Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 1 game
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 2 | L 17-45vs Alabama | 3 | -2 | -0.7 | 0 | 0 | Season-high -2 yds |
| Total | 3 | -2 | -0.7 | 0 | 0 |
#2
Jovantae Barnes
5th-year running back for Kentucky. 2026: 1 game with a box-score line.
6′0″ · 211 lb · Las Vegas, NV
CFB Index 50 · #123 of 310 RBsHigh confidenceTransferred Oklahoma → Kentucky 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
-2
rushing yards · 2026
-0.7 per carry · 1 catches
1 game into 2026 so far -- Backed by 18 car · 203 yds · 3 TD -- top 1% rushing yards game. -- Best game: -2 rush yds, 4 rec yds, vs Alabama
Swing playSwung Oklahoma from 35% to 59% to win.Oklahoma at Florida State · 35-32
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 running back for Kentucky. 2026: 1 game with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 4-star recruit to Oklahoma in 2022.
- Transferred from Oklahoma to Kentucky in 2026.
Jovantae Barnes
Does a little of everything without one standout trait. Across five seasons and two programs, two head coaches: Brent Venables and Will Stein.
-2 RUSH YDS · 0 RUSH TD · 3 CARRIES
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
His career
4 programs, one constant: he played.
The week the volume broke through — put up 203 yds vs Maine.Maine · W 59-142024
202210 games
- Signed with Oklahoma4-star out of Desert Pines
2026
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2022–2026
2 coaches2022–2025
Kentucky
2026era →
Will Stein
Kentucky
Coaching transition mid-career: Mark Stoops → Will Stein. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Kentucky
2025Oklahoma
2026Kentucky
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2022Oklahoma6-7HC: Brent Venables · Run-leaning, fast tempo
2023Oklahoma10-3HC: Brent Venables · Balanced
2024Oklahoma6-7HC: Brent Venables · Run-leaning
2025Oklahoma10-3HC: Brent Venables · Balanced
2026Kentucky1-1HC: Will Stein · Balanced, slow tempo
Where this profile ranks vs the RB cohort
Box-score percentiles
High confidence
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 1 game: -2.0 YDS/g, -0.7 YPC, 0.0 TD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Will Stein
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
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Plays within the scheme — consistent production without a dominant dimension.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Balanced Back
Plays within the scheme — consistent production without a dominant dimension.
RB
His 2024 production profile sits closest to Demie Sumo’s 2024 season.
Matches Demie on
Yards / carry
Yards / reception
Receiving share
Through 4 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Antonio Harris’s path through Purdue.
98%match
#2
Andrew Body
92%
Matches Antonio on
Height
Yards per carry
Weight
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Montrell Johnson's junior season at Florida (2023).
80%match
All-Sun Belt
Matches Montrell on
EPA / carry (adj)
Rush TD rate
Weight
Player DNA
Players who play like Jovantae Barnes
The backfield · Kentucky
- #26Jason Patterson225 rushing yards · 2025
- #1CJ Baxter196 rushing yards · 2025
- #2Jovantae Barnes45 rushing yards · 2025
- #21Tovani Mizell10 rushing yards · 2025
- #28Ahmir Smith1 game · 2026
3 more on the roster · Kentucky team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology