Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 10-15vs North Carolina | 25 | 142 | 5.7 | 0 | 48 | Season-high 142 yds |
| Wk 2 | W 63-7vs Grambling | 9 | 79 | 8.8 | 0 | 32 | |
| Total | 34 | 221 | 7.2 | 0 | 48 |
#26
Jeremy Payne
Junior running back for TCU. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
5′10″ · 180 lb · Missouri City, TX · Hightower High School
CFB Index 62 · #61 of 326 RBsHigh confidenceReturning to TCU 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
221
rushing yards · 2026
6.5 per carry · 6 catches
2 games into 2026 so far -- Backed by 26 car · 174 yds · 2 TD -- top 1% rushing yards game. -- Best game: 142 rush yds, 27 rec yds, vs North Carolina
Swing playSwung TCU from 47% to 69% to win.TCU at Kansas State · 41-28
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
3 running back for TCU. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 4-star recruit to TCU in 2024.
Aura™ · Him Watch
Underrated
-43aura tax
Fans rank this player in the 28th percentile of RBs; the tape says
72nd pctl our rushing-value metric (wEPA) RBs · 140 qualified, n=21
— the tape outruns the hype.Aura — fan perception28th pctl
Production — on-field72nd pctl
n=21 mentions · cohort: RBs · 140 qualified · perception = conversation volume, production = our rushing-value metric (wEPA)
Buzz vs Tape
Attention percentile: 29th · Production percentile: 72nd
His production sits in the 72nd percentile among qualified RBs this season, well ahead of 29th-percentile attention — a gap of 43 points between tape and volume.
29thattention percentile · vs RBs
72ndproduction percentile · vs RBs
Jeremy Payne
Hits the crease and outruns the angle. He has spent three seasons in the TCU backfield. 2025 brought the first one: Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week. The receipt: 142 rush yds, 27 rec yds against North Carolina — Week 1, 2026.
221 RUSH YDS · 0 RUSH TD · 34 CARRIES
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- seasons on the roster
- recognition record
- game log
His career
He arrived as a blue-chip recruit and played like one.
202411 games
- Signed with TCU4-star out of Fort Bend Hightower
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★★
CFB
College
TCU
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
1 coach2024–2026
TCU
Played his entire career under Sonny Dykes.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
3 seasons under Sonny Dykes — 19-9 over that span.
2024TCU9-4HC: Sonny Dykes · Pass-leaning
2025TCU9-4HC: Sonny Dykes · Balanced
2026TCU1-1HC: Sonny Dykes · Run-leaning
Where this profile ranks vs the RB cohort
Box-score percentiles
High confidenceAscending
Elite: yards / carry (93rd percentile). Concern: carries (0th percentile).
Box-score rates (8)
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 2 games: 110 YDS/g, 7.2 YPC, 0.0 TD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Sonny Dykes
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.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
2026 outlook
In the mix for All-Big 12
Based on 2025: #7 of 35 Big 12 RBs
How the All-Big 12 estimate is computed
35% estimated, 95% confidence interval 31–38%. 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.
Career stats
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 63–7
vs Grambling
Signature plays
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
- Week 1 · North Carolina · 4&1 · Q3 · EPA -4.15(02:55) No Huddle #26 J.Payne rush middle for 1 yard loss to the UNC06 (#0 I.Johnson; #90 X.Lewis), TURNOVER ON DOWNS
- Week 1 · North Carolina · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA +2.66(08:54) No Huddle-Shotgun #26 J.Payne rush right for 48 yards gain to the UNC17 (#18 J.Patterson), out of bounds, 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · North Carolina · 2&10 · Q3 · EPA +1.93(14:27) No Huddle-Shotgun #1 J.Craig pass complete short left to #26 J.Payne caught at TCU25, for 14 yards to the TCU39 (#15 D.McDonald), out of bounds, 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · North Carolina · 2&7 · Q2 · EPA +1.68(08:25) No Huddle-Shotgun #26 J.Payne rush left for 11 yards gain to the TCU44 (#8 J.Agumadu), out of bounds, 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · North Carolina · 3&2 · Q3 · EPA +1.64(12:42) No Huddle-Shotgun #26 J.Payne rush left for 7 yards gain to the UNC46 (#1 G.Smith III; #7 P.Waters), 1ST DOWN, PENALTY TCU UNS: Unsportsmanlike Conduct (#26 J.Payne) 15 yards from UNC46 to TCU39
- Week 1 · North Carolina · 2&5 · Q2 · EPA -1.35(02:31) No Huddle-Shotgun #26 J.Payne rush middle for 4 yards loss to the TCU31 (#90 X.Lewis)
- Week 2 · Grambling · 2&6 · Q3 · EPA +1.10(13:16) Shotgun #26 J.Payne rush left for 7 yards gain to the TCU38 (#23 J.Guillard; #4 L.Foster), 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · North Carolina · 1&15 · Q2 · EPA +1.01(03:20) No Huddle-Shotgun #26 J.Payne rush right for 10 yards gain to the TCU35 (#15 D.McDonald; #5 D.Hoilette)
- Week 2 · Grambling · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA +0.97(14:27) No Huddle-Shotgun #26 J.Payne rush right for 11 yards gain to the GSU48 (#92 K.Francis), 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · North Carolina · 3&1 · Q2 · EPA +0.92(04:10) No Huddle-Shotgun #26 J.Payne rush middle for 6 yards gain to the TCU30 (#2 K.Cost), 1ST DOWN
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Cuts upfield fast. Designed to find the crease, not run through the line.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
TCU
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Running back · TCU
Returning around him
- 22% of 2024 offensive production back (Heavy turnover)
- 3 TCU players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -2 net (12 in / 14 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
TCU · Last season: 9-4 (AP #24) · Talent rank #40 · 2026 recruiting class #47
DNA match
Player DNA
Speed Merchant
Cuts upfield fast. Designed to find the crease, not run through the line.
RB
His 2025 production profile sits closest to J'Koby Williams’s 2025 season.
85%match
All-Big 12
Matches J'Koby on
EPA / carry (adj)
Rush TD rate
Receiving share
Through 3 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to J'Koby Williams’s path through Texas Tech.
84%match
All-Big 12
Matches J'Koby on
Height
Recruiting rating
Yards per carry
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to J'Koby Williams's sophomore season at Texas Tech (2025).
86%match
All-Big 12
Matches J'Koby on
EPA / carry (adj)
Rush TD rate
Receiving share
Player DNA
Players who play like Jeremy Payne
Background
CAREER HONORS » 2026 Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Watch List AT TCU 2025 | SOPHOMORE (11/4) Played in 11 games and started in four at running back, including the final three of the season … totaled 623 yards on the ground with five scores … ripped off six explosive runs (15+ yards) during the s...
The backfield · TCU
- #26Jeremy Payne623 rushing yards · 2025
- #2Jon Denman178 rushing yards · 2025
- #29Joseph Hagman1 rushing yard · 2025
- #24Joe Pitchford1 game · 2026
- #27Landon Walker1 game · 2026
3 more on the roster · TCU team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology