Short-yardage / goal-line · enumeration
Who gets the tough yard
4/40Inside-5 share
4 of the team's 40 inside-the-5 carries (10.0%).
Damien Taylor
Damien Taylor is a running back who has not played this season; the last season with a stat line was 2025, at Ole Miss.
Taylor just keeps getting the ball, series after series. Played for three head coaches at two programs in four seasons: Jon Sumrall, Gerad Parker and Lane Kiffin. The first career honor came in 2024: All-Sun Belt. One game to point at: 39 rushing yards and 1 rushing TD against The Citadel — Week 11, 2025.
Style of play
Style of play
Play style
Built to take 20+ carries per game. Volume is the value.
Similar players
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Where to follow
Career stats
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Game log
Game log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 6 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 63-7vs Georgia State | 6 | 23 | 3.8 | 0 | 6 | |
| Wk 2 | W 30-23@ Kentucky | 4 | 10 | 2.5 | 1 | 7 | |
| Wk 3 | W 41-35vs Arkansas | 4 | 9 | 2.3 | 0 | 5 | |
| Wk 4 | W 45-10vs Tulane | 2 | 24 | 12.0 | 0 | 20 | |
| Wk 11 | W 49-0vs The Citadel | 8 | 39 | 4.9 | 1 | 11 | Season-high 39 yds |
| Bowl | W 41-10vs No. 17 Tulane | 4 | 25 | 6.3 | 0 | 16 | |
| Total | 28 | 130 | 4.6 | 2 | 20 |
Signature game
Week 11 · 2025
W 49-0
vs The Citadel
39 rush yds (8 car) · 1 TD
Dominant 49-point win at home against The Citadel.
With T. Chambliss — 333 yds · 3 TD · 0 INT · QBR 78.0 · O. Bird — 56.5 yards per punt · 2 punts · 57 long
Signature plays
The plays that mattered most
- Week 4 · Tulane · 1st and 10 · Q4 · EPA −3.95Damien Taylor run for 4 yds to the TULN 33 Damien Taylor fumbled, recovered by TULN Jah'rie Garner
- Week 4 · Tulane · 3rd and 2 · Q4 · EPA +2.50Damien Taylor run for 20 yds to the TULN 37 for a
- Week 11 · The Citadel · 3rd and 1 · Q4 · EPA +2.45D.Taylor rush middle for 1 yard gain for a touchdown
- Week 2 · Kentucky · 2nd and 1 · Q2 · EPA +1.90Damien Taylor run for 1 yd for a TD (Lucas Carneiro KICK)
- Week 1 · Georgia State · 3rd and 1 · Q2 · EPA +1.25Damien Taylor run for 5 yds to the MISS 39 for a
- Week 2 · Kentucky · 1st and 1 · Q2 · EPA −0.96Damien Taylor run for no gain to the UK 1
4 more plays
- Week 1 · Georgia State · 2nd and 2 · Q2 · EPA −0.93Damien Taylor run for 1 yd to the MISS 34
- Week 11 · The Citadel · 2nd and 5 · Q4 · EPA +0.86D.Taylor rush right for 5 yards gain (T.Elam)
- Week 11 · The Citadel · 1st and 10 · Q4 · EPA +0.84D.Taylor rush middle for 11 yards gain (D.Ware; J.Marks)
- Week 1 · Georgia State · 3rd and 1 · Q2 · EPA +0.74Damien Taylor run for 2 yds to the GAST 39 for a
Teams and coaches
2022Troy12-2HC: Jon Sumrall · Run-leaning
2023Troy11-3HC: Jon Sumrall · Balanced
2024Troy4-8HC: Gerad Parker · Run-leaning
2025Ole Miss13-2HC: Lane Kiffin and Pete Golding · Balanced
Our ratings
Splits
Home and road splits, scheme and staff
Splits · Per-game
2025 season · 6 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home5g | 24.0 | 5.9 | 0.2 |
| Road1g | 10.0 | 2.5 | 1.0 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-75g | 18.2 | 5.4 | 0.2 |
| Weeks 8+1g | 39.0 | 4.9 | 1.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Lane Kiffin
Pass share
48.2%
521 pass / 560 run
Plays / game
72.1
15 games
Team sack rate
3.4%
435 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
28 carries and 1 catch in 6 games
Fewer touches a game than most FBS running backs who play every week.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Starter
The No. 1,855 recruit in the country is carrying the ball in the SEC as a senior.
Five seasons, two schools
- 2025 Ole Miss KiffinYear 5 · 6 games
- Apr 2025 Entered the transfer portalTroy to Ole Miss
- 2024 Troy ParkerYear 4 · 12 gamesAll-conference
- 2023 Troy SumrallYear 3 · 12 games
- 2022 Troy SumrallYear 2 · 3 games
- 2021 Troy LindseyYear 1 · on the roster, no stat line
- High school Tuscaloosa CountyNorthport, AL · Class of 2021Three-star, No. 1,855 in the 2021 class. Signed with Troy.
Moves
- Transferred from Troy to Ole Miss, Apr 20, 2025.
A stat line in 33 games over four seasons.
2021
- Signed with TroyThree-star, out of Tuscaloosa County
2024 12 games
- All-Sun Beltsecond
2025 6 games
The snaps went the other way.
- Transferred to Ole Missfrom Troy
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-SUN BELT · 2ND TEAM
All-Sun Belt 2nd team (2024)
Weekly recognition
1 weekly honor (2024)
Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week
Coaching lineage · 2021–2025
5 coaches2021
Troy
Played for 5 head coaches at 2 schools: Chip Lindsey, Jon Sumrall, Gerad Parker, Lane Kiffin and Pete Golding.