Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 3-56@ Ohio State | 3 | 9 | 3.0 | 0 | 12 | |
| Wk 2 | W 41-17vs Stony Brook | 6 | 77 | 12.8 | 1 | 49 | Season-high 77 yds |
| Total | 9 | 86 | 7.9 | 1 | 49 |
#2
Jalen Bonds
Freshman running back for Ball State. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
6′0″ · 220 lb · Indianapolis, IN · Cathedral HS
Returning to Ball State for 2026
The numbers
86
rushing yards · 2026
1 TD · 9.6 per carry · 2 catches
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 77 rush yds, 1 TD, 23 rec yds, vs Stony Brook
Swing playSwung Ball State from 34% to 55% to win.Ball State at Miami (OH) · 45-24
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
1 running back for Ball State. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 2-star recruit to Ball State in 2025.
- 77 rushing yards in 2025. Then 86 in 2026.
Jalen Bonds
A 2-star signing who has since put two seasons on the field at Ball State. One game to point at: 77 rush yds, 23 rec yds against Stony Brook — Week 2, 2026.
86 RUSH YDS · 1 RUSH TD · 9 CARRIES
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- recruiting profile
- game log
His career
20253 games
- Signed with Ball State2-star out of Cathedral
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★
CFB
College
Ball State
NFL
NFL Draft
—
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2 seasons under Mike Uremovich — 5-9 over that span.
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 2 games: 43.0 YDS/g, 7.9 YPC, 0.5 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 | 9 | 86 | 9.6 | 1 | -- |
| 2025 | Ball State | 27 | 77 | 2.9 | 1 | -- |
| Career | 36 | 163 | 4.5 | 2 | -- |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Ball State | 2 | 29 | 14.5 | 1 | -- |
| 2025 | Ball State | 2 | 52 | 26.0 | 0 | -- |
| Career | 4 | 81 | 20.2 | 1 | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 41–17
vs Stony Brook
Signature plays
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
- Week 2 · Stony Brook · 2&9 · Q4 · EPA +4.72(03:10) Shotgun #2 J.Bonds rush middle for 49 yards gain to the SB 00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 03:03, 1ST DOWN #38 B.Boehm kick attempt good (H: #32 C.Stumbaugh, LS: #45 C.Britton)
- Week 2 · Stony Brook · 2&9 · Q2 · EPA +3.01(06:06) Shotgun #6 K.Luster pass complete deep right to #2 J.Bonds caught at SB 00, for 23 yards to the SB 00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 06:03, 1ST DOWN #38 B.Boehm kick attempt good (H: #32 C.Stumbaugh, LS: #45 C.Britton)
- Week 1 · Ohio State · 2&5 · Q4 · EPA -2.05Shotgun #2 J.Bonds rush left for 4 yards loss to the OhioSt49 (#24 D.Kelly)
- Week 1 · Ohio State · 2&10 · Q2 · EPA +1.75Shotgun #2 J.Bonds rush right for 12 yards gain to the OhioSt36 (#1 E.Little Jr.; #8 J.McClain), 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · Ohio State · 2&6 · Q2 · EPA +0.95Shotgun #6 K.Luster pass complete short left to #2 J.Bonds caught at BallSt24, for 6 yards to the BallSt35 (#1 E.Little Jr.; #5 R.Pettijohn), 1ST DOWN
- Week 2 · Stony Brook · 1&10 · Q4 · EPA -0.87(03:12) Shotgun #2 J.Bonds rush middle for 1 yard gain to the SB 49 (#9 D.Crawford; #6 J.Garcia)
- Week 2 · Stony Brook · 1&10 · Q4 · EPA +0.52(13:37) Shotgun #2 J.Bonds rush right for 15 yards gain to the SB 26 (#20 G.Calgaro), 1ST DOWN
- Week 2 · Stony Brook · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA -0.33(06:44) Shotgun #2 J.Bonds rush right for 1 yard gain to the SB 23 (#51 J.Leath)
- Week 1 · Ohio State · 2&10 · Q3 · EPA -0.29Shotgun #2 J.Bonds rush left for 1 yard gain to the BallSt26 (#12 B.Atkinson; #26 P.Pierce)
- Week 2 · Stony Brook · 2&11 · Q4 · EPA +0.28(11:57) Shotgun #2 J.Bonds rush middle for 7 yards gain to the SB 20 (#22 L.Gaddy; #6 J.Garcia)
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
Redshirt freshman should become a mainstay in the Cardinals' backfield this season ... Ball State's top rusher in the final two games of 2025, he preserved a redshirt season and retains four years of eligibility ... potential All-MAC candidate is "very talented," according to head coach Mike Urem...
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