Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 13-20@ James Madison | 9 | 25 | 2.8 | 0 | 6 | |
| Wk 2 | W 24-23vs Gardner-Webb | 13 | 76 | 5.8 | 0 | 20 | Season-high 76 yds |
| Wk 3 | W 51-15vs Ball State | 9 | 35 | 3.9 | 0 | 16 | |
| Total | 31 | 136 | 4.2 | 0 | 20 |
#7
Peyton Jones
Peyton Jones packed up and started over at Liberty — the fit is the whole question.
5′10″ · 195 lb · Norfolk, VA · Maury HS
CFB Index 38 · #231 of 310 RBsHigh confidenceTransferred Duke → Liberty 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
136
rushing yards · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 76 rush yds, vs Gardner-Webb
The play that turned itSwung Duke from 24% to 54% to win.North Carolina at Duke · 21-20
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Junior running back for Liberty. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Duke in 2023.
- Transferred from Duke to Liberty in 2026.
Peyton Jones
Filling the Shoesas of 2026-09-22
Peyton Jones arrives at Liberty with a new fit to prove and an old chapter behind him.
136RUSH YDS0RUSH TD31CARRIES
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.
20236 games
- Signed with Duke3-star out of Maury
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 · 2023–2026
1 coach2023–2026
Liberty
Played his entire career under Jamey Chadwell.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Liberty
2025Duke
2026Liberty
Career stats
Game log
Game by game
Peyton Jones'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 24–23
vs Gardner-Webb
76 rush yds (13 car)
A wire-to-wire battle — won by 1 at home.
With S. Crossan — 44 yards per punt · 6 punts · 1 inside the 20 · M. Jackson — 2 rec · 69 yds · 1 TD
Signature plays
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
- Week 3 · Ball State · 3&6 · Q2 · EPA +2.87(00:47) No Huddle-Shotgun #7 P.Jones rush left for 16 yards gain to the BSU42 (#48 S.Feeney), 1ST DOWN
- Week 2 · Gardner-Webb · 3&1 · Q1 · EPA +2.34(02:35) No Huddle-Shotgun #7 P.Jones rush middle for 20 yards gain to the GWU37 (#9 J.Jackson; #16 T.Smallwood), 1ST DOWN
- Week 2 · Gardner-Webb · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA +1.14(01:27) No Huddle-Shotgun #7 P.Jones rush middle for 15 yards gain to the LU35 (#10 S.McLaughlin), 1ST DOWN
- Week 2 · Gardner-Webb · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA -1.07(10:11) No Huddle-Shotgun #7 P.Jones rush left for 1 yard loss to the LU31 (#14 T.Fisher)
- Week 1 · James Madison · 2&9 · Q1 · EPA -1.06No Huddle-Shotgun #5 D.Purdie pass complete short right to #7 P.Jones caught at JMU42, for 0 yards to the JMU42 (#14 K.Flowe)
- Week 2 · Gardner-Webb · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA -1.01(01:10) No Huddle-Shotgun #7 P.Jones rush middle for 0 yards to the LU35 (#1 T.Yanez)
- Week 2 · Gardner-Webb · 2&3 · Q4 · EPA -0.98(01:27) No Huddle-Shotgun #7 P.Jones rush middle for 1 yard gain to the GWU47 (#24 C.Haynes)
- Week 2 · Gardner-Webb · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA +0.87(10:36) No Huddle-Shotgun #7 P.Jones rush middle for 12 yards gain to the LU32 (#37 E.Luckett III; #16 T.Smallwood), 1ST DOWN
- Week 3 · Ball State · 2&6 · Q2 · EPA -0.84(13:04) No Huddle-Shotgun #7 P.Jones rush middle for 1 yard gain to the LU42 (#21 G.Aramboles)
- Week 1 · James Madison · 3&3 · Q4 · EPA -0.82Shotgun #7 P.Jones rush middle for 1 yard gain to the LU 49 (#55 R.Lovelace)
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +35 rushing yards.
Season context · Team result + system
2023Duke8-5HC: Trooper Taylor · Run-leaning, slow tempo
2024Duke9-4HC: Manny Diaz · Pass-leaning
2025Duke9-5HC: Manny Diaz · Balanced
2026Liberty2-1HC: Jamey Chadwell · Run-heavy
Where this profile ranks vs the RB cohort
Box-score percentiles
High confidence
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 | 55.5 | 4.8 | 0.0 |
| Road1g | 25.0 | 2.8 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 45.3 | 4.2 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Jamey Chadwell
Pass share
37.5%
72 pass / 120 run
Plays / game
64.0
3 games
Team sack rate
6.2%
80 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 2024 production profile sits closest to Marcus Williams Jr.’s 2021 season.
76%match
Matches Marcus on
Receiving share
Yards / carry
Weight
Differs from Marcus on
Class year (lower)
Yards / reception (higher)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to James Charles's sophomore season at Florida Atlantic (2021).
78%match
Matches James on
Yards / carry
Weight
EPA / carry (adj)
Differs from James on
Class year (lower)
Player DNA
Players who play like Peyton Jones
Background
2026 (R-Jr.): Phil Steele CUSA Preseason All-Conference Fourth Team (kickoff return) Athlon Sports CUSA Preseason All-Conference Second Team (running back) Athlon Sports CUSA Preseason All-Conference Fourth Team (kickoff return) Doak Walker Award watch list (top running back in the country)…
The backfield · Liberty
- #11Terron Kellman331 rushing yards · 2025
- #29Justin Marshall260 rushing yards · 2025
- #6Kanye Udoh240 rushing yards · 2025
- Jaylon Coleman79 rushing yards · 2025
- #7Peyton Jones34 rushing yards · 2025
6 more on the roster · Liberty team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology