AJ Dillon is a 2-year Featured Back for Boston College. AJ's 2019 season ranks in the 3th percentile nationally by opponent-adjusted EPA per play across 321 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 |
| Donnel Pumphrey | San Diego State | 2016 | 344 | 0.320 | 4.2 | 110.1 |
| Dalvin Cook | Florida State | 2016 | 292 | 0.340 | 4.3 | 99.3 |
| Eno Benjamin | Arizona State | 2018 | 316 | 0.330 | 4.6 | 104.3 |
| Breece Hall | Iowa State | 2020 | 301 | 0.340 | 4.5 | 102.3 |
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 | Rec | Rec Yds | Rec TD | EPA/play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | vsVirginia Tech | W35-28 | 8.0 | 23 | 81 | 3.5 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 0 | -0.12 |
| 2 | vsRichmond | W45-13 | — | 17 | 86 | 5.1 | 2 | 2 | 54 | 1 | 0.52 |
| 3 | vsKansas | L24-48 | -9.8 | 27 |
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 178 · Avg 5.6 · Rush TD 1
| 151 |
| 5.6 |
| 1 |
| 1 |
| -2 |
| 0 |
| -0.05 |
| 4 | @Rutgers | W30-16 | -14.6 | 32 | 150 | 4.7 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0.24 |
| 5 | vsWake Forest | L24-27 | 2.0 | 23 | 159 | 6.9 | 0 | 1 | 33 | 0 | 0.32 |
| 6 | @Louisville | L39-41 | 0.2 | 22 | 118 | 5.4 | 0 | 1 | 36 | 0 | 0.16 |
| 8 | vsNC State | W45-24 | -6.3 | 34 | 223 | 6.6 | 3 | — | — | — | 0.40 |
| 9 | @Clemson | L7-59 | 28.1 | 19 | 76 | 4.0 | 1 | — | — | — | 0.15 |
| 10 | @Syracuse | W58-27 | -3.0 | 35 | 242 | 6.9 | 3 | — | — | — | 0.46 |
| 11 | vsFlorida State | L31-38 | 1.8 | 40 | 165 | 4.1 | 0 | 3 | 25 | 0 | 0.08 |
| 13 | @Notre Dame | L7-40 | 17.7 | 14 | 56 | 4.0 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 0.14 |
| 14 | @Pittsburgh | W26-19 | 4.1 | 32 | 178 | 5.6 | 1 | 2 | 18 | 0 | 0.16 |