Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 59-7vs Eastern Illinois | 3 | 15 | 5.0 | 1 | 10 | |
| Wk 2 | L 13-38vs Mississippi State | 2 | 7 | 3.5 | 0 | 4 | |
| Wk 3 | W 41-7vs Akron | 8 | 41 | 5.1 | 0 | 11 | Season-high 41 yds |
| Total | 13 | 63 | 4.5 | 1 | 11 |
#9
Xavier Ford
Sophomore running back for Minnesota. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
5′10″ · 210 lb · Leesville, LA · Leesville
The numbers
63
rushing yards · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 15 rush yds, 1 TD, vs Eastern Illinois
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Sophomore running back for Minnesota. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Minnesota in 2025.
Xavier Ford
He has spent two seasons in the Minnesota backfield. One game to point at: 34 rush yds against Akron — Week 3, 2026.
63 RUSH YDS · 1 RUSH TD · 13 CARRIES
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- seasons on the roster
- game log
His career
2025
- Signed with Minnesota3-star out of Leesville
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
Minnesota
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Career stats
Game log
Game by game
Xavier Ford'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 59–7
15 rush yds (3 car) · 1 TD
Dominant 52-point win at home against Eastern Illinois.
With J. Tracy — 5 rec · 98 yds · D. Lindsey — 264 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · QBR 86.2 · 6 rush yds (2 car)
Signature plays
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
- Week 1 · Eastern Illinois · 4&1 · Q4 · EPA +2.79(00:29) #9 X.Ford rush middle for 1 yard gain to the EIU00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 00:25 #92 B.Sunderland kick attempt good (H: #42 T.Weston, LS: #53 J.Lutz)
- Week 3 · Akron · 3&3 · Q4 · EPA -1.03(00:30) Shotgun #9 X.Ford rush middle for 0 yards to the AKRON35 (#14 K.Moss; #42 J.Buchanan)
- Week 3 · Akron · 1&10 · Q4 · EPA +0.91(07:43) No Huddle-Shotgun #9 X.Ford rush middle for 8 yards gain to the MINN33 (#17 C.Newsome)
- Week 1 · Eastern Illinois · 2&4 · Q4 · EPA +0.83(08:44) Shotgun #9 X.Ford rush middle for 10 yards gain to the EIU41 (#16 M.Valenzuela; #15 B.Worsley), 1ST DOWN
- Week 3 · Akron · 1&10 · Q4 · EPA +0.80(02:12) Shotgun #9 X.Ford rush middle for 11 yards gain to the AKRON42 (#93 T.Watkins), 1ST DOWN
- Week 3 · Akron · 2&5 · Q4 · EPA -0.50(01:14) Shotgun #9 X.Ford rush middle for 2 yards gain to the AKRON35 (#93 T.Watkins; #19 E.Smith III)
- Week 3 · Akron · 1&10 · Q4 · EPA +0.40(06:04) Shotgun #9 X.Ford rush right for 6 yards gain to the MINN44 (#93 T.Watkins)
- Week 2 · Mississippi State · 2&6 · Q4 · EPA -0.22(00:29) Shotgun #9 X.Ford rush middle for 3 yards gain to the MINN27 (#35 K.Dinkins)
- Week 3 · Akron · 2&2 · Q4 · EPA +0.21(06:56) Shotgun #9 X.Ford rush middle for 5 yards gain to the MINN38 (#13 R.Hunter), 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · Eastern Illinois · 1&10 · Q4 · EPA -0.15(10:54) No Huddle #9 X.Ford rush middle for 4 yards gain to the MINN37 (#16 M.Valenzuela)
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +41 rushing yards.
Season context · Team result + system
2 seasons under P.J. Fleck — 10-6 over that span.
2025Minnesota8-5HC: P.J. Fleck · Balanced, slow tempo
2026Minnesota2-1HC: P.J. Fleck · Pass-leaning
Where this profile ranks vs the RB cohort
Box-score percentiles
Concern: rush yards (0th percentile).
Box-score rates (5)
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home3g | 21.0 | 4.5 | 0.3 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 21.0 | 4.5 | 0.3 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
P.J. Fleck
Pass share
57.1%
112 pass / 84 run
Plays / game
65.3
3 games
Team sack rate
1.7%
119 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Pass-leaning.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Background
PRONUNCIATION Your browser does not support HTML5 audio. 2025 • FRESHMAN SEASON: Redshirted • played in two games • rushed 10 times for 35 yards • made his Minnesota and collegiate debut against Northwestern State and rushed two times for 10 yards • rushed eight times for 25 yards at Iowa. HIGH…
The backfield · Minnesota
- #1Darius Taylor670 rushing yards · 2025
- #21Grant Washington132 rushing yards · 2025
- #2A.J. Turner64 rushing yards · 2025
- #9Xavier Ford35 rushing yards · 2025
- #22Jaron Thomas15 rushing yards · 2025
4 more on the roster · Minnesota team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology