Donnel Pumphrey is a 3-year Pass-Catching Back for San Diego State. Donnel's 2015 season ranks in the 10th percentile nationally by opponent-adjusted EPA per play across 346 plays — a developing rate for the RB. Production has trended downward season-over-season on adjusted value metrics.
Third-down weapon out of the backfield. Routes, hands, and separation in coverage define this role as much as rushing.
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 |
| Jeremy McNichols | Boise State | 2016 | 340 | 0.330 | 4.7 | 112.2 |
| Eno Benjamin | Arizona State | 2018 | 316 | 0.330 | 4.6 | 104.3 |
| Dalvin Cook | Florida State | 2016 | 292 | 0.340 | 4.3 | 99.3 |
| 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 | vsSan Diego | W37-3 | — | 19 | 62 | 3.3 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 0 | -0.07 |
| 2 | @California | L7-35 | 12.1 | 21 | 85 | 4.0 |
Usage = share of team plays (CFBD has no true snap counts).
| Season | Team | Line value | WEPA/play | YoY Δ | Total EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | San Diego State | 5 | 0.380 | — | 93.5 |
| 2015 | San Diego State | 2.6 | 0.240 | -0.14 | 73.2 |
| 2016 | San Diego State | 4.2 | 0.320 | +0.08 | 110.1 |
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 25 · Rush Yds 99 · Avg 4.0 · Rush TD 1
| 0 |
| 2 |
| 23 |
| 0 |
| -0.10 |
| 3 | vsSouth Alabama | L27-34 | -10.4 | 28 | 102 | 3.6 | 1 | 5 | 55 | 0 | 0.01 |
| 4 | @Penn State | L21-37 | 11.3 | 18 | 56 | 3.1 | 1 | 5 | 53 | 0 | 0.05 |
| 5 | vsFresno State | W21-7 | -12.6 | 23 | 124 | 5.4 | 1 | — | — | — | 0.10 |
| 6 | @Hawai'i | W28-14 | -16.3 | 30 | 148 | 4.9 | 3 | 2 | 49 | 0 | 0.40 |
| 7 | @San José State | W30-7 | -4.5 | 20 | 152 | 7.6 | 1 | 3 | 55 | 1 | 0.55 |
| 8 | vsUtah State | W48-14 | -0.1 | 23 | 181 | 7.9 | 2 | — | — | — | 0.56 |
| 9 | @Colorado State | W41-17 | 0.5 | 20 | 121 | 6.1 | 2 | 2 | 47 | 1 | 0.33 |
| 11 | vsWyoming | W38-3 | -16.7 | 29 | 140 | 4.8 | 0 | 3 | 29 | 0 | 0.00 |
| 12 | @UNLV | W52-14 | -16.2 | 14 | 139 | 9.9 | 2 | — | — | — | 0.49 |
| 13 | vsNevada | W31-14 | -7.1 | 23 | 154 | 6.7 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0.34 |
| 14 | vsAir Force | W27-24 | 4.7 | 16 | 90 | 5.6 | 0 | 2 | 64 | 1 | 0.21 |
| 1 | vsCincinnati | W42-7 | 5.3 | 25 | 99 | 4.0 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 0 | 0.17 |