Josh Adams is a 2-year Explosive Back for Notre Dame. Josh's 2017 season ranks in the 80th percentile nationally by opponent-adjusted EPA per play across 222 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 |
| Saquon Barkley | Penn State | 2017 | 240 | 0.410 | 5.2 | 98.4 |
| Clyde Edwards-Helaire | LSU | 2019 | 216 | 0.490 | 5.0 | 105.8 |
| Tyjae Spears | Tulane | 2022 | 234 | 0.450 | 5.7 | 105.3 |
| 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 | vsTemple | W49-16 | 0.5 | 19 | 161 | 8.5 | 2 | — | — | — | 0.62 |
| 2 | vsGeorgia | L19-20 | 26.7 | 19 | 53 | 2.8 | 0 | 6 | 60 | 0 | -0.09 |
| 3 | @Boston College | W49-20 | 4.6 | 18 |
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 15 · Rush Yds 44 · Avg 2.9 · Rush TD 0
| 229 |
| 12.7 |
| 0 |
| 2 |
| 9 |
| 0 |
| 0.67 |
| 4 | @Michigan State | W38-18 | 13.8 | 9 | 56 | 6.2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.17 |
| 5 | vsMiami (OH) | W52-17 | -2.2 | 8 | 159 | 19.9 | 2 | — | — | — | 1.43 |
| 6 | @North Carolina | W33-10 | 4.3 | 13 | 118 | 9.1 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 0.53 |
| 8 | vsUSC | W49-14 | 17.9 | 19 | 191 | 10.1 | 3 | — | — | — | 0.63 |
| 9 | vsNC State | W35-14 | 12.9 | 27 | 202 | 7.5 | 1 | 1 | -2 | 0 | 0.15 |
| 10 | vsWake Forest | W48-37 | 10.5 | 5 | 22 | 4.4 | 0 | — | — | — | -0.12 |
| 11 | @Miami | L8-41 | 17.4 | 16 | 40 | 2.5 | 0 | — | — | — | -0.24 |
| 12 | vsNavy | W24-17 | -0.7 | 18 | 106 | 5.9 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.19 |
| 13 | @Stanford | L20-38 | 15.8 | 20 | 49 | 2.5 | 0 | — | — | — | -0.23 |
| 1 | vsLSU | W21-17 | 21.1 | 15 | 44 | 2.9 | 0 | 3 | 19 | 0 | -0.11 |