Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 1 game
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 3-56@ Ohio State | 2 | 20 | 10.0 | 0 | 15 | Season-high 20 yds |
| Total | 2 | 20 | 10.0 | 0 | 15 |
EJ
Elijah Jackson
Junior running back for Ball State. 2026: 1 game with a box-score line.
5′8″ · 181 lb · Indianapolis, IN · Lawrence Central HS
Returning to Ball State for 2026
The numbers
20
rushing yards · 2026
10 per carry · 1 catches
1 game into 2026 so far -- Best game: 20 rush yds, 5 rec yds, at Ohio State
His career numbers, season by seasonElijah Jackson
Elijah Jackson has played for two head coaches across three seasons and two programs. One game to point at: 20 rush yds, 5 rec yds against Ohio State — Week 1, 2026.
20 RUSH YDS · 0 RUSH TD · 2 CARRIES
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- head-coach lineage
- game log
Career arc
HS
Recruit
—
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
2 coaches2024
Ball State
2025–2026era →
Mike Uremovich
Ball State
Coaching transition mid-career: Mike Neu → Mike Uremovich. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2024Purdue1-11HC: Ryan Walters · Balanced, slow tempo
2025Ball State4-8HC: Mike Uremovich · Run-heavy, slow tempo
2026Ball State1-1HC: Mike Uremovich · Pass-leaning
Where this profile ranks vs the RB cohort
Box-score percentiles
Elite: yards / carry (100th percentile). Concern: rush yards (0th percentile).
Box-score rates (7)
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 1 game: 20.0 YDS/g, 10.0 YPC, 0.0 TD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Mike Uremovich
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 | Ball State | 2 | 20 | 10.0 | 0 | -- |
| 2025 | Ball State | 8 | 17 | 2.1 | 0 | -- |
| 2024 | Purdue | 6 | 97 | 16.2 | 1 | -- |
| Career | 16 | 134 | 8.4 | 1 | -- |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Ball State | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 0 | -- |
| 2025 | Ball State | 1 | 37 | 37.0 | 0 | -- |
| 2024 | Purdue | 2 | 7 | 3.5 | 0 | -- |
| Career | 4 | 49 | 12.2 | 0 | -- |
Game log
How he plays
2026 Outlook
Ball State
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Running back · Ball State
Returning around him
- 6% of 2024 offensive production back (Heavy turnover)
- Transfer portal: +6 net (24 in / 18 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Ball State · Last season: 4-8 · Talent rank #113 · 2026 recruiting class #113
Background
BEFORE BALL STATE: Former Purdue and Indianapolis prep star transfers to Ball State with three seasons of eligibility … speedster boasts a 10.47 time in the 100 meters and was the 2023 IHSAA state champion in the 100m at Lawrence Central HS … former walk-on was Purdue's top kickoff returner last...
The backfield · Ball State
- #4TJ Horton180 rushing yards · 2025
- #2Jalen Bonds77 rushing yards · 2025
- #20Johnny Thompson Jr.75 rushing yards · 2025
- Elijah Jackson17 rushing yards · 2025
- #21Anthony McMullenno box-score line yet
1 more on the roster · Ball State team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology