#20

James Flanders

Running back for Tulsa. 2016: 1,629 rushing yards, 18 rushing TD, 3 catches.

RB · Tulsa · #20

5′10″ · Midwest City, OK

Tulsa 2016 alumnus

Recruiting

3★

RB recruit

No. 1476 nationally · Signed with Tulsa

Statement game33 car · 249 yds · 5 TDat Memphis (FBS) · W 59-30

Top 0.1% rushing TDs game since 2021.

His career numbers, season by season

The story

2016 running back for Tulsa. 2016: 1,629 rushing yards, 18 rushing TD, 3 catches.

Signed as a 3-star recruit to Tulsa in 2012.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Three seasons at Tulsa, 2,172 rushing yards — his college career is complete.

His career

He was on the field for 3 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.

2012

Signed with Tulsa3-star out of Midwest City

Career arc

Recruit

★★★

#1476 national

CFB

College

Tulsa

2014–2016

NFL

NFL Draft

—

Not drafted

Coaching lineage · 2014–2016

2 coaches

2014

Bill Blankenship

Tulsa

2015–2016

Philip Montgomery

Tulsa

era →

Coaching transition mid-career: Bill Blankenship → Philip Montgomery. Worth noting in scheme + development context.

2016 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2014Tulsa2-10HC: Bill Blankenship · Balanced, fast tempo

2015Tulsa6-7HC: Philip Montgomery · Run-leaning, fast tempo

2016Tulsa10-3HC: Philip Montgomery · Run-leaning, fast tempo

Where this profile ranks vs the RB cohort

Box-score percentiles

8 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: rush tds (98th percentile). Strength: rush yards (98th percentile). Concern: rec yards (15th percentile).

Box-score rates (8)

Rush TDs#5 / 304 · 98th pct

Rush yards#7 / 304 · 98th pct

1629

Carries#14 / 304 · 96th pct

258

Yards / carry#47 / 304 · 84th pct

6.3

Long run#92 / 304 · 69th pct

Fumbles lost#62 / 222 · 53rd pct

Receptions#241 / 294 · 16th pct

Rec yards#251 / 294 · 15th pct

Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2016 season · 13 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	YDS/g	YPC	TD/g
Home7g	131	6.7	1.4
Road6g	119	5.9	1.3

First half vs Second half

	YDS/g	YPC	TD/g
Weeks 1-77g	80.0	5.9	0.9
Weeks 8+6g	178	6.8	2.0

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Tre Lamb

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2016

Impact starter

Producing measurably more than a replacement-level starter.

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Career stats

Season	Team
2016	Tulsa	258	1,629	6.3	18	--
2015	Tulsa	21	87	4.1	0	--
2014	Tulsa	102	456	4.5	1	--
Career		381	2,172	5.7	19	--

Season	Team
2016	Tulsa	3	17	5.7	--
2015	Tulsa	1	5	5.0	--
2014	Tulsa	5	42	8.4	--
Career		9	64	7.1	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 3 · 2016

W 58–21

vs North Carolina A&T

32 rush yds (7 car) · 2 TD

Dominant 37-point win at home against North Carolina A&T.

With D. Evans — 282 yds · 3 TD · 1 INT · QBR 76.6 · -6 rush yds (1 car) · D. Parks — 41 AVG · 51 LONG · 4 NO

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2016 season · 13 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	Note
Wk 1	W 45-10vs San José State	14	82	5.9	0	14
Wk 2	L 3-48@ Ohio State	15	43	2.9	0	7
Wk 3	W 58-21vs North Carolina A&T	7	32	4.6	2	21
Wk 4	W 48-41@ Fresno State	13	101	7.8	1	31
Wk 6	W 43-40vs SMU	13	132	10.2	1	61
Wk 7	L 31-38@ Houston	19	70	3.7	1	23
Wk 8	W 50-27vs Tulane	22	190	8.6	2	50	190-yard day
Wk 9	W 59-30@ Memphis	33	249	7.5	5	52	Season-high 249 yds
Wk 10	W 45-24vs East Carolina	28	181	6.5	2	25	181-yard day
Wk 11	L 40-42@ Navy	19	89	4.7	0	38
Wk 12	W 35-20@ UCF	19	163	8.6	1	60	163-yard day
Wk 13	W 40-37vs Cincinnati	39	197	5.1	2	25	197-yard day
Bowl	W 55-10vs Central Michigan	17	100	5.9	1	31
Total		258	1629	6.3	18	61

Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology