Take Jai'Den Thomas off UNLV's roster and the first thing you'd miss is 1034 team rushing yards leader.
5′9″ · 195 lb · Atlanta, GA
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 · 2026
1 TD · 5.3 per carry · 7 catches
3 games into 2026 so far -- Backed by 11 car · 103 yds · 4 TD -- top 1% rushing TDs game. -- Best game: 143 rush yds, 1 TD, -2 rec yds, at Hawai'i
Swing playSwung UNLV from 21% to 45% to win.UNLV at Colorado State · 42-10
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 running back for UNLV. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
How he plays
Wins in space out of the backfield.
Yards / carry: 75th percentile.
The full scouting readJai'Den Thomas
Jai'Den Thomas is a cornerstone for UNLV — measured against the line he joined.
TEAM RUSHING YARDS LEADER
1034
Team leader in rushing yards (1034).
AI-generated narrative · may contain errors · not journalism · updated 2026-09-15
His career
He was winning awards before he was old enough to be a story.
Career arc
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST · 1ST TEAM
All-Mountain West 1st team (2025)
FRESHMAN HONORS
Freshman recognition (2023)
1 mention(s)
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Barry Odom → Dan Mullen. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Season context · Team result + system
Where this profile ranks vs the RB cohort
Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles
Concern: rush tds (30th 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
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home1g | 44.0 | 3.7 | 0.0 |
| Road2g | 90.0 | 5.5 | 0.5 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 74.7 | 4.9 | 0.3 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Dan Mullen
Pass share
41.6%
87 pass / 122 run
Plays / game
69.7
3 games
Team sack rate
9.3%
108 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Recognition
2026 outlook
In the mix to repeat All-Mountain West
Based on 2025: #1 of 34 Mountain West RBs
49% estimated, 95% confidence interval 43–54%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player.
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 21–6
at Hawai'i
143 rush yds (20 car) · 1 TD
With M. Choules — 45 AVG · 2 IN 20 · 64 LONG · J. Arnold — 116 yds · 0 TD · 0 INT · QBR 81.5 · 89 rush yds (16 car) · 2 TD
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
Game by game
Point color shows the opponent's defensive strength that week (red = weaker defense, blue = stronger) — dashed line is this player's own season average.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 21-27vs Memphis | 12 | 44 | 3.7 | 0 | 10 | Season-high 143 yds |
| Wk 1 | W 21-6@ Hawai'i | 20 | 143 | 7.2 | 1 | 50 | Season-high 143 yds |
| Wk 2 | L 6-44@ North Texas | 10 | 37 | 3.7 | 0 | 8 | |
| Total | 42 | 224 | 4.9 | 1 | 50 |
Play style
Wins in space out of the backfield.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
UNLV
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Running back · UNLV
Returning around him
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
UNLV · Last season: 10-4 · Talent rank #56 · 2026 recruiting class #63
Player DNA
Deployed as a receiver as much as a runner. Value is in space, not between the tackles.
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Walter Fletcher’s 2019 season.
Matches Walter on
Through 4 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Noah Vaughn’s path through Virginia.
LaDarius Owens
Tyrell Campbell
Matches Noah on
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Ivory Kelly-Martin's senior season at Iowa (2021).
Matches Ivory on
Differs from Ivory on
Player DNA
1 more on the roster · UNLV team page