CBS Sports College FootballShort-yardage / goal-line · enumeration
Who gets the tough yard
2/15Inside-5 share
2 of the team's 15 inside-the-5 carries (13.3%).
Viron Ellison Jr.
Last gameW 35–21at Western Kentucky · Oct 27
Nextat Kennesaw StateSat Nov 7 · 3 pm ET
- touchdown
Western Kentucky · W 35-21
8 carries, 8 yards, 1 TD
The other 7 games average 16 yards. This one was 8 below.
Dashed line: 100 yards.
This week
- RecordDelaware is 4-4.
- Next gameat Kennesaw State · Sat Nov 7
Worth knowing
- Viron Ellison Jr. has 21.2 rushing yards a game at home, 9 on the road.
The most important play this season
15% of the carries, 14% of the yards, 30% of the touchdowns
- Carries15%37 of 242
- Yards14%121 of 890
- Touchdowns30%3 of 10
- A touchdown every 12.3 carries. Everyone else on the team: one every 29.3.
Share of the team's rushing yards, game by game
No bar in a game where the team had under 100 rushing yards: a share of that little says nothing.
Who carried it
- Jo'Nathan Silver380 yards, 84 carries, 2 touchdowns
- Kaderris Roberts169 yards, 36 carries, 3 touchdowns
- Viron Ellison Jr.121 yards, 37 carries, 3 touchdowns
- Tyler Bell53 yards, 24 carries
- Nakeem Powell51 yards, 8 carries
- 5 others130 yards
Share of the team's total this season.
Viron Ellison Jr.
Played for two head coaches at two programs in three seasons: Kevin Wilson and Ryan Carty. On tape: 30 rushing yards against Coastal Carolina, Week 3, 2026.
121 rushing yards · 3 rushing TD · 37 carries
Style of play
Style of play
Play style
Does a little of everything without one standout trait.
Similar players
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Fans
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
Delaware in the news
- Delaware snaps road losing streak
Bay to Bay News Oct 28
Where to follow
The latest game
Against Western Kentucky on Oct. 27: 8 carries for 8 yards. In the 8 games drawn here: 37 carries for 121 yards.
First quarterSecond quarterThird quarterFourth quarter
- W 35-21 at Western Kentucky8 carries, 8 yds, 1 TD
- W 61-38 vs Missouri State6 carries, 23 yds
- L 30-33 at Middle Tennessee4 carries, 19 yds
- L 14-30 vs Liberty2 carries, 15 yds
- L 3-42 at Virginia3 carries, 7 yds
- W 22-14 vs Coastal Carolina6 carries, 30 yds
- L 26-35 at Vanderbilt5 carries, 2 yds, 1 TD
- W 42-7 vs Merrimack3 carries, 17 yds, 1 TD
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 the play moved the chains.
Career stats
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Last game (Wk 9): 8 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD.
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 42-7vs Merrimack | 3 | 17 | 5.7 | 1 | 11 | |
| Wk 2 | L 26-35@ Vanderbilt | 5 | 2 | 0.4 | 1 | 2 | |
| Wk 3 | W 22-14vs Coastal Carolina | 6 | 30 | 5.0 | 0 | 7 | Season-high 30 yds |
| Wk 4 | L 3-42@ Virginia | 3 | 7 | 2.3 | 0 | 5 | |
| Wk 5 | L 14-30vs Liberty | 2 | 15 | 7.5 | 0 | 12 | |
| Wk 7 | L 30-33@ Middle Tennessee | 4 | 19 | 4.8 | 0 | 10 | |
| Wk 8 | W 61-38vs Missouri State | 6 | 23 | 3.8 | 0 | 10 | |
| Wk 9 | W 35-21@ Western Kentucky | 8 | 8 | 1.0 | 1 | 7 | |
| Total | 37 | 121 | 3.3 | 3 | 12 |
Signature game
Week 1 · 2026
W 42-7
vs Merrimack
75 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · 17 rush yds (3 car) · 1 TD
Dominant 35-point win at home against Merrimack.
