Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 27-24@ Florida State | 12 | 75 | 6.3 | 0 | 23 | |
| Wk 2 | W 56-10vs UC Davis | 3 | 3 | 1.0 | 1 | 5 | |
| Wk 3 | L 31-41@ Louisville | 24 | 197 | 8.2 | 3 | 40 | Season-high 197 yds |
| Total | 39 | 275 | 5.2 | 4 | 40 |
#6
Kendrick Raphael
No.488 3★, national recruit is what Kendrick Raphael has put on film since landing at SMU — the bet is starting to settle.
5′11″ · 200 lb · Naples, FL
CFB Index 55 · #101 of 326 RBsHigh confidenceTransferred California → SMU 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
275
rushing yards · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Backed by 24 car · 197 yds · 3 TD -- top 1% rushing yards game. -- Best game: 197 rush yds, 3 TD, 11 rec yds, at Louisville
The play that turned itSwung California from 30% to 74% to win.California at Boston College · 28-24
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior running back for SMU. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to NC State in 2023.
- Transferred from California to SMU in 2026.
Aura™ · Him Watch
Aura tax
+24aura tax
Fans rank this player in the 39th percentile of RBs; the tape says
15th pctl our rushing-value metric (wEPA) RBs · 140 qualified, n=23
— more hype than the tape.Aura — fan perception39th pctl
Production — on-field15th pctl
n=23 mentions · cohort: RBs · 140 qualified · perception = conversation volume, production = our rushing-value metric (wEPA)
Buzz vs Tape
Attention percentile: 39th · Production percentile: 16th
He's mentioned more than 39% of qualified RBs this season, but his production sits in just the 16th percentile — a gap of 23 points between volume and tape.
39thattention percentile · vs RBs
16thproduction percentile · vs RBs
Kendrick Raphael
On Trialas of 2026-09-22
Kendrick Raphael arrives at SMU with a new fit to prove and an old chapter behind him.
275RUSH YDS4RUSH TD39CARRIES
3★ · NATIONAL RECRUIT
No.488
recruiting national rank
SMU fans are litigating his worthiness — the eye test against the résumé.
medium confidence6 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 — put up 131 yds vs Texas Southern.Texas Southern · W 35-32025
202310 games
- Signed with NC State3-star out of Naples
202513 games
- Entered the portal
20263 games
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
3 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
1 coach2023–2026
Played his entire career under Rhett Lashlee.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to SMU
2025California
2026SMU
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | SMU | 39 | 275 | 7.1 | 4 | -- |
| 2025 | California | 233 | 952 | 4.1 | 13 | -- |
| 2024 | NC State | 78 | 425 | 5.4 | 3 | -- |
| 2023 | NC State | 67 | 311 | 4.6 | 1 | -- |
| Career | 417 | 1,963 | 4.7 | 21 | -- |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | SMU | 4 | 45 | 11.2 | 0 | -- |
| 2025 | California | 34 | 245 | 7.2 | 1 | -- |
| 2024 | NC State | 10 | 41 | 4.1 | 0 | -- |
| 2023 | NC State | 10 | 96 | 9.6 | 0 | -- |
| Career | 58 | 427 | 7.4 | 1 | -- |
Game log
Game by game
Kendrick Raphael'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 27–24
75 rush yds (12 car)
A wire-to-wire battle — won by 3 on the road.
With K. Jennings — 430 yds · 3 TD · 2 INT · QBR 95.6 · 33 rush yds (5 car) · D. Green — 43 rush yds (13 car)
Signature plays
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
- Week 3 · Louisville · 4&1 · Q4 · EPA +3.93(04:00) Shotgun #6 K.Raphael rush middle for 34 yards gain to the LOU32 (#10 K.Beasley), out of bounds, 1ST DOWN
- Week 3 · Louisville · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA +3.11(14:59) No Huddle-Shotgun #6 K.Raphael rush middle for 40 yards gain to the LOU35 (#9 A.Watts), 1ST DOWN
- Week 3 · Louisville · 2&6 · Q3 · EPA +2.83(06:16) No Huddle-Shotgun #6 K.Raphael rush middle for 25 yards gain to the LOU00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 06:12, 1ST DOWN #99 N.Reed kick attempt good (H: #43 W.McSparron, LS: #48 M.Tribbett)
- Week 3 · Louisville · 4&1 · Q1 · EPA +2.80No Huddle-Shotgun #6 K.Raphael rush middle for 2 yards gain to the LOU00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 11:35, 1ST DOWN #99 N.Reed kick attempt good (H: #43 W.McSparron, LS: #48 M.Tribbett)
- Week 3 · Louisville · 2&5 · Q4 · EPA +2.51(11:38) Shotgun #6 K.Raphael rush middle for 12 yards gain to the LOU00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 11:33, 1ST DOWN #99 N.Reed kick attempt good (H: #43 W.McSparron, LS: #48 M.Tribbett)
- Week 2 · UC Davis · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA +2.02(11:36) No Huddle-Shotgun #7 K.Jennings pass complete short right to #6 K.Raphael caught at `SMU28, for 23 yards to the UCD44 (#23 B.Rosa; #1 H.John), 1ST DOWN
- Week 2 · UC Davis · 1&5 · Q1 · EPA +1.88(06:39) No Huddle-Shotgun #6 K.Raphael rush left for 5 yards gain to the UCD00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 06:40 #99 N.Reed kick attempt good (H: #43 W.McSparron, LS: #48 M.Tribbett)
- Week 1 · Florida State · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA +1.81Kendrick Raphael run for 23 yds to the FSU 39 for a 1ST down
- Week 1 · Florida State · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA +1.78Kendrick Raphael run for 23 yds to the SMU 40 for a 1ST down
- Week 2 · UC Davis · 2&1 · Q1 · EPA -1.55(09:08) No Huddle-Shotgun #6 K.Raphael rush right for 2 yards loss to the `SMU30 (#97 D.Huegel; #2 M.Madruga)
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +197 rushing yards, +3 rushing TD, +2 catches.
Season context · Team result + system
2023NC State9-4HC: Dave Doeren · Run-leaning
2024NC State6-7HC: Dave Doeren · Balanced, slow tempo
2025California7-6HC: Justin Wilcox · Pass-leaning
2026SMU2-1HC: Rhett Lashlee · Balanced
Where this profile ranks vs the RB cohort
Box-score percentiles
High confidence
Elite: yards / carry (89th percentile). Strength: rush tds (88th 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home1g | 3.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Road2g | 136 | 7.2 | 1.5 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 91.7 | 5.2 | 1.3 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Rhett Lashlee
Pass share
50.7%
103 pass / 100 run
Plays / game
67.7
3 games
Team sack rate
2.9%
104 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
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 Rodrigues Clark’s 2021 season.
83%match
Matches Rodrigues on
Weight
Rush TD rate
Recruiting rating
Differs from Rodrigues on
Yards / reception (higher)
Through 4 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Chuba Hubbard’s path through Oklahoma State.
98%match
All-Big 12NFL Rd 4
#3
Andrew Body
93%
Matches Chuba on
Yards per carry
Recruiting rating
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Isaiah Johnson's junior season at North Texas (2022).
78%match
Matches Isaiah on
Total rush EPA (college ability)
EPA / carry (adj)
Height
Differs from Isaiah on
Weight (lower)
Player DNA
Players who play like Kendrick Raphael
Heisman trajectory
Heisman Trajectory · 2026
Peak #72
Peaked at #72 this season.
The backfield · SMU
- #6Kendrick Raphael952 rushing yards · 2025
- #4Dramekco Green90 rushing yards · 2025
- #24Link Rhodes-4 rushing yards · 2025
- #25William Fierro1 game · 2026
- #21Christian Rhodesno box-score line yet
1 more on the roster · SMU team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology