Sun Belt ConferenceShort-yardage / goal-line · enumeration
Who gets the tough yard
1/23Inside-5 share
1 of the team's 23 inside-the-5 carries (4.3%).
Nick Herman
5′10″ · 200 lb · Chicago, IL · St. Rita
He had 132 rushing yards in the 87-3 win over Wagner, his best game this season.
- touchdown
This week
- RecordJames Madison is 7-1.
- From the game thread
“Herman was looking for the TD instead of focusing on holding the ball. That’s a weak fumble.”
James Madison fan, r/CFB game thread · vs Georgia State, Oct 17
- Next gamevs Troy · Thu Oct 29
A play of his this season
Nick Herman
Hits the crease and outruns the angle. A 2-star signing who has since put 1 seasons on the field at James Madison. A game that shows it: 132 rushing yards and 12 receiving yards against Wagner — Week 2, 2026.
300 rushing yards · 3 rushing TD · 45 carries
How he plays
How he plays
Play style
Cuts upfield fast. Designed to find the crease, not run through the line.
Players he’s like
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
How he played
Against App State on Oct. 22: 2 carries for 8 yards. In the 8 games drawn here: 45 carries for 300 yards.
First quarterSecond quarterThird quarterFourth quarter
- L 31-34 at App State2 carries, 8 yds
- W 49-22 vs Georgia State2 carries, 12 yds
- W 27-24 at Georgia Southern4 carries, 21 yds
- W 45-17 vs Marshall9 carries, 46 yds, 1 TD
- W 46-20 at Old Dominion6 carries, 18 yds
- W 26-13 at San Diego State12 carries, 60 yds
- W 87-3 vs Wagner8 carries, 132 yds, 2 TD
- W 20-13 vs Liberty2 carries, 3 yds
a carry, by its yardsa loss, below the linea catcha touchdown
Each game is split into its four quarters, so the columns line up from game to game; inside a quarter, plays keep their order. Third and fourth downs are marked under the line, bold when he moved the chains.
Career stats
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | James Madison | 45 | 300 | 6.7 | 3 |
| Career | 45 | 300 | 6.7 | 3 |
| Season | Team | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | James Madison | 5 | 45 | 9.0 | 0 |
| Career | 5 | 45 | 9.0 | 0 |
Last game (Wk 8): 8 rushing yards.
Game log
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 8 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 20-13vs Liberty | 2 | 3 | 1.5 | 0 | 3 | |
| Wk 2 | W 87-3vs Wagner | 8 | 132 | 16.5 | 2 | 77 | Season-high 132 yds |
| Wk 3 | W 26-13@ San Diego State | 12 | 60 | 5.0 | 0 | 9 | |
| Wk 4 | W 46-20@ Old Dominion | 6 | 18 | 3.0 | 0 | 8 | |
| Wk 5 | W 45-17vs Marshall | 9 | 46 | 5.1 | 1 | 14 | |
| Wk 6 | W 27-24@ Georgia Southern | 4 | 21 | 5.3 | 0 | 9 | |
| Wk 7 | W 49-22vs Georgia State | 2 | 12 | 6.0 | 0 | 12 | |
| Wk 8 | L 31-34@ App State | 2 | 8 | 4.0 | 0 | 6 | |
| Total | 45 | 300 | 6.7 | 3 | 77 |
Signature game
Week 2 · 2026
W 87-3
vs Wagner
132 rush yds (8 car) · 2 TD · 2 rec · 12 yds
Dominant 84-point win at home against Wagner.
With M. Scott — 3 rec · 45 yds · C. Coleman — 171 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · QBR 38.4
Signature plays
The plays that mattered most
- Week 2 · Wagner · 2nd and 5 · Q3 · EPA +6.41N.Herman rush middle for 77 yards gain for a touchdown
- Week 7 · Georgia State · 1st and 10 · Q2 · EPA −5.77N.Herman rush middle for 12 yards gain fumbled by N.Herman at GSU40 forced by D.Lee recovered by GSU M.Harrell at GSU33, End Of Play
- Week 2 · Wagner · 2nd and 10 · Q2 · EPA +2.88N.Herman rush right for 15 yards gain for a touchdown
- Week 5 · Marshall · 1st and 3 · Q4 · EPA +1.46N.Herman rush middle for 3 yards gain for a touchdown
- Week 2 · Wagner · 1st and 18 · Q1 · EPA +1.41Coleman to Herman: an 11-yard pass.
- Week 3 · San Diego State · 2nd and 3 · Q2 · EPA +1.29Coleman to Herman: a 17-yard pass.
4 more plays
- Week 3 · San Diego State · 1st and 10 · Q3 · EPA +1.25N.Herman rush right for 9 yards gain (S.Hala)
- Week 2 · Wagner · 1st and 10 · Q1 · EPA +1.06N.Herman rush right for 11 yards gain (B.Leal)
- Week 5 · Marshall · 1st and 10 · Q3 · EPA +1.02N.Herman rush middle for 8 yards gain (K.McBride)
- Week 3 · San Diego State · 2nd and 15 · Q3 · EPA +1.00Coleman to Herman: an 11-yard pass.
Where he ranks
Rush yards300143rdAmong 242 backs with 40 or more carries
Yards / carry6.7tied for 22ndAmong 242 backs with 40 or more carries
Rush TDs3tied for 106thAmong 242 backs with 40 or more carries
Long run77tied for 14thAmong 242 backs with 40 or more carries
Carries45tied for 212thAmong 242 backs with 40 or more carries
Rec yards45tied for 140thAmong 237 backs with 40 or more carries
Receptions5tied for 157thAmong 237 backs with 40 or more carries
Fumbles lost1tied for 38thAmong 112 backs with 40 or more carries
173rd in rushing yards, among all 1,492 FBS players with a rushing row this season, any position
Who he played, by opponent strength
Ratings of the games shown run from -13 to +8 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Rushing profile
Rush profile · Shape, efficiency, and ball security
How he gets his yards, and how often it works
43 of 45 carries matched to play-by-play
Success rate
46%43 carriesFumble rate
2.2%1 of 45 carries · 1 lostStuffed
0 or fewer yds7%of carries
3 carries
Grind
1–3 yds35%of carries
15 carries
Chunk
4–9 yds47%of carries
20 carries
Explosive
10+ yds12%of carries
5 carries
6.7 yds/carry on 45 carries · 12% explosive (10+ yds) · 46% success rate.
Teams and coaches
2026James Madison7-1HC: Billy Napier · Run-leaning
Our ratings
Splits
Home and road splits, scheme and staff
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 48.2 | 7.3 | 0.8 |
| Road4g | 26.8 | 4.3 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 41.7 | 6.1 | 0.4 |
| Weeks 8+1g | 8.0 | 4.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Billy Napier
Pass share
45.5%
248 pass / 297 run
Plays / game
68.1
8 games
Team sack rate
3.0%
267 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
45 carries and 5 catches in 8 games
Fewer touches a game than most FBS running backs who play every week.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
51 · #109 of 315 RBs
Two-star recruit. Now #109 at the position.
Starter
The No. 3,430 recruit in the country is carrying the ball in the Sun Belt.
What fans said
Fans first named him vs Wagner.
- How much fans talked in a game against his usual
- His usual, named once in the key
- A fan first, numbered by kind (1 first named)
- The game his fans talked about most
vs Georgia State, Oct 17Not going to lie, that was just a good play by Georgia State, can’t fault Herman too muchJames Madison fan, r/CFB game thread
at Old Dominion, Sep 26Herman should have more than 2 carries atpJames Madison fan, r/CFB game thread
at San Diego State, Sep 19Herman is a funny RB nameJames Madison fan, r/CFB game thread
In the game threads
at Old Dominion, Sep 26Herman should have more than 2 carries atpJames Madison fan, r/CFB game threadat San Diego State, Sep 19Herman is a funny RB nameJames Madison fan, r/CFB game threadWhere to follow him
First season at James Madison, 8 games
- 2026 James Madison NapierYear 1 · 8 games
- Before collegeSigned with Drake in 2025 as a 2-star recruit, No. 3,430 in the country.
His moves
- Signed with Drake in the 2025 class, a 2-star recruit.
His career
2025
- Signed with Drake2-star out of St. Rita