Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 38-10vs Southeast Missouri State | 8 | 10 | 1.3 | 0 | 2 | Season-high 10 yds |
| Wk 2 | L 13-16@ Iowa | 2 | 4 | 2.0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Total | 10 | 14 | 1.6 | 0 | 2 |
#26
Cameron Pettaway
Sophomore running back for Iowa State. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
5′10″ · 190 lb · Farmington Hills, MI · Farmington
CFB Index 42 · #196 of 326 RBsHigh confidenceTransferred Bowling Green → Iowa State for 2026
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
The numbers
14
rushing yards · 2026
1.4 per carry
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 10 rush yds, vs Southeast Missouri State
The play that turned itSwung Bowling Green from 21% to 52% to win.Akron at Bowling Green · 19-16
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
2 running back for Iowa State. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Bowling Green in 2024.
- Transferred from Bowling Green to Iowa State in 2026.
- Named MAC Freshman Player of the Year in 2025.
Buzz vs Tape
Fans hotter than the country
His own fans read him warmer than the wider college football conversation does — a gap of 27.5 points in belief.
27.5own fans
0national conversation
Cameron Pettaway
Does a little of everything without one standout trait. Two head coaches in two seasons, at two different programs. In 2025 the league put his name on paper for the first time: MAC Freshman Player of the Year. One game to point at: 10 rush yds against Southeast Missouri State — Week 1, 2026.
14 RUSH YDS · 0 RUSH TD · 10 CARRIES
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- recognition record
- game log
His career
He was winning awards before he was old enough to be a story.
2024
- Signed with Bowling Green3-star out of Farmington
20259 games
- MAC Freshman Player of the Yearwinner
- All-MACfirst
2026
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
🥈
ALL-MAC · 1ST TEAM
All-MAC 1st team (2025)
Coaching lineage · 2025–2026
2 coaches2025
Iowa State
2026era →
Jimmy Rogers
Iowa State
Coaching transition mid-career: Matt Campbell → Jimmy Rogers. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Iowa State
2025Bowling Green
2026Iowa State
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2025Bowling Green4-8HC: Eddie George · Run-heavy
2026Iowa State1-1HC: Jimmy Rogers · Run-heavy, slow tempo
Where this profile ranks vs the RB cohort
Box-score percentiles
High confidence
Concern: rush yards (0th percentile).
Box-score rates (5)
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 2 games: 7.0 YDS/g, 1.6 YPC, 0.0 TD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Jimmy Rogers
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Iowa State | 10 | 14 | 1.4 | 0 | -- |
| 2025 | Bowling Green | 72 | 365 | 5.1 | 0 | -- |
| Career | 82 | 379 | 4.6 | 0 | -- |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Iowa State | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Bowling Green | 8 | 139 | 17.4 | 2 | -- |
| Career | 8 | 139 | 17.4 | 2 | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 38–10
Signature plays
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
- Week 1 · Southeast Missouri State · 1&10 · Q4 · EPA -1.15(12:20) No Huddle #0 C.Pettaway rush middle for 3 yards loss to the SEMO36 (#57 M.McAulay)
- Week 2 · Iowa · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA -0.68(06:27) #0 C.Pettaway rush right for 2 yards gain to the ISU42 (#3 J.Watson; #96 B.Hawthorne)
- Week 1 · Southeast Missouri State · 2&10 · Q1 · EPA -0.61(06:12) Shotgun #0 C.Pettaway rush right for 2 yards gain to the SEMO49 (#9 L.Minner, Jr.)
- Week 1 · Southeast Missouri State · 2&8 · Q3 · EPA -0.61(06:06) #0 C.Pettaway rush middle for 2 yards gain to the SEMO41 (#41 K.McRae; #21 T.Elmore)
- Week 1 · Southeast Missouri State · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA -0.55(06:38) No Huddle-Shotgun #0 C.Pettaway rush right for 2 yards gain to the SEMO43 (#95 T.Miller)
- Week 1 · Southeast Missouri State · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA -0.50(04:50) #0 C.Pettaway rush right for 1 yard gain to the SEMO33 (#94 A.Keefer, Jr.)
- Week 1 · Southeast Missouri State · 1&10 · Q4 · EPA -0.45(13:19) No Huddle #0 C.Pettaway rush middle for 2 yards gain to the ISU27 (#51 R.Dover)
- Week 1 · Southeast Missouri State · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA -0.26(00:31) No Huddle #0 C.Pettaway rush middle for 2 yards gain to the ISU15 (#98 T.Maxson)
- Week 2 · Iowa · 2&10 · Q1 · EPA -0.19(00:46) #0 C.Pettaway rush left for 2 yards gain to the IOWA13 (#33 C.Buffington)
- Week 1 · Southeast Missouri State · 2&8 · Q1 · EPA -0.15(10:48) #0 C.Pettaway rush left for 2 yards gain to the SEMO07 (#9 L.Minner, Jr.; #28 C.Christmas)
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Plays within the scheme — consistent production without a dominant dimension.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Balanced Back
Plays within the scheme — consistent production without a dominant dimension.
RB
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Torrance Burgess Jr.’s 2023 season.
61%match
All-Conference USA
Matches Torrance on
Weight
Differs from Torrance on
Class year (lower)
Yards / reception (higher)
Height (higher)
Through 2 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Demetric Felton’s path through UCLA.
100%match
All-Pac-12NFL Rd 6
Matches Demetric on
Yards per carry
As a freshman, his production profile tracks closest to Samuel Harris's freshman season at Wyoming (2025).
Matches Samuel on
Yards / carry
Height
Receiving share
Differs from Samuel on
Yards / reception (higher)
Weight (higher)
Background
Awards & Honors Jet Award Preseason Watch List (2026) FWAA Freshman All-American (2025) MAC Freshman of the Year (2025) First Team All-MAC – Kick Returner (2025) Second Team Phil Steele All-MAC – Kick Returner (2025) 2025 (at Bowling Green) Appeared in nine games, making four starts … FWAA Freshm...
The backfield · Iowa State
- Cameron Pettaway365 rushing yards · 2025
- #3Arnold Barnes217 rushing yards · 2025
- #7Salahadin Allah71 rushing yards · 2025
- #21Aiden Flora58 rushing yards · 2025
- #25Easton Miller23 rushing yards · 2025
4 more on the roster · Iowa State team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology