Josh Adams is a 2-year Explosive Back for Notre Dame. Josh's 2015 season ranks in the 83th percentile nationally by opponent-adjusted EPA per play across 121 plays — a above-average rate for the RB. A four-star recruit in the class of 2015, Josh 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.
Elite per-carry efficiency — breaks big runs and creates chunk plays at a top rate while in a limited 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travis Etienne | Clemson | 2019 | 213 | 0.470 | 4.7 | 100.1 |
| Clyde Edwards-Helaire | LSU | 2019 | 216 | 0.490 | 5.0 | 105.8 |
| Saquon Barkley | Penn State | 2017 | 240 | 0.410 | 5.2 | 98.4 |
| Nick Wilson | Arizona | 2014 | 250 | 0.410 | 5.2 | 102.5 |
| Dalvin Cook | Florida State | 2015 | 228 | 0.450 | 5.8 | 102.6 |
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 | vsTexas | W38-3 | 3.7 | 5 | 49 | 9.8 | 2 | — | — | — | 0.84 |
| 2 | @Virginia | W34-27 | 1.4 | 3 | 10 | 3.3 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.12 |
| 3 | vsGeorgia Tech | W30-22 | 9.0 | 2 |
Usage = share of team plays (CFBD has no true snap counts).
| Season | Team | Line value | WEPA/play | YoY Δ | Total EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Notre Dame | 2.7 | 0.410 | — | 50.4 |
| 2017 | Notre Dame | 5.1 | 0.440 | +0.03 | 94.6 |
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 14 · Rush Yds 78 · Avg 5.6 · Rush TD 1
| 7 |
| 3.5 |
| 0 |
| — |
| — |
| — |
| -0.18 |
| 4 | vsMassachusetts | W62-27 | -9.5 | 13 | 133 | 10.2 | 1 | — | — | — | 0.52 |
| 5 | @Clemson | L22-24 | 24.0 | 2 | 2 | 1.0 | 0 | — | — | — | -0.51 |
| 6 | vsNavy | W41-24 | 12.1 | 8 | 38 | 4.8 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 0 | -0.04 |
| 7 | vsUSC | W41-31 | 16.8 | 1 | 26 | 26.0 | 0 | — | — | — | 1.77 |
| 10 | @Pittsburgh | W42-30 | 11.1 | 20 | 147 | 7.3 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0.42 |
| 11 | vsWake Forest | W28-7 | -4.5 | 17 | 141 | 8.3 | 1 | 2 | -3 | 0 | 0.16 |
| 12 | vsBoston College | W19-16 | 4.7 | 14 | 36 | 2.6 | 0 | — | — | — | -0.52 |
| 13 | @Stanford | L36-38 | 22.8 | 18 | 168 | 9.3 | 1 | 2 | 28 | 0 | 0.61 |
| 1 | vsOhio State | L28-44 | 29.5 | 14 | 78 | 5.6 | 1 | — | — | — | 0.24 |