Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 31-0vs Charleston Southern | 3 | 30 | 10.0 | 0 | 15 | |
| Wk 2 | L 7-22@ Clemson | 5 | 23 | 4.6 | 0 | 8 | |
| Wk 3 | L 27-31@ Jacksonville State | 3 | 36 | 12.0 | 0 | 17 | Season-high 36 yds |
| Total | 11 | 89 | 8.9 | 0 | 17 |
#87
River Helms
Senior tight end for Georgia Southern. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
6′4″ · 230 lb · Lester, AL · West Limestone
CFB Index 48 · #63 of 137 TEsMedium-low confidence
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.
How he plays
Shows up in the passing game from any alignment.
Yards / catch: 15th percentile.
The full scouting readThe numbers
89
receiving yards · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 5 rec, 23 yds, at Clemson
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior tight end for Georgia Southern. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Western Kentucky in 2021.
- Transferred from Western Kentucky to Georgia Southern in 2025.
River Helms
Shows up in the passing game from any alignment. Across four seasons and two programs, two head coaches: Tyson Helton and Clay Helton. The receipt on tape: 36 rec yds, 3 receptions against Jacksonville State, Week 3, 2026.
89 REC YDS · 11 REC · 0 REC TD
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
He was on the field for 4 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
2021
- Signed with Western Kentucky3-star out of West Limestone
2025
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
1 coach2023–2026
Georgia Southern
Played his entire career under Clay Helton.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Georgia Southern | 11 | 89 | 8.1 | 0 | -- |
| 2025 | Georgia Southern | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 1 | -- |
| 2024 | Western Kentucky | 19 | 228 | 12.0 | 2 | -- |
| 2023 | Western Kentucky | 22 | 289 | 13.1 | 3 | -- |
| Career | 53 | 610 | 11.5 | 6 | -- |
Game log
Game by game
River Helms'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 31–0
3 rec · 30 yds
Dominant 31-point win at home against Charleston Southern.
With M. Johnson — 281 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · QBR 66.4 · A. Smith — 40.3 yards per punt · 4 punts · 42 long
Signature plays
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
- Week 1 · Charleston Southern · 3&8 · Q1 · EPA +2.56(13:42) No Huddle-Shotgun #7 M.Johnson pass complete short left to #87 R.Helms caught at GASO44, for 9 yards to the GASO49 (#16 D.Mullins), 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · Charleston Southern · 2&10 · Q1 · EPA +2.25(04:08) No Huddle-Shotgun #7 M.Johnson pass complete short right to #87 R.Helms caught at CSU40, for 15 yards to the CSU40 (#19 A.Paulk), 1ST DOWN
- Week 3 · Jacksonville State · 3&4 · Q3 · EPA +1.37No Huddle-Shotgun #7 M.Johnson pass complete short middle to #87 R.Helms caught at GS25, for 11 yards to the GS31 (#1 C.Nix), 1ST DOWN
- Week 3 · Jacksonville State · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA +1.18Shotgun #7 M.Johnson pass complete short right to #87 R.Helms caught at Jax St42, for 17 yards to the Jax St38 (#1 C.Nix), 1ST DOWN
- Week 3 · Jacksonville State · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA +0.98No Huddle-Shotgun #7 M.Johnson pass complete short middle to #87 R.Helms caught at GS42, for 8 yards to the Jax St49 (#8 J.Brooks)
- Week 2 · Clemson · 2&6 · Q3 · EPA +0.57(11:27) No Huddle-Shotgun #7 M.Johnson pass complete short left to #87 R.Helms caught at GS19, for 8 yards to the GS22 (#22 C.Myrick), out of bounds, 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · Charleston Southern · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA +0.35(01:11) No Huddle-Shotgun #7 M.Johnson pass complete short left to #87 R.Helms caught at CSU44, for 6 yards to the CSU44, out of bounds at CSU44
- Week 2 · Clemson · 2&5 · Q1 · EPA -0.23(09:07) Shotgun #7 M.Johnson pass complete short right to #87 R.Helms caught at GS25, for 3 yards to the GS26 (#22 C.Myrick)
- Week 2 · Clemson · 1&6 · Q4 · EPA +0.15(01:46) No Huddle-Shotgun #7 M.Johnson pass complete short middle to #87 R.Helms caught at CLEM02, for 5 yards to the CLEM01 (#5 R.Hanafin)
- Week 2 · Clemson · 2&10 · Q4 · EPA -0.15(01:57) No Huddle-Shotgun #7 M.Johnson pass complete short left to #87 R.Helms caught at CLEM18, for 3 yards to the CLEM18 (#22 C.Myrick), out of bounds
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +36 receiving yards, +3 catches.
Season context · Team result + system
2023Western Kentucky8-5HC: Tyson Helton · Pass-leaning
2024Western Kentucky8-6HC: Tyson Helton · Balanced
2025Georgia Southern7-6HC: Clay Helton · Balanced
2026Georgia Southern1-2HC: Clay Helton · Pass-leaning
Where this profile ranks vs the TE cohort
Box-score percentiles
Medium-low confidence
Concern: rec yards (0th percentile).
Box-score rates (5)
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Receiving profile
Receiver profile · Targets, catch rate, and throw depth
How often he's targeted, and how well it works
11 of 11 receptions matched to play-by-play
14 of 14 targets charted for true throw depth
Targets
1419% of team targetsCatch rate
79%11 of 14 targetsBehind LOS · Negative air yds
7% of targets (1)
100%catch rate
Air -1.0 · YAC 9.0 avg
Short · 0–9 air yds
64% of targets (9)
89%catch rate
Air 4.2 · YAC 2.0 avg
Middle · 10–19 air yds
14% of targets (2)
100%catch rate
Air 14.0 · YAC 2.0 avg
Deep · 20+ air yds
14% of targets (2)
0%catch rate
Air 22.5 avg
79% catch rate on 14 targets · 19% of the team's targets.
Splits & context
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home1g | 3.0 | 30.0 | 10.0 | 0.0 |
| Road2g | 4.0 | 29.5 | 8.3 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 3.7 | 29.7 | 8.9 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Clay Helton
Pass share
60.1%
128 pass / 85 run
Plays / game
71.0
3 games
Team sack rate
3.6%
140 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Pass-leaning.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
How he plays
Play style
No single go-to route — the receiving numbers show up inline and split out alike.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Complete TE
No single go-to route — the receiving numbers show up inline and split out alike.
TE
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Cethan Carter’s 2016 season.
Matches Cethan on
Yards / reception
Reception volume
TD rate
Through 3 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Seydou Traore’s path through Mississippi State.
82%match
All-Sun BeltNFL Rd 5
Matches Seydou on
Height
Yards per reception
Weight
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Luke Benson's senior season at Georgia Tech (2022).
88%match
Matches Luke on
Reception volume
Weight
Total EPA (college ability)
Differs from Luke on
Recruiting rating (higher)
Player DNA
Players who play like River Helms
Background
2025-26 - Sun Belt Conference Academic Honor Roll 2025-26: Played in one game, seeing action on 32 offensive snaps … Caught a 4-yard touchdown pass at Fresno State, his only catch of the year … Suffered a shoulder injury in the game and missed the remainder of the season … Was granted a medical…
The tight end room · Georgia Southern
- #84JP Mikhael7 receiving yards · 2025
- #87River Helms4 receiving yards · 2025
- #82Jackson Longno box-score line yet
- #48Aubrey Heathno box-score line yet
- #86Henry Gregoryno box-score line yet
2 more on the roster · Georgia Southern team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology