Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 34-8vs NC State | 15 | 64 | 4.3 | 0 | 15 | |
| Wk 2 | W 59-3vs Norfolk State | 3 | 15 | 5.0 | 0 | 7 | |
| Wk 3 | L 27-38vs West Virginia | 17 | 75 | 4.4 | 1 | 16 | Season-high 75 yds |
| Total | 35 | 154 | 4.6 | 1 | 16 |
#21
Jekail Middlebrook
New school, new number, same question — and Jekail Middlebrook's early answer at Virginia is 412 team receiving yards leader.
5′10″ · 198 lb · Atlanta, GA · Langston Hughes
CFB Index 63 · #59 of 326 RBsHigh confidenceTransferred Middle Tennessee → Virginia 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
154
rushing yards · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 75 rush yds, 1 TD, 1 rec yds, vs West Virginia
The play that turned itSwung Middle Tennessee from 35% to 66% to win.Middle Tennessee at Delaware · 31-28
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior running back for Virginia. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
- Signed with Middle Tennessee in 2023.
- Transferred from Middle Tennessee to Virginia in 2026.
In Their Words
128 windows · 2026 fan posts
jekail×922.8taylor×66.3middle×89.6back×10.8touchdowns×21.6yard×18.4last×8.9
Jekail Middlebrook
On Trialas of 2026-09-22
Jekail Middlebrook arrives at Virginia with a new fit to prove and an old chapter behind him.
154RUSH YDS1RUSH TD35CARRIES
TEAM RECEIVING YARDS LEADER
412
Team leader in receiving yards (412).
Virginia fans are litigating his worthiness — the eye test against the résumé.
medium confidence10 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
Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.
The week the volume broke through — stacked 1 td vs Jacksonville State.Jacksonville State · L 21-242025
20233 games
- Signed with Middle Tennesseeout of Langston Hughes
20249 games
The role got bigger.
- All-Conference USA
202511 games
- All-Conference USAhonorable_mention
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
—
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
🎖
ALL-CONFERENCE USA
All-Conference USA mention (2025)
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
1 coach2023–2026
Virginia
Played his entire career under Tony Elliott.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Virginia
2025Middle Tennessee
2026Virginia
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Virginia | 35 | 154 | 4.4 | 1 | -- |
| 2025 | Middle Tennessee | 140 | 752 | 5.4 | 4 | -- |
| 2024 | Middle Tennessee | 60 | 273 | 4.5 | 2 | -- |
| 2023 | Middle Tennessee | 18 | 85 | 4.7 | 2 | -- |
| Career | 253 | 1,264 | 5.0 | 9 | -- |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Virginia | 3 | 6 | 2.0 | 1 | -- |
| 2025 | Middle Tennessee | 40 | 412 | 10.3 | 3 | -- |
| 2024 | Middle Tennessee | 22 | 163 | 7.4 | 1 | -- |
| 2023 | Middle Tennessee | 4 | 31 | 7.8 | 0 | -- |
| Career | 69 | 612 | 8.9 | 5 | -- |
Game log
Game by game
Jekail Middlebrook'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 34–8
vs NC State
64 rush yds (15 car)
Dominant 26-point win at home against NC State.
