CJ Donaldson is a Explosive Back for West Virginia. CJ's 2023 season ranks in the 80th percentile nationally by opponent-adjusted EPA per play across 168 plays — a above-average rate for the RB.
Elite per-carry efficiency — breaks big runs and creates chunk plays at a top rate while in a limited role.
Meaningful starter. Local collective + position-group 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travis Etienne | Clemson | 2019 | 213 | 0.470 | 4.7 | 100.1 |
| Clyde Edwards-Helaire | LSU | 2019 | 216 | 0.490 | 5.0 | 105.8 |
| Saquon Barkley | Penn State | 2017 | 240 | 0.410 | 5.2 | 98.4 |
| Nick Wilson | Arizona | 2014 | 250 | 0.410 | 5.2 | 102.5 |
| James Flanders | Tulsa | 2016 | 266 | 0.390 | 4.9 | 103.7 |
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 | @Penn State | L15-38 | 23.5 | 18 | 81 | 4.5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0.38 |
| 2 | vsDuquesne | W56-17 | — | 13 | 56 | 4.3 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.13 |
| 3 | vsPittsburgh | W17-6 | -7.3 | 18 |
Usage = share of team plays (CFBD has no true snap counts).
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 5 · Rush Yds 23 · Avg 4.6 · Rush TD 0
| 102 |
| 5.7 |
| 1 |
| — |
| — |
| — |
| 0.45 |
| 4 | vsTexas Tech | W20-13 | 6.1 | 15 | 48 | 3.2 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 0 | -0.08 |
| 5 | @TCU | W24-21 | 7.9 | 22 | 61 | 2.8 | 1 | — | — | — | 0.01 |
| 7 | @Houston | L39-41 | -7.8 | 17 | 66 | 3.9 | 1 | 2 | 25 | 0 | 0.13 |
| 8 | vsOklahoma State | L34-48 | 6.7 | 13 | 39 | 3.0 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 0.06 |
| 9 | @UCF | W41-28 | 3.4 | 17 | 121 | 7.1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0.61 |
| 10 | vsBYU | W37-7 | -3.3 | 14 | 102 | 7.3 | 2 | — | — | — | 0.98 |
| 11 | @Oklahoma | L20-59 | 15.0 | 14 | 79 | 5.6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.48 |
| 12 | vsCincinnati | W42-21 | -6.8 | 5 | 20 | 4.0 | 1 | — | — | — | 0.63 |
| 13 | @Baylor | W34-31 | -8.3 | 5 | 23 | 4.6 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.07 |