Chase Brown is a 2-year Featured Back for Illinois. Chase's 2021 season ranks in the 18th percentile nationally by opponent-adjusted EPA per play across 201 plays — a developing rate for the RB.
2021 Production
Performance Analysis · 2021 · vs RB peers
The centerpiece of the run game — high carry volume, used in early downs and goal-line, true workhorse role.
- ▸Below-average efficiency vs RB peers — value comes through volume, not per-play impact.
- ▸High-volume role — one of the team's most-used RBs by play share.
- ▸Production faded as the season progressed — 0.17 EPA/play decline from first to second half.
- ▸Peak game: 0.78 EPA/play in Wk 5 vs Charlotte (SP+ -14).
NIL Market Tier· 2021
On3 valuation ↗Rotational contributor. Smaller collective or local deals.
Tier is a model estimate based on position, school brand, performance rank, and usage — not a reported deal. NIL deals are private. For a real market valuation, see On3's NIL profile, which factors in social following and actual deal tracking.
Historical Comparables · RB · efficiency + volume + value
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 |
| James Flanders | Tulsa | 2016 | 266 | 0.390 | 4.9 | 103.7 |
| Travis Etienne | Clemson | 2019 | 213 | 0.470 | 4.7 | 100.1 |
| 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.
Game Log · box score + EPA, week by week
| Wk | Opponent | Result | Opp SP+ | Car | Rush Yds | Avg | Rush TD | Rec | Rec Yds | Rec TD | EPA/play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | vsNebraska | W30-22 | 10.3 | 5 | 24 | 4.8 | 0 | — | — | — | -0.08 |
| 2 | @Virginia | L14-42 | 7.2 | 7 | 41 | 5.9 | 1 | 4 | 28 | 0 | 0.36 |
| 3 | vsMaryland | L17-20 | 6.2 | 14 | 57 | 4.1 | 0 | 2 | 54 | 0 | 0.46 |
| 5 | vsCharlotte | W24-14 | -13.7 | 26 | 257 | 9.9 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 0 | 0.78 |
| 6 | vsWisconsin | L0-24 | 20.1 | 8 | 35 | 4.4 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0.07 |
| 8 | @Penn State | W20-18 | 14.3 | 33 | 223 | 6.8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0.34 |
| 9 | vsRutgers | L14-20 | -3.0 | 18 | 67 | 3.7 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0.18 |
| 10 | @Minnesota | W14-6 | 14.4 | 32 | 147 | 4.6 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0.01 |
| 12 | @Iowa | L23-33 | 11.4 | 13 | 42 | 3.2 | 0 | 2 | 19 | 0 | -0.13 |
| 13 | vsNorthwestern | W47-14 | -11.1 | 14 | 112 | 8.0 | 1 | — | — | — | 0.37 |
Usage & Situational · Pro
- Standard downs
- 0.28
- Passing downs
- 0.33
- Pass / Rush EPA
- 1.06 / 0.23
Usage = share of team plays (CFBD has no true snap counts).
Career · rolling EPA, game by game
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.