With N. Minicucci — 330 yds · 2 TD · 1 INT · QBR 79.3 · 13 rush yds (5 car) · 1 TD · J. Cupitt — 42 yards per punt · 4 punts · 2 inside the 20
Signature plays
The plays that mattered most
- Week 1 · Merrimack · 1st and 10 · Q3 · EPA +6.08Ellison Jr. to Roberts: a 75-yard touchdown pass.
- Week 9 · Western Kentucky · 4th and 1 · Q4 · EPA −4.48V.Ellison Jr. rush middle for 2 yards loss (M.Malotumau; J.Wester), TURNOVER ON DOWNS
- Week 5 · Liberty · 4th and 2 · Q2 · EPA +3.00V.Ellison Jr. rush left for 12 yards gain (A.Vaughan)
- Week 2 · Vanderbilt · 4th and 1 · Q2 · EPA +2.79V.Ellison Jr. rush middle for 1 yard gain to the Vandy00 TOUCHDOWN
- Week 1 · Merrimack · 1st and 10 · Q1 · EPA +2.52V.Ellison Jr. rush left for 11 yards gain for a touchdown
- Week 8 · Missouri State · 4th and 1 · Q1 · EPA +2.15V.Ellison Jr. rush middle for 2 yards gain (K.Lindstrom)
4 more plays
- Week 9 · Western Kentucky · 1st and 5 · Q2 · EPA +1.88V.Ellison Jr. rush middle for 5 yards gain for a touchdown
- Week 7 · Middle Tennessee · 2nd and 10 · Q4 · EPA +1.65Bell to Ellison Jr.: a 10-yard pass.
- Week 9 · Western Kentucky · 2nd and 9 · Q4 · EPA −1.58V.Ellison Jr. rush middle for 3 yards loss (V.Sneed Jr.)
- Week 3 · Coastal Carolina · 3rd and 4 · Q4 · EPA +1.49V.Ellison Jr. rush middle for 5 yards gain (B.Rose; M.Pulliam)
Where the stats rank
Rushing touchdowns3tied for 10th in the Conference USA this season.
Conference ranks count every player in the conference with a row in that stat, any position. Career ranks count current FBS players, from the games in our log.
Opponents faced, by strength
Ratings of the games shown run from -17 to +8 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Teams and coaches
2024Tulsa3-9HC: Kevin Wilson · Balanced
2025Delaware7-6HC: Ryan Carty · Pass-leaning
2026Delaware4-4HC: Ryan Carty · Balanced
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 | 21.2 | 5.5 | 0.2 |
| Road4g | 9.0 | 2.1 | 0.5 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 15.0 | 4.3 | 0.3 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 15.5 | 2.4 | 0.5 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Ryan Carty
Pass share
53.3%
278 pass / 244 run
Plays / game
65.2
8 games
Team sack rate
6.9%
318 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
37 carries, 4 catches and 1 pass attempt in 8 games
Fewer touches a game than most FBS running backs who play every week.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
33 · #302 of 331 RBs
Three-star recruit. Now #302 at the position.
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-Conference USA
Based on 2025: #18 of 28 Conference USA RBs
How the All-Conference USA base rate is computed
A base rate for the rank, not a forecast of this player: 22% of returning players who ranked #11–20 at their position in their conference made an all-conference team the next season (95% confidence interval 19–25%).
Starter
The No. 1,529 recruit in the country is carrying the ball in the Conference USA as a junior.
Three seasons, two schools
2026 is in progress.
- 2026 Delaware CartyYear 3 · 8 games
- 2025 Delaware CartyYear 2 · 13 games
- Jan 2025 Entered the transfer portal
- 2024 Tulsa WilsonYear 1 · 9 games
- High school LewisvilleLewisville, TX · Class of 2024Three-star, No. 1,529 in the 2024 class. Signed with Tulsa.Also from Lewisville: Michael Fasusi (Oklahoma), Armani Winfield (South Florida), Jaydan Hardy (Colorado) and 6 more.
Moves
- Entered the transfer portal from Tulsa, Jan 22, 2025.
A stat line in 30 games over three seasons.
2024 9 games
- Signed with TulsaThree-star, out of Lewisville
2025 13 games
- Entered the portalfrom Tulsa
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
2 coaches2024
Tulsa
Played for 2 head coaches at 2 schools: Kevin Wilson and Ryan Carty.