1,373 rush YDS, 1,200-yd club is what Wayne Knight has put on film since landing at UCLA — the bet is starting to settle.
5′7″ · 193 lb · Smyrna, DE · Smyrna HS / James Madison
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
rushing yards · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Backed by 18 car · 177 yds · 2 TD -- top 1% rushing yards game.
The play that turned itSwung UCLA from 45% to 95% to win.UCLA at California · 45-24
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior running back for UCLA. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
Aura™ · Him Watch
+16aura tax
57th pctl our rushing-value metric (wEPA) RBs · 140 qualified, n=52
— the discourse is fair.Buzz vs Tape
The rival fanbase is unexpectedly warm on him relative to his own.
Tough win in what could be considered a trap game That fake punt given up still irks me because it was so obvious it would happen, still got the win though and that final Wayne Knight td was huge in terms of the eyes of the CFP committee
Also worth knowing:
“It's the Wayne Knight Show! BACK-TO-BACK 3 TOUCHDOWN GAMES!!!!! 🔥”
Wayne Knight
Wayne Knight arrives at UCLA with a new fit to prove and an old chapter behind him.
RUSH YDS · 1,200-YD CLUB
1,373
1373 rushing yards — clears the 1,200-RB volume bar.
AI-generated narrative · may contain errors · not journalism · updated 2026-09-22
His career
Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.
The role got bigger.
Career arc
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-AMERICA
Named All-American (2026)
1 selectors honored him
ALL-SUN BELT · 1ST TEAM
All-Sun Belt 1st team (2025)
Badges
Coaching lineage · 2022–2026
4 coachesPlayed under 4 different head coaches: Chip Kelly, Deshaun Foster, Tim Skipper, and Bob Chesney. Multi-era developmental context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to UCLA
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | UCLA | 39 | 345 | 8.8 | 8 | -- |
| 2025 | James Madison | 207 | 1,373 | 6.6 | 9 | -- |
| 2024 | James Madison | 77 | 449 | 5.8 | 2 | -- |
| 2023 | James Madison | 4 | 23 | 5.8 | 0 | -- |
| 2022 | James Madison | 5 | -8 | -1.6 | 0 | -- |
| Career | 332 | 2,182 | 6.6 | 19 | -- |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | UCLA | 5 | 53 | 10.6 | 0 | -- |
| 2025 | James Madison | 40 | 397 | 9.9 | 1 | -- |
| 2024 | James Madison | 15 | 138 | 9.2 | 2 | -- |
| 2023 | James Madison | 1 | 11 | 11.0 | 0 | -- |
| 2022 | James Madison | 5 | 63 | 12.6 | 0 | -- |
| Career | 66 | 662 | 10.0 | 3 | -- |
Game by game
Point color shows the opponent's defensive strength that week (red = weaker defense, blue = stronger) — dashed line is this player's own season average.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 45-24@ California | 8 | 71 | 8.9 | 3 | 31 | 3 rushing TDs |
| Wk 2 | W 28-10vs San Diego State | 13 | 97 | 7.5 | 3 | 36 | 3 rushing TDs |
| Wk 3 | W 52-38vs Purdue | 18 | 177 | 9.8 | 2 | 47 | Season-high 177 yds |
| Total | 39 | 345 | 8.7 | 8 | 47 |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 45–24
at California
71 rush yds (8 car) · 3 TD
Dominant 21-point win on the road against California.
With C. Gerrand — 43 yards per punt · 5 punts · 3 inside the 20 · N. Iamaleava — 184 yds · 0 TD · 1 INT · QBR 52.4 · 29 rush yds (9 car) · 1 TD
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
Since week 2: +177 rushing yards, +2 rushing TD, +3 catches.
Season context · Team result + system
Where this profile ranks vs the RB cohort
Box-score percentiles
Elite: yards / carry (100th percentile). Strength: rush tds (99th percentile). Concern: carries (0th percentile).
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home2g | 137 | 8.7 | 2.5 |
| Road1g | 71.0 | 8.9 | 3.0 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 115 | 8.7 | 2.7 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Bob Chesney
Pass share
39.0%
76 pass / 119 run
Plays / game
65.0
3 games
Team sack rate
5.7%
87 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy.
Player standing · 2026
In the All-America conversation, short of a selector's first team.
Selector Grid · 2026
Play style
Hits the crease and outruns the angle.
CFB Index positional classification
Player DNA
Cuts upfield fast. Designed to find the crease, not run through the line.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Tyler Badie’s 2021 season.
Matches Tyler on
Differs from Tyler on
Through 3 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Jahiem White’s path through West Virginia.
Matches Jahiem on
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Raleek Brown's senior season at Arizona State (2025).
Matches Raleek on
Differs from Raleek on
Player DNA
Heisman Trajectory · 2026
Peaked at #43 this season.
Career Highlights • 2025 Second Team All-American (AP, SI, USA TODAY, On3) • 2025 First Team All-Sun Belt • 2025 Sun Belt Championship Game MVP • 2025 Paul Hornung Award Finalist • JMU School Record Holder for Single-Season All-Purpose Yards (2,039) Career Summary Transferred to UCLA ahead of…
1 more on the roster · UCLA team page