Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 45-0vs Marshall | 8 | 31 | 3.9 | 0 | 9 | |
| Wk 2 | W 27-9@ Temple | 7 | 42 | 6.0 | 0 | 12 | |
| Wk 3 | W 55-13vs Buffalo | 8 | 59 | 7.4 | 2 | 16 | Season-high 59 yds |
| Total | 23 | 132 | 5.8 | 2 | 16 |
#1
James Peoples
No.115 4★, national recruit is what James Peoples has put on film since landing at Penn State — the bet is starting to settle.
5′10″ · 214 lb · San Antonio, TX · Veterans Memorial
CFB Index 39 · #226 of 326 RBsHigh confidenceTransferred Ohio State → Penn State for 2026
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
132
rushing yards · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 59 rush yds, 2 TD, vs Buffalo
Swing playSwung Washington from 16% to 37% to win.Ohio State at Washington · 24-6
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Junior running back for Penn State. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 4-star recruit to Ohio State in 2024.
- Transferred from Ohio State to Penn State in 2026.
Buzz vs Tape
Fans warmer than rivals
His own fans are far more bullish than the rival fanbase.
21.8own fans
-25rival fans
Also worth knowing:
In Their Words
138 windows · 2026 fan posts
quinton×392.3james×42.2jackson×15.6ohio×11.9
“PSU running back rankings today: \#5 Carsen Hansen \#4 Cam Wallace \#3 Quinton Martin \#2 James Peoples \#1 Koby Howard”
reddit/CFB · fan post, verbatim
James Peoples
On Trialas of 2026-09-22
James Peoples arrives at Penn State with a new fit to prove and an old chapter behind him.
132RUSH YDS2RUSH TD23CARRIES
4★ · NATIONAL RECRUIT
No.115
recruiting national rank
Penn State fans can't agree whether the tape backs the reputation.
medium confidence4 sources
Minority viewA vocal minority sees it the other way.
Read the story so far
AI-generated narrative · may contain errors · not journalism · updated 2026-09-22
His career
5 programs, one constant: he played.
20248 games
- Signed with Ohio State4-star out of San Antonio Veterans Memorial
20263 games
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
3 coachesPlayed under 3 different head coaches: James Franklin, Terry Smith, and Matt Campbell. Multi-era developmental context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Penn State
2025Ohio State
2026Penn State
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Penn State | 23 | 132 | 5.7 | 2 | -- |
| 2025 | Ohio State | 61 | 344 | 5.6 | 3 | -- |
| 2024 | Ohio State | 49 | 197 | 4.0 | 2 | -- |
| Career | 133 | 673 | 5.1 | 7 | -- |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Penn State | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Ohio State | 10 | 50 | 5.0 | 0 | -- |
| 2024 | Ohio State | 1 | -2 | -2.0 | 0 | -- |
| Career | 11 | 48 | 4.4 | 0 | -- |
Game log
Game by game
James Peoples'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 27–9
at Temple
Signature plays
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
- Week 2 · Temple · 1&10 · Q4 · EPA -4.44(00:00) No Huddle-Shotgun #1 J.Peoples rush middle for 51 yards loss to the PSU14 (#44 T.Alualu; #11 E.Kulp)
- Week 3 · Buffalo · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA +2.52Shotgun #1 J.Peoples rush left for 11 yards gain to the BUF00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 08:14, 1ST DOWN #94 R.Barker kick attempt good (H: #38 N.Tiyce, LS: #35 B.Sokach-Minnick)
- Week 3 · Buffalo · 2&4 · Q1 · EPA +2.46No Huddle-Shotgun #1 J.Peoples rush right for 16 yards gain to the BUF00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 08:00, 1ST DOWN #94 R.Barker kick attempt good (H: #38 N.Tiyce, LS: #35 B.Sokach-Minnick)
- Week 3 · Buffalo · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA +1.37#1 J.Peoples rush right for 9 yards gain to the PSU47 (#99 C.Evans; #33 J.Owens)
- Week 2 · Temple · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA +1.02(06:14) No Huddle-Shotgun #1 J.Peoples rush middle for 9 yards gain to the PSU26 (#33 C.Ordonez; #29 A.Powell)
- Week 1 · Marshall · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA +0.63No Huddle-Shotgun #1 J.Peoples rush left for 9 yards gain to the MAR13 (#0 C.Clark-Glover), out of bounds
- Week 2 · Temple · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA +0.61(10:22) No Huddle-Shotgun #1 J.Peoples rush left for 8 yards gain to the TEM30 (#29 A.Powell)
- Week 2 · Temple · 1&5 · Q1 · EPA -0.55(07:08) Shotgun #1 J.Peoples rush left for 0 yards to the TEM05 (#2 S.Karriem)
- Week 2 · Temple · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA +0.54(00:33) No Huddle-Shotgun #1 J.Peoples rush left for 12 yards gain to the TEM32 (#13 D.Chavis), 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · Marshall · 2&1 · Q2 · EPA -0.51No Huddle-Shotgun #1 J.Peoples rush right for 2 yards gain to the MAR11 (#5 J.Gilmore), 1ST DOWN
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +114 rushing yards, +2 rushing TD.
Season context · Team result + system
2024Ohio State14-2HC: Ryan Day · Run-leaning, slow tempo
2025Ohio State12-2HC: Ryan Day · Run-leaning
2026Penn State3-0HC: Matt Campbell · Run-heavy
Where this profile ranks vs the RB cohort
Box-score percentiles
High confidence
Concern: carries (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
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home2g | 45.0 | 5.7 | 1.0 |
| Road1g | 42.0 | 6.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 44.0 | 5.8 | 0.7 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Matt Campbell
Pass share
40.0%
80 pass / 120 run
Plays / game
66.7
3 games
Team sack rate
3.5%
86 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
How he plays
Play style
Does a little of everything without one standout trait.
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 Caden Durham’s 2025 season.
Matches Caden on
Total rush EPA (college ability)
Receiving share
Differs from Caden on
Rush TD rate (higher)
EPA / carry (adj) (lower)
Height (higher)
Through 3 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Demetric Felton’s path through UCLA.
99%match
All-Pac-12NFL Rd 6
Matches Demetric on
Yards per carry
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Caden Durham's sophomore season at LSU (2025).
Matches Caden on
Total rush EPA (college ability)
Receiving share
Height
Differs from Caden on
Rush TD rate (higher)
Player DNA
Players who play like James Peoples
Heisman trajectory
Heisman Trajectory · 2026
Peak #151
Peaked at #151 this season.
The backfield · Penn State
- #21Carson Hansen950 rushing yards · 2025
- #1James Peoples344 rushing yards · 2025
- #25Quinton Martin Jr.103 rushing yards · 2025
- #26Cam Wallace23 rushing yards · 2025
- #36Amar'e Glover1 game · 2026
2 more on the roster · Penn State team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology