Israel Abanikanda is a Featured Back for Pittsburgh. Israel's 2022 season ranks in the 75th percentile nationally by opponent-adjusted EPA per play across 245 plays — a above-average rate for the RB.
The centerpiece of the run game — high carry volume, used in early downs and goal-line, true workhorse role.
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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Flanders | Tulsa | 2016 | 266 | 0.390 | 4.9 | 103.7 |
| Nick Wilson | Arizona | 2014 | 250 | 0.410 | 5.2 | 102.5 |
| Saquon Barkley | Penn State | 2017 | 240 | 0.410 | 5.2 | 98.4 |
| Ameer Abdullah | Nebraska | 2014 | 262 | 0.380 | 5.3 | 99.6 |
| Royce Freeman | Oregon | 2015 | 275 | 0.360 | 5.1 | 99.0 |
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 | vsWest Virginia | W38-31 | 2.4 | 8 | 15 | 1.9 | 0 | 1 | 24 | 1 | -0.04 |
| 2 | vsTennessee | L27-34 | 25.2 | 25 | 154 | 6.2 | 1 | 1 | 21 | 0 | 0.22 |
| 3 | @Western Michigan | W34-13 | -17.3 | 31 |
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 15 · Rush Yds 111 · Avg 7.4 · Rush TD 2
| 133 |
| 4.3 |
| 1 |
| 1 |
| -5 |
| 0 |
| 0.05 |
| 4 | vsRhode Island | W45-24 | — | 19 | 177 | 9.3 | 4 | 1 | 19 | 0 | 0.77 |
| 5 | vsGeorgia Tech | L21-26 | -11.8 | 10 | 31 | 3.1 | 0 | — | — | — | -0.03 |
| 6 | vsVirginia Tech | W45-29 | -9.5 | 36 | 320 | 8.9 | 6 | — | — | — | 0.58 |
| 8 | @Louisville | L10-24 | 9.0 | 28 | 129 | 4.6 | 1 | 3 | 50 | 0 | 0.12 |
| 9 | @North Carolina | L24-42 | 7.8 | 26 | 127 | 4.9 | 3 | — | — | — | 0.15 |
| 11 | @Virginia | W37-7 | -9.0 | 24 | 121 | 5.0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0.27 |
| 12 | vsDuke | W28-26 | 5.0 | 17 | 113 | 6.6 | 1 | 2 | 21 | 0 | 0.34 |
| 13 | @Miami | W42-16 | -2.7 | 15 | 111 | 7.4 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0.24 |