With B. Pribula — 155 yds · 2 TD · 0 INT · QBR 97.4 · 110 rush yds (15 car) · D. Sparks — 45.4 yards per punt · 5 punts · 1 inside the 20
Signature plays
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
- Week 3 · West Virginia · 2&8 · Q1 · EPA +2.68(06:52) #21 J.Middlebrook rush middle for 8 yards gain to the WVU00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 06:49 #41 W.Bettridge kick attempt good (H: #38 D.Sparks, LS: #50 W.Rubinoff)
- Week 3 · West Virginia · 3&1 · Q3 · EPA +2.45(07:09) Shotgun #7 B.Pribula pass complete short left to #21 J.Middlebrook caught at WVU01, for 1 yard to the WVU00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 07:09 #41 W.Bettridge kick attempt good (H: #38 D.Sparks, LS: #50 W.Rubinoff)
- Week 1 · NC State · 4&1 · Q4 · EPA +2.00(14:59) No Huddle-Shotgun #21 J.Middlebrook rush middle for 2 yards gain to the NCS41 (#0 P.Aguirre; #88 I.Shirley), 1ST DOWN
- Week 2 · Norfolk State · 3&4 · Q3 · EPA +1.96(13:51) Shotgun #21 J.Middlebrook rush middle for 7 yards gain to the NSU46 (#1 J.Saunders; #98 Q.Goins), 1ST DOWN
- Week 3 · West Virginia · 1&10 · Q4 · EPA +1.44(13:12) Shotgun #21 J.Middlebrook rush left for 16 yards gain to the WVU47 (#6 D.Williams), out of bounds, 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · NC State · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA -1.36(12:08) Shotgun #21 J.Middlebrook rush right for 1 yard loss to the UVA41 (#5 H.Dyson III; #2 R.Royal, III)
- Week 1 · NC State · 3&1 · Q3 · EPA -1.19(00:06) No Huddle-Shotgun #21 J.Middlebrook rush middle for 0 yards to the NCS43 (#58 E.Satchell)
- Week 1 · NC State · 2&9 · Q1 · EPA +1.15(07:50) Shotgun #21 J.Middlebrook rush right for 10 yards gain to the NCS31 (#4 K.Mack; #22 J.Vick), 1ST DOWN
- Week 2 · Norfolk State · 2&5 · Q3 · EPA -0.95(14:27) Shotgun #21 J.Middlebrook rush right for 1 yard gain to the UVA47 (#2 N.Bashir; #11 C.Turner). The previous play is under automatic review - "Runner was down by contact". CALL OVERTURNED. (Original Play: (14:27) Shotgun #21 J.Middlebrook rush right for 6 yards gain to the NSU48 (#2 N.Bashir; #11 C.Turner), 1ST DOWN)
- Week 1 · NC State · 2&4 · Q2 · EPA -0.87(01:58) Shotgun #21 J.Middlebrook rush right for 1 yard gain to the UVA38 (#42 K.Carter; #92 C.Bond)
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +75 rushing yards, +1 rushing TD, +2 catches.
Season context · Team result + system
2023Middle Tennessee4-8HC: Rick Stockstill · Balanced
2024Middle Tennessee3-9HC: Derek Mason · Pass-leaning
2025Middle Tennessee3-9HC: Derek Mason · Pass-leaning
2026Virginia2-1HC: Tony Elliott · Run-heavy
Where this profile ranks vs the RB cohort
Box-score percentiles
High confidenceAscending
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home3g | 51.3 | 4.6 | 0.3 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 51.3 | 4.6 | 0.3 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Tony Elliott
Pass share
34.3%
68 pass / 130 run
Plays / game
66.0
3 games
Team sack rate
6.6%
76 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
Wins in space out of the backfield.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Satellite Back
Deployed as a receiver as much as a runner. Value is in space, not between the tackles.
RB
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Quincy Craig’s 2025 season.
77%match
Matches Quincy on
Yards / carry
EPA / carry (adj)
Differs from Quincy on
Class year (lower)
Receiving share (higher)
Yards / reception (higher)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Quincy Craig's junior season at Arizona (2025).
76%match
Matches Quincy on
Total rush EPA (college ability)
EPA / carry (adj)
Differs from Quincy on
Class year (lower)
Yards / reception (higher)
Receiving share (higher)
Player DNA
Players who play like Jekail Middlebrook
The backfield · Virginia
- #21Jekail Middlebrook752 rushing yards · 2025
- #28Solomon Beebe338 rushing yards · 2025
- #2Peyton Lewis290 rushing yards · 2025
- Xavier Brown241 rushing yards · 2025
- #3Noah Vaughn174 rushing yards · 2025
2 more on the roster · Virginia team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology