Ismail Mahdi is a Featured Back for Texas State. Ismail's 2023 season ranks in the 13th percentile nationally by opponent-adjusted EPA per play across 240 plays — a developing rate for the RB.
The centerpiece of the run game — high carry volume, used in early downs and goal-line, true workhorse 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saquon Barkley | Penn State | 2016 | 288 | 0.340 | 3.9 | 97.9 |
| Dalvin Cook | Florida State | 2016 | 292 | 0.340 | 4.3 | 99.3 |
| Breece Hall | Iowa State | 2020 | 301 | 0.340 | 4.5 | 102.3 |
| Hassan Haskins | Michigan | 2021 | 280 | 0.380 | 4.8 | 106.4 |
| Eno Benjamin | Arizona State | 2018 | 316 | 0.330 | 4.6 | 104.3 |
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 | @Baylor | W42-31 | -8.3 | 6 | 83 | 13.8 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 1.17 |
| 2 | @UTSA | L13-20 | 5.4 | 6 | 23 | 3.8 | 0 | — | — | — | -0.06 |
| 3 | vsJackson State | W77-34 | — | 3 |
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 24 · Rush Yds 122 · Avg 5.1 · Rush TD 0
| 77 |
| 25.7 |
| 1 |
| 1 |
| 27 |
| 0 |
| 1.55 |
| 4 | vsNevada | W35-24 | -22.0 | 21 | 216 | 10.3 | 2 | 2 | 40 | 0 | 0.77 |
| 5 | @Southern Miss | W50-36 | -14.4 | 14 | 89 | 6.4 | 3 | 1 | 89 | 0 | 0.30 |
| 6 | @Louisiana | L30-34 | 0.4 | 34 | 188 | 5.5 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0.32 |
| 7 | vsUL Monroe | W21-20 | -21.6 | 14 | 50 | 3.6 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0.06 |
| 9 | vsTroy | L13-31 | 9.8 | 20 | 128 | 6.4 | 0 | 4 | 32 | 0 | -0.02 |
| 10 | vsGeorgia Southern | W45-24 | -5.2 | 20 | 99 | 5.0 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.12 |
| 11 | @Coastal Carolina | L23-31 | -1.2 | 21 | 97 | 4.6 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0.04 |
| 12 | @Arkansas State | L31-77 | -6.3 | 17 | 62 | 3.6 | 1 | 5 | 30 | 0 | 0.14 |
| 13 | vsSouth Alabama | W52-44 | 5.1 | 23 | 97 | 4.2 | 1 | 1 | 27 | 0 | 0.20 |
| 1 | vsRice | W45-21 | -10.2 | 24 | 122 | 5.1 | 0 | 2 | -1 | 0 | -0.05 |