317 team receiving yards leader on the résumé, and Pittsburgh fans still can't agree what Desmond Reid is.
5′8″ · 175 lb · Miami Gardens, FL
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
rushing yards · 2025
2 TD · 4.6 per carry · 23 catches
Backed by 11 rec · 155 yds · 1 TD -- top 1% catches game.
The play that turned itSwung Notre Dame from 49% to 83% to win.Notre Dame at Pittsburgh · 37-15
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 running back for Pittsburgh. 2025: 278 rushing yards, 2 rushing TD, 23 catches.
How he plays
Wins in space out of the backfield.
Explosive rate: 55th percentile.
The full scouting readDesmond Reid
Desmond Reid is on trial in Pittsburgh's fan jury — the eye test against the résumé.
TEAM RECEIVING YARDS LEADER
317
Team leader in receiving yards (317).
Pittsburgh fans can't agree whether the tape backs the reputation.
Minority viewA vocal minority sees it the other way.
AI-generated narrative · may contain errors · not journalism · updated 2026-09-15
His career
Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.
The role got bigger.
Career arc
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-ACC · 1ST TEAM
All-ACC 1st team (2024)
Season context · Team result + system
2 seasons under Pat Narduzzi, all balanced offenses — 15-11 over that span.
Where this profile ranks vs the RB cohort
Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles
Elite: rec yards (97th percentile). Strength: receptions (82nd percentile). Concern: success rate (12th percentile).
Real play-by-play efficiency
Season trend
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season. Most bars are box-score rates; EPA / success-rate bars are computed from real play-by-play (offense only — no defensive EPA model exists yet).
Splits · Per-game
2025 season · 7 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 41.2 | 4.6 | 0.5 |
| Road3g | 37.7 | 5.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-74g | 46.8 | 5.4 | 0.2 |
| Weeks 8+3g | 30.3 | 4.0 | 0.3 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Pat Narduzzi
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Player standing · 2025
Splitting first-team reps — starts some weeks, rotates others.
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Pittsburgh | 60 | 278 | 4.6 | 2 | -- |
| 2024 | Pittsburgh | 184 | 966 | 5.2 | 5 | -- |
| Career | 244 | 1,244 | 5.1 | 7 | -- |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Pittsburgh | 23 | 317 | 13.8 | 2 | -- |
| 2024 | Pittsburgh | 52 | 579 | 11.1 | 4 | -- |
| Career | 75 | 896 | 11.9 | 6 | -- |
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
Game log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 7 games
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 61-9vs Duquesne | 8 | 66 | 8.3 | 1 | 53 | Season-high 66 yds |
| Wk 2 | W 45-17vs Central Michigan | 10 | 46 | 4.6 | 0 | 19 | |
| Wk 3 | L 24-31@ West Virginia | 6 | 30 | 5.0 | 0 | 10 | |
| Wk 7 | W 34-31@ Florida State | 12 | 45 | 3.8 | 0 | 14 | |
| Wk 8 | W 30-13@ Syracuse | 6 | 38 | 6.3 | 0 | 19 | |
| Wk 9 | W 53-34vs NC State | 13 | 41 | 3.2 | 1 | 17 | |
| Wk 12 | L 15-37vs Notre Dame | 5 | 12 | 2.4 | 0 | 5 | |
| Total | 60 | 278 | 4.8 | 2 | 53 |
Play style
Wins in space out of the backfield.
CFB Index positional classification
Short-yardage / goal-line · enumeration
Who gets the tough yard
1 of the team's 26 inside-the-5 carries (3.8%).
2026 Outlook
Pittsburgh
2026 Depth chart
Returning starter
Running back · Pittsburgh · editorial
Returning around him
2026 Award watch
Pittsburgh · Last season: 8-5 (AP #24) · Talent rank #64 · 2026 recruiting class #44
Player DNA
Deployed as a receiver as much as a runner. Value is in space, not between the tackles.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Malik Sherrod’s 2025 season.
Matches Malik on
Differs from Malik on
Through 4 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Julius Loughridge’s path through Fordham.
Julius Loughridge
Ailym Ford
CJ Evans Jr.
Matches Julius on
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Cam Barfield's senior season at Hawai'i (2025).
Matches Cam on
Differs from Cam on
Player DNA