AJ Dillon is a 2-year Featured Back for Boston College. AJ's 2017 season ranks in the 38th percentile nationally by opponent-adjusted EPA per play across 289 plays — a developing rate for the RB.
Recruiting data from CFBD/247Sports composite. Sourced from the player's signing-class team — transfers show original school's class.
The centerpiece of the run game — high carry volume, used in early downs and goal-line, true workhorse role.
Players from 2014–2024 matched on EPA efficiency, play volume, and adjusted value tier — not just one metric.
| Player | Team | Yr | Plays | WEPA/play | Line val | Total EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saquon Barkley | Penn State | 2016 | 288 | 0.340 | 3.9 | 97.9 |
| Dalvin Cook | Florida State | 2016 | 292 | 0.340 | 4.3 | 99.3 |
| Breece Hall | Iowa State | 2020 | 301 | 0.340 | 4.5 | 102.3 |
| Eno Benjamin | Arizona State | 2018 | 316 | 0.330 | 4.6 | 104.3 |
| Jonathan Taylor | Wisconsin | 2017 | 307 | 0.350 | 4.8 | 107.4 |
Comps are statistical — efficiency, volume, and value tier all factor in. Style and conference context differ.
| Wk | Opponent | Result | Opp SP+ | Car | Rush Yds | Avg | Rush TD | EPA/play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | @Northern Illinois | W23-20 | -1.4 | 5 | 20 | 4.0 | 0 | -0.03 |
| 2 | vsWake Forest | L10-34 | 10.5 | 15 | 43 | 2.9 | 0 | -0.24 |
| 3 | vsNotre Dame | L20-49 | 20.8 | 16 | 58 | 3.6 | 0 | -0.08 |
| 4 | Clemson |
Usage = share of team plays (CFBD has no true snap counts).
| Season | Team | Line value | WEPA/play | YoY Δ | Total EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Boston College | 3.9 | 0.290 | — | 90.8 |
| 2019 | Boston College | 2.2 | 0.230 | -0.06 | 72.0 |
Chart shows per-game EPA (bars) and rolling 5-game average (line). Season breaks marked with dashed lines. Line value = est. points over replacement per game.
Car 32 · Rush Yds 157 · Avg 4.9 · Rush TD 1
| L7-34 |
| 26.4 |
| 18 |
| 57 |
| 3.2 |
| 1 |
| 0.00 |
| 5 | vsCentral Michigan | W28-8 | -8.6 | 25 | 120 | 4.8 | 1 | -0.03 |
| 6 | vsVirginia Tech | L10-23 | 14.3 | 10 | 35 | 3.5 | 0 | -0.16 |
| 7 | @Louisville | W45-42 | 19.2 | 39 | 272 | 7.0 | 4 | 0.45 |
| 8 | @Virginia | W41-10 | 0.8 | 24 | 89 | 3.7 | 0 | -0.08 |
| 9 | vsFlorida State | W35-3 | 22.8 | 33 | 149 | 4.5 | 1 | 0.06 |
| 11 | vsNC State | L14-17 | 12.9 | 36 | 196 | 5.4 | 1 | 0.22 |
| 12 | vsUConn | W39-16 | -19.2 | 24 | 200 | 8.3 | 2 | 0.46 |
| 13 | @Syracuse | W42-14 | 4.0 | 23 | 193 | 8.4 | 3 | 0.41 |
| 1 | vsIowa | L20-27 | 9.8 | 32 | 157 | 4.9 | 1 | -0.02 |