Short-yardage / goal-line · enumeration
Who gets the tough yard
1/18Inside-5 share
1 of the team's 18 inside-the-5 carries (5.6%).
Jaden Nixon
Jaden Nixon is a running back who has not played this season; the last season with a stat line was 2025, at UCF.
Nixon wins in space out of the backfield. Played for three head coaches across five seasons and three programs. That makes three seasons with an honor, the latest Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week in 2025. On tape: 156 rushing yards and 2 rushing TD against North Carolina A&T, Week 2, 2025.
Style of play
Style of play
Play style
Deployed as a receiver as much as a runner. Value is in space, not between the tackles.
Similar players
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Where to follow
Career stats
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | UCF | 71 | 554 | 7.8 | 7 | 87 |
| 2024 | Western Michigan | 143 | 919 | 6.4 | 12 | 92 |
| 2023 | Oklahoma State | 50 | 197 | 3.9 | 1 | 34 |
| 2022 | Oklahoma State | 46 | 181 | 3.9 | 0 | 51 |
| 2021 | Oklahoma State | 14 | 122 | 8.7 | 1 | 63 |
| Career | 324 | 1,973 | 6.1 | 21 | 92 |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | UCF | 17 | 88 | 5.2 | 0 | 27 |
| 2024 | Western Michigan | 10 | 77 | 7.7 | 0 | 16 |
| 2023 | Oklahoma State | 12 | 123 | 10.2 | 1 | 60 |
| 2022 | Oklahoma State | 21 | 189 | 9.0 | 3 | 35 |
| 2021 | Oklahoma State | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 0 | 3 |
| Career | 61 | 480 | 7.9 | 4 | 60 |
Game log
Game log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 12 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 17-10vs Jacksonville State | 2 | -6 | -3.0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Wk 2 | W 68-7vs North Carolina A&T | 4 | 156 | 39.0 | 2 | 87 | Season-high 156 yds |
| Wk 4 | W 34-9vs North Carolina | 5 | 10 | 2.0 | 1 | 5 | |
| Wk 5 | L 20-34@ Kansas State | 5 | 66 | 13.2 | 1 | 54 | |
| Wk 6 | L 20-27vs Kansas | 7 | 60 | 8.6 | 0 | 46 | |
| Wk 7 | L 11-20@ Cincinnati | 2 | 3 | 1.5 | 0 | 2 | |
| Wk 8 | W 45-13vs West Virginia | 7 | 116 | 16.6 | 2 | 83 | |
| Wk 10 | L 3-30@ Baylor | 3 | 18 | 6.0 | 0 | 11 | |
| Wk 11 | L 27-30vs Houston | 11 | 62 | 5.6 | 1 | 15 | |
| Wk 12 | L 9-48@ No. 8 Texas Tech | 15 | 32 | 2.1 | 0 | 9 | |
| Wk 13 | W 17-14vs Oklahoma State | 7 | 28 | 4.0 | 0 | 14 | |
| Wk 14 | L 21-41@ No. 11 BYU | 3 | 9 | 3.0 | 0 | 6 | |
| Total | 71 | 554 | 7.8 | 7 | 87 |
Signature game
Week 2 · 2025
W 68-7
156 rush yds (4 car) · 2 TD
Dominant 61-point win at home against North Carolina A&T.
With J. Brown — 106 rush yds (5 car) · 2 TD · 15 yds · 0 TD · 0 INT · QBR 100.0 · T. Jackson — 189 yds · 0 TD · 0 INT · QBR 61.5
Signature plays
The plays that mattered most
- Week 8 · West Virginia · 2nd and 8 · Q3 · EPA +6.91Jaden Nixon 83 Yd Run
- Week 2 · North Carolina A&T · 1st and 10 · Q2 · EPA +6.70Jaden Nixon run for 87 yds for a TD (Noe Ruelas PAT MISSED)
- Week 2 · North Carolina A&T · 3rd and 2 · Q3 · EPA +6.24Jaden Nixon run for 66 yds for a TD (Noe Ruelas KICK)
- Week 5 · Kansas State · 2nd and 10 · Q3 · EPA +5.34Jaden Nixon 54 Yd Run
- Week 11 · Houston · 2nd and 11 · Q2 · EPA +2.93J.Nixon rush left for 15 yards gain for a touchdown
- Week 6 · Kansas · 1st and 10 · Q2 · EPA +2.64Jaden Nixon run for 46 yds to the KU 19 for a
4 more plays
- Week 8 · West Virginia · 1st and 10 · Q3 · EPA +2.53Jaden Nixon run for 12 yds for a TD (Noe Ruelas KICK)
- Week 4 · North Carolina · 2nd and 5 · Q4 · EPA +2.44Jaden Nixon run for 5 yds for a TD (Noe Ruelas KICK)
- Week 11 · Houston · 1st and 10 · Q3 · EPA +2.39Jackson to Nixon: a 27-yard pass.
- Week 1 · Jacksonville State · 3rd and 8 · Q1 · EPA −1.90Jaden Nixon run for a loss of 7 yards to the JXST 49
Rushing profile
Rush profile · Shape, efficiency, and ball security
How he gets his yards, and how often it works
70 of 71 carries matched to play-by-play
Success rate
37%70 carriesFumble rate
4.2%3 of 71 carriesStuffed
0 or fewer yds21%of carries
15 carries
Grind
1–3 yds36%of carries
25 carries
Chunk
4–9 yds29%of carries
20 carries
Explosive
10+ yds14%of carries
10 carries
2 of 3 (67%) converted on 3rd/4th & short (≤2 to go)
7.8 yds/carry on 71 carries · 14% explosive (10+ yds) · 37% success rate.
Receiving profile
Receiver profile · Targets, catch rate, and throw depth
How often he's targeted, and how well it works
17 of 17 receptions matched to play-by-play
10 of 22 targets charted for true throw depth
Targets
226% of team targetsCatch rate
77%17 of 22 targetsBehind LOS · Negative air yds
60% of targets (6)
83%catch rate
Air -3.7 · YAC 10.0 avg
Short · 0–9 air yds
40% of targets (4)
50%catch rate
Air 1.5 · YAC 2.0 avg
77% catch rate on 22 targets · 6% of the team's targets.
Teams and coaches
2021Oklahoma State12-2HC: Mike Gundy · Run-leaning, fast tempo
2022Oklahoma State7-6HC: Mike Gundy · Balanced, fast tempo
2023Oklahoma State10-4HC: Mike Gundy · Pass-leaning
2024Western Michigan6-7HC: Lance Taylor · Run-leaning, slow tempo
2025UCF5-7HC: Scott Frost · Balanced
Our ratings
Splits
Home and road splits, scheme and staff
Splits · Per-game
2025 season · 12 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home7g | 60.9 | 10.4 | 0.9 |
| Road5g | 25.6 | 5.2 | 0.2 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 48.2 | 10.2 | 0.7 |
| Weeks 8+6g | 44.2 | 6.2 | 0.5 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Scott Frost
Pass share
51.7%
403 pass / 377 run
Plays / game
65.0
12 games
Team sack rate
4.9%
429 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
71 carries and 17 catches in 12 games
Fewer touches a game than most FBS running backs who play every week.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
58 · #89 of 326 RBs · 2025
Three-star recruit. Now #89 at the position.
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-Big 12
Based on 2025: #11 of 35 Big 12 RBs
How the All-Big 12 base rate is computed
A base rate for the rank, not a forecast of this player: 22% of returning players who ranked #11–20 at their position in their conference made an all-conference team the next season (95% confidence interval 19–25%).
Five seasons, three schools
- 2025 UCF FrostYear 5 · 12 games
- Jan 2025 Entered the transfer portalWestern Michigan to UCF
- 2024 Western Michigan TaylorYear 4 · 13 gamesAll-conference
- Dec 2023 Entered the transfer portal
- 2023 Oklahoma State GundyYear 3 · 12 games
- 2022 Oklahoma State GundyYear 2 · 13 games
- 2021 Oklahoma State GundyYear 1 · 2 games
- High school Frisco Lone StarFrisco, TX · Class of 2021Three-star, No. 969 in the 2021 class. Signed with Oklahoma State.Also from Frisco Lone Star: Davian Groce (Florida), Jaylon Braxton (Ole Miss), Jordan Deck (Michigan) and 4 more.
Moves
- Entered the transfer portal from Oklahoma State, Dec 13, 2023.
- Transferred from Western Michigan to UCF, Jan 8, 2025.
Four or fewer games in the first season, then ten or more.
The week the volume broke through — stacked 1 td at Kansas.Kansas · L 16-372022
2021
- Signed with Oklahoma StateThree-star, out of Frisco Lone Star
2024 13 games
The role got bigger.
- Entered the portalfrom Oklahoma State
- All-MACfirst
2025 12 games
- Transferred to UCFfrom Western Michigan
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-MAC · 1ST TEAM
All-MAC 1st team (2024)
Weekly recognition
2 weekly honors (2022)
3 career weekly honors across 2 seasons
Coaching lineage · 2021–2025
3 coachesPlayed for 3 head coaches at 3 schools: Mike Gundy, Lance Taylor and Scott Frost.