Kenneth Walker III is a 2-year Featured Back for Michigan State. Kenneth's 2021 season ranks in the 55th percentile nationally by opponent-adjusted EPA per play across 266 plays — a 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 |
| Hassan Haskins | Michigan | 2021 | 280 | 0.380 | 4.8 | 106.4 |
| Royce Freeman | Oregon | 2015 | 275 | 0.360 | 5.1 | 99.0 |
| Blake Corum | Michigan | 2023 | 283 | 0.380 | 5.1 | 107.5 |
| Ameer Abdullah | Nebraska | 2014 | 262 | 0.380 | 5.3 | 99.6 |
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 | @Northwestern | W38-21 | -11.1 | 23 | 264 | 11.5 | 4 | — | — | — | 0.94 |
| 2 | vsYoungstown State | W42-14 | — | 7 | 57 | 8.1 | 1 | — | — | — | 0.68 |
| 3 | @Miami | W38-17 | 10.8 | 27 |
Usage = share of team plays (CFBD has no true snap counts).
| Season | Team | Line value | WEPA/play | YoY Δ | Total EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Wake Forest | 2.3 | 0.330 | — | 39.6 |
| 2021 | Michigan State | 4.6 | 0.370 | +0.04 | 96.6 |
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 30 · Rush Yds 138 · Avg 4.6 · Rush TD 1
| 172 |
| 6.4 |
| 0 |
| 3 |
| 17 |
| 1 |
| 0.18 |
| 4 | vsNebraska | W23-20 | 10.3 | 19 | 61 | 3.2 | 0 | — | — | — | -0.38 |
| 5 | vsWestern Kentucky | W48-31 | 13.3 | 24 | 126 | 5.3 | 3 | — | — | — | 0.34 |
| 6 | @Rutgers | W31-13 | -3.0 | 29 | 233 | 8.0 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 0.33 |
| 7 | @Indiana | W20-15 | -7.8 | 23 | 84 | 3.7 | 0 | 1 | -5 | 0 | -0.04 |
| 9 | vsMichigan | W37-33 | 23.4 | 23 | 197 | 8.6 | 5 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 0.61 |
| 10 | @Purdue | L29-40 | 10.3 | 22 | 136 | 6.2 | 1 | 2 | 20 | 0 | 0.19 |
| 11 | vsMaryland | W40-21 | 6.2 | 30 | 143 | 4.8 | 2 | 2 | 29 | 0 | 0.17 |
| 12 | @Ohio State | L7-56 | 29.3 | 6 | 25 | 4.2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | -0.13 |
| 13 | vsPenn State | W30-27 | 14.3 | 30 | 138 | 4.6 | 1 | — | — | — | -0.11 |