Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 23-42@ Illinois | 8 | 17 | 2.1 | 0 | 5 | Season-high 17 yds |
| Wk 2 | W 26-20vs UL Monroe | 2 | 13 | 6.5 | 0 | 7 | |
| Total | 10 | 30 | 4.3 | 0 | 7 |
#7
Ja'Vin Simpkins
Junior running back for UAB. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
5′9″ · 185 lb · Miami, FL · Miami Northwestern
CFB Index 39 · #229 of 326 RBsHigh confidenceTransferred Coastal Carolina → UAB 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
30
rushing yards · 2026
3 per carry · 1 catches
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 17 rush yds, 5 rec yds, at Illinois
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
3 running back for UAB. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Coastal Carolina in 2023.
- Transferred from Coastal Carolina to UAB in 2026.
Ja'Vin Simpkins
Does a little of everything without one standout trait. Ja'Vin Simpkins has played for three head coaches across four seasons and two programs. The receipt: 17 rush yds, 5 rec yds against Illinois — Week 1, 2026.
30 RUSH YDS · 0 RUSH TD · 10 CARRIES
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
4 programs, one constant: he played.
202311 games
- Signed with Coastal Carolina3-star out of Miami Norland
2026
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
2 coaches2023–2024
UAB
2025–2026era →
Alex Mortensen
UAB
Coaching transition mid-career: Trent Dilfer → Alex Mortensen. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to UAB
2025Coastal Carolina
2026UAB
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2023Coastal Carolina8-5HC: Tim Beck · Balanced
2024Coastal Carolina6-7HC: Tim Beck · Run-leaning
2025Coastal Carolina6-7HC: Jeremiah Johnson · Run-leaning
2026UAB1-1HC: Alex Mortensen · Run-heavy
Where this profile ranks vs the RB cohort
Box-score percentiles
High confidence
Concern: rush yards (0th percentile).
Box-score rates (8)
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 2 games: 15.0 YDS/g, 4.3 YPC, 0.0 TD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Alex Mortensen
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 | UAB | 10 | 30 | 3.0 | 0 | -- |
| 2025 | Coastal Carolina | 125 | 590 | 4.7 | 2 | -- |
| 2024 | Coastal Carolina | 14 | 93 | 6.6 | 0 | -- |
| 2023 | Coastal Carolina | 21 | 129 | 6.1 | 1 | -- |
| Career | 170 | 842 | 5.0 | 3 | -- |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | UAB | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 0 | -- |
| 2025 | Coastal Carolina | 17 | 74 | 4.4 | 0 | -- |
| 2024 | Coastal Carolina | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Coastal Carolina | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 0 | -- |
| Career | 19 | 82 | 4.3 | 0 | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 26–20
vs UL Monroe
Signature plays
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
- Week 1 · Illinois · 4&1 · Q2 · EPA +1.95(01:57) No Huddle #7 J.Simpkins rush right for 3 yards gain to the ILL38 (#22 D.Fillmore), 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · Illinois · 1&3 · Q4 · EPA -0.87(01:20) Shotgun #7 J.Simpkins rush middle for 1 yard loss to the ILL04 (#8 C.Thomas)
- Week 2 · UL Monroe · 2&5 · Q1 · EPA +0.76(03:34) No Huddle-Shotgun #7 J.Simpkins rush middle for 6 yards gain to the ULM44 (#6 J.Harper), 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · Illinois · 2&10 · Q3 · EPA -0.63(05:22) No Huddle-Shotgun #7 J.Simpkins rush middle for 1 yard loss to the ILL22 (#24 W.Holmes; #96 D.Prater)
- Week 1 · Illinois · 2&10 · Q2 · EPA -0.62(02:54) No Huddle-Shotgun #7 J.Simpkins rush left for 2 yards gain to the ILL48 (#22 D.Fillmore; #26 I.Kante)
- Week 1 · Illinois · 2&6 · Q1 · EPA -0.61(10:56) Shotgun #7 J.Simpkins rush middle for 1 yard gain to the ILL32 (#52 P.Farrell)
- Week 2 · UL Monroe · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA +0.50(03:10) No Huddle-Shotgun #7 J.Simpkins rush right for 7 yards gain to the ULM37 (#1 J.Tiller)
- Week 1 · Illinois · 2&7 · Q4 · EPA -0.15(02:54) No Huddle-Shotgun #7 J.Simpkins rush left for 4 yards gain to the UAB44 (#52 P.Farrell)
- Week 1 · Illinois · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA +0.11(06:46) No Huddle-Shotgun #7 J.Simpkins rush left for 5 yards gain to the UAB43 (#24 W.Holmes)
- Week 1 · Illinois · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA -0.08(11:42) No Huddle-Shotgun #7 J.Simpkins rush middle for 4 yards gain to the ILL33 (#90 C.Janki; #24 W.Holmes)
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 Jamal Jones’s 2020 season.
Matches Jamal on
Yards / carry
Height
Rush TD rate
Through 4 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Andrew Body’s path through Alabama State.
Andrew Body
98%match
#3
Narii Gaither
94%
Matches Andrew on
Yards per carry
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Velton Gardner's junior season at SMU (2022).
81%match
Matches Velton on
Yards / carry
EPA / carry (adj)
Receiving share
Differs from Velton on
Class year (lower)
Background
2025 (Coastal Carolina): Played in all 13 games Rushed for a team-high 591 yards and two touchdowns Added 17 receptions for 74 yards 2024: Limited to three games on the season because of injury Started the first two games and appeared in the Myrtle Beach Bowl Rushed 14 times for 93 yards in limit...
The backfield · UAB
- #4Jevon Jackson900 rushing yards · 2025
- #3Braylon McReynolds614 rushing yards · 2025
- #7Ja'Vin Simpkins590 rushing yards · 2025
- #3Isaiah Jacobs342 rushing yards · 2025
- #2Roderick Robinson II22 rushing yards · 2025
7 more on the roster · UAB team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology