Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 1 game
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 40-0vs Northern Illinois | 4 | 5 | 1.3 | 0 | 3 | Season-high 5 yds |
| Total | 4 | 5 | 1.3 | 0 | 3 |
#21
L.J. Phillips Jr.
Senior running back for Iowa. 2026: 1 game with a box-score line.
5′8″ · 211 lb · Wichita, KS · Northwest
Returning to Iowa for 2026
The numbers
5
rushing yards · 2026
1.3 per carry
1 game into 2026 so far -- Best game: 5 rush yds, vs Northern Illinois
His career numbers, season by seasonBuzz vs Tape
Every angle we can check here reads about where you'd expect this season.
18.5own fans
23.3national conversation
L.J. Phillips Jr.
The receipt on tape: 5 rush yds against Northern Illinois, Week 1, 2026.
5 RUSH YDS · 0 RUSH TD · 4 CARRIES
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- game log
Career arc
HS
Recruit
—
CFB
College
Iowa
NFL
NFL Draft
—
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2026Iowa2-0HC: Kirk Ferentz · Balanced
Where this profile ranks vs the RB cohort
Box-score percentiles
Concern: rush yards (0th percentile).
Box-score rates (5)
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 1 game: 5.0 YDS/g, 1.3 YPC, 0.0 TD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Kirk Ferentz
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 | Iowa | 4 | 5 | 1.2 | 0 | -- |
| Career | 4 | 5 | 1.2 | 0 | -- |
Game log
How he plays
2026 Outlook
Iowa
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Running back · Iowa
Returning around him
- 34% of 2024 offensive production back (Moderate turnover)
- 7 Iowa players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: +7 net (15 in / 8 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Iowa · Last season: 9-4 · Talent rank #44 · 2026 recruiting class #26
The backfield · Iowa
- #28Kamari Moulton878 rushing yards · 2025
- #26Xavier Williams285 rushing yards · 2025
- #5Nathan Mcneil169 rushing yards · 2025
- #23Brevin Doll3 rushing yards · 2025
- #21L.J. Phillips Jr.1 game · 2026
2 more on the roster · Iowa team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology