to Jabari Small for 1 yd to the 50 yard line Tennessee Penalty, Illegal Block (-15 Yards) to the TENN 35

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2023 season · 11 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	Note
Wk 1	W 49-13vs Virginia	13	67	5.2	0	13
Wk 2	W 30-13vs Austin Peay	13	95	7.3	0	38	Season-high 95 yds
Wk 3	L 16-29@ Florida	7	35	5.0	0	12
Wk 4	W 45-14vs UTSA	9	61	6.8	1	40
Wk 5	W 41-20vs South Carolina	11	59	5.4	1	21
Wk 7	W 20-13vs Texas A&M	12	42	3.5	0	11
Wk 8	L 20-34@ Alabama	8	24	3.0	0	6
Wk 9	W 33-27@ Kentucky	9	32	3.6	0	7
Wk 11	L 7-36@ Missouri	3	5	1.7	0	2
Wk 12	L 10-38vs Georgia	6	25	4.2	0	11
Wk 13	W 48-24vs Vanderbilt	4	30	7.5	0	26
Total		95	475	4.8	2	40