Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 45-24@ California | 5 | 41 | 8.2 | 0 | 15 | |
| Wk 2 | W 28-10vs San Diego State | 7 | 32 | 4.6 | 1 | 9 | |
| Wk 3 | W 52-38vs Purdue | 9 | 58 | 6.4 | 1 | 18 | Season-high 58 yds |
| Total | 21 | 131 | 6.4 | 2 | 18 |
#21
Jaivian Thomas
Senior running back for UCLA. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
5′10″ · 198 lb · Oakland, CA · McClymonds HS / California
CFB Index 36 · #267 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
131
rushing yards · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 58 rush yds, 1 TD, 9 rec yds, vs Purdue
Swing playSwung California from 25% to 55% to win.USC at California · 50-49
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior running back for UCLA. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to California in 2022.
- Transferred from California to UCLA in 2025.
Jaivian Thomas
Does a little of everything without one standout trait. Jaivian Thomas has played for three head coaches across four seasons and two programs. The receipt: 58 rush yds, 9 rec yds against Purdue — Week 3, 2026.
131 RUSH YDS · 2 RUSH TD · 21 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 4 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
The week the volume broke through — put up 60 yds vs Penn State.Penn State · W 42-372025
2022
- Signed with California3-star out of Nolan Catholic
20237 games
- Signed with California3-star out of McClymonds
202510 games
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
4 coachesPlayed under 4 different head coaches: Chip Kelly, Deshaun Foster, Tim Skipper, and Bob Chesney. Multi-era developmental context.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | UCLA | 21 | 131 | 6.2 | 2 | -- |
| 2025 | UCLA | 82 | 306 | 3.7 | 1 | -- |
| 2024 | California | 100 | 626 | 6.3 | 7 | -- |
| 2023 | California | 18 | 110 | 6.1 | 1 | -- |
| Career | 221 | 1,173 | 5.3 | 11 | -- |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | UCLA | 2 | 13 | 6.5 | 0 | -- |
| 2025 | UCLA | 10 | 64 | 6.4 | 0 | -- |
| 2024 | California | 11 | 91 | 8.3 | 0 | -- |
| 2023 | California | 3 | 24 | 8.0 | 1 | -- |
| Career | 26 | 192 | 7.4 | 1 | -- |
Game log
Game by game
Jaivian Thomas'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 1 · 2026
W 45–24
at California
41 rush yds (5 car)
Dominant 21-point win on the road against California.
With C. Gerrand — 43 yards per punt · 5 punts · 3 inside the 20 · W. Knight — 71 rush yds (8 car) · 3 TD
Signature plays
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
- Week 3 · Purdue · 2&9 · Q4 · EPA +2.86(15:00) No Huddle-Shotgun #21 J.Thomas rush middle for 17 yards gain to the PUR00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 14:56, 1ST DOWN #15 M.Bhaghani kick attempt good (H: #45 C.Barry, LS: #44 G.Cereghino)
- Week 2 · San Diego State · 2&1 · Q4 · EPA +1.90(04:32) Shotgun #21 J.Thomas rush middle for 1 yard gain to the SDSU00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 04:31 #15 M.Bhaghani kick attempt good (H: #45 C.Barry, LS: #44 G.Cereghino)
- Week 3 · Purdue · 3&7 · Q1 · EPA +1.56(09:14) Shotgun #9 N.Iamaleava pass complete short right to #21 J.Thomas caught at PUR33, for 9 yards to the PUR27 (#7 D.Saunders), 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · California · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA +1.32(12:46) Shotgun #21 J.Thomas rush left for 15 yards gain to the CLA40 (#20 C.Sidney), 1ST DOWN
- Week 3 · Purdue · 1&10 · Q4 · EPA +1.16(03:19) Shotgun #21 J.Thomas rush left for 14 yards gain to the UCLA37 (#13 J.Slaughter), out of bounds, 1ST DOWN
- Week 3 · Purdue · 3&1 · Q2 · EPA -1.12(10:34) Shotgun #21 J.Thomas rush middle for 3 yards loss to the PUR24 (#2 J.Mangham)
- Week 3 · Purdue · 1&10 · Q4 · EPA -1.07(02:38) Shotgun #21 J.Thomas rush middle for 0 yards to the UCLA37 (#32 D.Marable; #16 A.Speca)
- Week 2 · San Diego State · 2&6 · Q2 · EPA +1.06(06:36) Shotgun #21 J.Thomas rush right for 6 yards gain to the SDSU49 (#21 T.Letuli), 1ST DOWN
- Week 2 · San Diego State · 3&2 · Q2 · EPA +1.04(13:34) Shotgun #9 N.Iamaleava pass complete short right to #21 J.Thomas caught at UCLA23, for 4 yards to the UCLA32 (#21 T.Letuli), 1ST DOWN
- Week 2 · San Diego State · 2&6 · Q3 · EPA +0.87(02:38) Shotgun #21 J.Thomas rush middle for 7 yards gain to the UCLA31 (#20 J.McLaughlin), 1ST DOWN
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +58 rushing yards, +1 rushing TD, +1 catch.
Season context · Team result + system
2023California6-7HC: Justin Wilcox · Run-leaning
2024California6-7HC: Justin Wilcox · Balanced
2025UCLA3-9HC: Tim Skipper · Balanced, slow tempo
2026UCLA3-0HC: Bob Chesney · Run-heavy
Where this profile ranks vs the RB cohort
Box-score percentiles
High confidence
Elite: yards / carry (83rd percentile). Concern: carries (0th percentile).
Box-score rates (7)
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 | 45.0 | 5.5 | 1.0 |
| Road1g | 41.0 | 8.2 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 43.7 | 6.4 | 0.7 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Bob Chesney
Pass share
39.0%
76 pass / 119 run
Plays / game
65.0
3 games
Team sack rate
5.7%
87 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-Big Ten
Based on 2025: #41 of 44 Big Ten RBs
How the All-Big Ten 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
DNA match
Player DNA
Balanced Back
Plays within the scheme — consistent production without a dominant dimension.
RB
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Rodrigues Clark’s 2020 season.
82%match
Matches Rodrigues on
Receiving share
Yards / reception
Class year
Differs from Rodrigues on
Recruiting rating (lower)
Through 3 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Asim Rose’s path through Kentucky.
100%match
#3
Cooper Wallace
96%
Matches Asim on
Yards per carry
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Charvis Thornton's junior season at Louisiana Tech (2023).
80%match
Matches Charvis on
Yards / carry
Rush TD rate
Height
Differs from Charvis on
Yards / reception (higher)
Player DNA
Players who play like Jaivian Thomas
Heisman trajectory
Heisman Trajectory · 2026
Peak #162
Peaked at #162 this season.
Background
Career Summary Thomas has played 30 games and made seven starts over three seasons at UCLA (2025) and California (2023-24) … has totaled 199 carries for 1,030 yards and nine rushing touchdowns in his career … has averaged 5.2 yards per carry and 34.3 yards per game … has totaled 24 receptions…
The backfield · UCLA
- #3Wayne Knight1,373 rushing yards · 2025
- #21Jaivian Thomas306 rushing yards · 2025
- #6Anthony Woods294 rushing yards · 2025
- #22Dylan Lee117 rushing yards · 2025
- #32Troy Leigber24 rushing yards · 2025
1 more on the roster · UCLA team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology