Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 26-42@ USC | 11 | 37 | 3.4 | 0 | 13 | |
| Wk 1 | W 27-21@ Eastern Michigan | 20 | 119 | 6.0 | 0 | 13 | |
| Wk 2 | W 30-20vs Cal Poly | 27 | 163 | 6.0 | 0 | 23 | Season-high 163 yds |
| Total | 58 | 319 | 5.1 | 0 | 23 |
#6
Jabari Bates
Take Jabari Bates off San José State's roster and the first thing you'd miss is 319 team rushing yards leader.
5′7″ · 180 lb · Compton, CA · St. John Bosco HS
CFB Index 32 · #280 of 310 RBsHigh confidenceReturning to San José 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
319
rushing yards · 2026
5.5 per carry · 4 catches
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 163 rush yds, 14 rec yds, vs Cal Poly
Swing playSwung San José State from 8% to 32% to win.Idaho at San José State · 31-28
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 running back for San José State. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to San José State in 2022.
How he plays
Does a little of everything without one standout trait.
Yards / carry: 68th percentile.
The full scouting readJabari Bates
Filling the Shoesas of 2026-09-15
Jabari Bates is a cornerstone for San José State — measured against the line he joined.
319RUSH YDS0RUSH TD58CARRIES
TEAM RUSHING YARDS LEADER
319
Team leader in rushing yards (319).
Read the story so far
AI-generated narrative · may contain errors · not journalism · updated 2026-09-15
His career
He was on the field for 4 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
2022
- Signed with San José State3-star out of St. John Bosco
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
San José State
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Badges
- Program Benchmark
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
2 coaches2023
San José State
Coaching transition mid-career: Brent Brennan → Ken Niumatalolo. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2023San José State7-6HC: Brent Brennan · Balanced, slow tempo
2024San José State7-6HC: Ken Niumatalolo · Pass-heavy
2025San José State3-9HC: Ken Niumatalolo · Pass-leaning
2026San José State2-1HC: Ken Niumatalolo · Balanced
Where this profile ranks vs the RB cohort
Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles
High confidence
Elite: carries (90th percentile). Strength: rush yards (83rd percentile). Concern: td rate (11th percentile).
Real play-by-play efficiency
Box-score rates (7)
Season trend
EPA / carry— first qualifying season
Success rate— first qualifying season
Explosive rate— first qualifying season
Yards / carry— first qualifying season
TD rate— first qualifying season
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 & context
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home1g | 163 | 6.0 | 0.0 |
| Road2g | 78.0 | 4.7 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 106 | 5.1 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Ken Niumatalolo
Pass share
51.0%
106 pass / 102 run
Plays / game
69.3
3 games
Team sack rate
1.8%
110 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | San José State | 58 | 319 | 5.5 | 0 | -- |
| 2025 | San José State | 27 | 192 | 7.1 | 2 | -- |
| 2024 | San José State | 59 | 254 | 4.3 | 1 | -- |
| 2023 | San José State | 12 | 33 | 2.8 | 0 | -- |
| Career | 156 | 798 | 5.1 | 3 | -- |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | San José State | 4 | 36 | 9.0 | 0 | -- |
| 2025 | San José State | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | 0 | -- |
| 2024 | San José State | 2 | 17 | 8.5 | 1 | -- |
| 2023 | San José State | 9 | 32 | 3.6 | 0 | -- |
| Career | 16 | 97 | 6.1 | 1 | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 30–20
vs Cal Poly
163 rush yds (27 car)
With L. Weaver — 238 yds · 3 TD · 0 INT · QBR 26.0 · 44 rush yds (10 car) · D. McKenzie — 28 AVG · 54 LONG · 4 NO
Signature plays
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
- Week 2 · Cal Poly · 2&10 · Q3 · EPA +2.35(12:05) No Huddle-Shotgun #3 L.Weaver pass complete short right to #6 J.Bates caught at SJSU33, for 14 yards to the SLO48 (#28 B.Breedlove), 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · Eastern Michigan · 3&2 · Q1 · EPA +2.02(11:29) No Huddle-Shotgun #6 J.Bates rush middle for 12 yards gain to the EMU43 (#13 J.Marshall; #4 J.Salas), 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · Eastern Michigan · 4&1 · Q1 · EPA -1.85(02:24) No Huddle-Shotgun #6 J.Bates rush left for 1 yard loss to the EMU43 (#11 Z.Mowchan; #10 T.Boykin), TURNOVER ON DOWNS
- Week 2 · Cal Poly · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA +1.67(12:34) Shotgun #6 J.Bates rush right for 23 yards gain to the SJSU38 (#8 D.Turner; #44 M.D'Amato), 1ST DOWN
- Week 2 · Cal Poly · 2&4 · Q2 · EPA +1.66(02:44) No Huddle-Shotgun #6 J.Bates rush right for 16 yards gain to the SJSU50 (#4 R.Miller), 1ST DOWN
- Week 2 · Cal Poly · 2&5 · Q4 · EPA +1.64(09:37) No Huddle-Shotgun #6 J.Bates rush right for 16 yards gain to the SJSU41 (#3 J.Marshall; #44 M.D'Amato), out of bounds, 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · Eastern Michigan · 2&15 · Q1 · EPA +1.43(11:58) No Huddle-Shotgun #3 L.Weaver pass complete short right to #6 J.Bates caught at SJSU24, for 13 yards to the SJSU45 (#4 J.Salas; #3 B.Manning)
- Week 2 · Cal Poly · 2&6 · Q4 · EPA +1.35(08:22) No Huddle-Shotgun #6 J.Bates rush middle for 10 yards gain to the SLO45 (#3 J.Marshall; #7 J.East), 1ST DOWN
- Week 2 · Cal Poly · 2&8 · Q2 · EPA +1.33(08:45) No Huddle-Shotgun #6 J.Bates rush left for 9 yards gain to the SLO39 (#10 P.Holland IV; #50 J.Bobic), 1ST DOWN
- Week 2 · Cal Poly · 2&11 · Q3 · EPA -1.32(10:14) No Huddle-Shotgun #6 J.Bates rush left for 3 yards loss to the SLO31 (#44 M.D'Amato)
Game log
Game by game
Jabari Bates's 2026 production
Point color shows the opponent's defensive strength that week (red = weaker defense, blue = stronger) — dashed line is this player's own season average.
How he plays
Play style
Does a little of everything without one standout trait.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
San José State
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Running back · San José State
Returning around him
- 4% of 2024 offensive production back (Heavy turnover)
- Transfer portal: +1 net (17 in / 16 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
San José State · Last season: 3-9 · Talent rank #110 · 2026 recruiting class #129
DNA match
Player DNA
Balanced Back
Plays within the scheme — consistent production without a dominant dimension.
RB
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Damion Jones-Moore’s 2016 season.
84%match
Matches Damion on
EPA / carry (adj)
Yards / carry
Height
Through 4 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Perris Jones’s path through Virginia.
Matches Perris on
Height
Yards per carry
Weight
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Perris Jones's senior season at Virginia (2022).
81%match
Matches Perris on
Weight
Total rush EPA (college ability)
EPA / carry (adj)
Differs from Perris on
Rush TD rate (lower)
Player DNA
Players who play like Jabari Bates
The backfield · San José State
- #6Jabari Bates192 rushing yards · 2025
- #20Viliami Teu70 rushing yards · 2025
- #22Tyler Jacklich36 rushing yards · 2025
- #21Isaiah Carlson0 rushing yards · 2025
- #24Sir Autry2 games · 2025
2 more on the roster · San José State team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology