Leonard Fournette is a 2-year Featured Back for LSU. Leonard's 2016 season ranks in the 0th percentile nationally by opponent-adjusted EPA per play across 151 plays — a developing rate for the RB. A five-star recruit in the class of 2014, Leonard has shown flashes of the talent that made him a coveted recruit.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saquon Barkley | Penn State | 2016 | 288 | 0.340 | 3.9 | 97.9 |
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 | vsWisconsin | L14-16 | 16.1 | 23 | 138 | 6.0 | 0 | 3 | 38 | 0 | 0.07 |
| 3 | vsMississippi State | W23-20 | 5.4 | 28 | 147 | 5.3 | 2 | 4 | 27 | 0 | -0.05 |
| 4 | @Auburn | L13-18 | 15.3 | 16 | 101 | 6.3 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0.01 |
| 8 | vsOle Miss | W38-21 | 12.4 | 16 | 284 | 17.8 | 3 | 3 | 25 | 0 | 0.97 |
| 10 | vsAlabama | L0-10 | 31.7 | 17 | 35 | 2.1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 0 | -0.38 |
| 11 | @Arkansas | W38-10 | 7.9 | 17 | 98 | 5.8 | 3 | 2 | 44 | 0 | 0.64 |
| 12 | vsFlorida | L10-16 | 15.4 | 12 | 40 | 3.3 | 0 | — | — | — | -0.14 |
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 12 · Rush Yds 40 · Avg 3.3 · Rush TD 0
