Eli Sanders is a Explosive Back for USC. Eli's 2025 season ranks in the 53th percentile nationally by opponent-adjusted EPA per play across 50 plays — a average rate for the RB.
2026 Usage Outlook · projected share of team plays
Regressed toward the RB mean. Model correlation r≈0.52 on a 2019-2025 walk-forward — volume only; efficiency not projected.
2025 Production
Performance Analysis · 2025 · vs RB peers
Elite per-carry efficiency — breaks big runs and creates chunk plays at a top rate while in a limited role.
- ▸3 high-impact games (EPA/play > 0.4) this season — elite ceiling.
- ▸Particularly dangerous on passing downs — efficiency spikes in obvious pass situations.
- ▸Production faded as the season progressed — 0.60 EPA/play decline from first to second half.
- ▸Peak game: 1.45 EPA/play in Wk 1 vs Missouri State (SP+ -11).
NIL Market Tier· 2025
On3 valuation ↗Top-10 nationally. Multiple mid-to-large collective deals expected.
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.
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 | vsMissouri State | W73-13 | -10.7 | 5 | 33 | 6.6 | 0 | 1 | 73 | 1 | 1.45 |
| 2 | vsGeorgia Southern | W59-20 | -9.4 | 8 | 52 | 6.5 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 0 | 0.65 |
| 3 | @Purdue | W33-17 | -6.1 | 10 | 75 | 7.5 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0.19 |
| 4 | vsMichigan State | W45-31 | -3.4 | 13 | 84 | 6.5 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 0 | 0.25 |
| 5 | @Illinois | L32-34 | 12.9 | 8 | 14 | 1.8 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 0 | -0.30 |
| 7 | vsMichigan | W31-13 | 12.4 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 11 | 0 | 0.53 |
Usage & Situational · Pro
- Standard downs
- 0.17
- Passing downs
- 1.06
- Pass / Rush EPA
- 0.96 / 0.19
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.