J.K. Dobbins is a 2-year Featured Back for Ohio State. J.K.'s 2019 season ranks in the 98th percentile nationally by opponent-adjusted EPA per play across 314 plays — a elite rate for the RB. A four-star recruit in the class of 2017, J.K. has lived up to his recruiting pedigree.
Recruiting data from CFBD/247Sports composite. Sourced from the player's signing-class team — transfers show original school's class.
The centerpiece of the run game — high carry volume, used in early downs and goal-line, true workhorse role.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Devin Singletary | Florida Atlantic | 2017 | 319 | 0.500 | 8.4 | 159.5 |
| Ezekiel Elliott | Ohio State | 2015 | 311 | 0.480 | 8.6 | 149.3 |
| Ezekiel Elliott | Ohio State | 2014 | 292 | 0.520 | 7.8 | 151.8 |
| Rashaad Penny | San Diego State | 2017 | 294 | 0.470 | 7.7 | 138.2 |
| Chuba Hubbard | Oklahoma State | 2019 | 343 | 0.450 | 8.2 | 154.4 |
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 | vsFlorida Atlantic | W45-21 | -0.6 | 21 | 91 | 4.3 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 0.23 |
| 2 | vsCincinnati | W42-0 | 9.1 | 17 | 141 | 8.3 |
Usage = share of team plays (CFBD has no true snap counts).
| Season | Team | Line value | WEPA/play | YoY Δ | Total EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Ohio State | 3.3 | 0.360 | — | 72.0 |
| 2019 | Ohio State | 8.4 | 0.510 | +0.15 | 162.2 |
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 18 · Rush Yds 174 · Avg 9.7 · Rush TD 1
| 2 |
| 1 |
| 5 |
| 0 |
| 0.52 |
| 3 | @Indiana | W51-10 | 12.8 | 22 | 193 | 8.8 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 1 | 0.52 |
| 4 | vsMiami (OH) | W76-5 | -9.2 | 8 | 52 | 6.5 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0.37 |
| 5 | @Nebraska | W48-7 | 2.6 | 24 | 177 | 7.4 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.23 |
| 6 | vsMichigan State | W34-10 | 7.2 | 24 | 172 | 7.2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0.23 |
| 8 | @Northwestern | W52-3 | -5.5 | 18 | 121 | 6.7 | 1 | 3 | 30 | 1 | 0.44 |
| 9 | vsWisconsin | W38-7 | 20.3 | 20 | 163 | 8.2 | 2 | 3 | 58 | 0 | 0.49 |
| 11 | vsMaryland | W73-14 | -6.3 | 12 | 90 | 7.5 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0.72 |
| 12 | @Rutgers | W56-21 | -14.6 | 17 | 89 | 5.2 | 2 | — | — | — | 0.10 |
| 13 | vsPenn State | W28-17 | 24.3 | 36 | 157 | 4.4 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 0.15 |
| 14 | @Michigan | W56-27 | 20.7 | 31 | 211 | 6.8 | 4 | 2 | 49 | 0 | 0.65 |
| 15 | vsWisconsin | W34-21 | 20.3 | 33 | 172 | 5.2 | 1 | — | — | — | 0.14 |
| 1 | vsClemson | L23-29 | 28.1 | 18 | 174 | 9.7 | 1 | 6 | 47 | 0 | 0.39 |