Senior running back for California. 2025: 108 rushing yards, 2 rushing TD, 4 catches.
5′10″ · 215 lb · Cypress, TX
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
rushing yards · 2025
2 TD · 3.3 per carry · 4 catches
Best game: 14 rush yds, 1 TD, 2 rec yds, vs Texas Southern
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 running back for California. 2025: 108 rushing yards, 2 rushing TD, 4 catches.
LJ Johnson Jr.
Does a little of everything without one standout trait. Three head coaches in five seasons, at three different programs. One game to point at: 39 rush yds against San Diego State — Week 4, 2025.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
His career
He was on the field for 5 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
Career arc
Coaching lineage · 2021–2025
1 coachPlayed his entire career under Justin Wilcox.
Season context · Team result + system
Where this profile ranks vs the RB cohort
Box-score percentiles
Concern: rush yards (0th percentile).
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Splits · Per-game
2025 season · 7 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 10.0 | 4.2 | 0.2 |
| Road3g | 22.7 | 2.6 | 0.3 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 16.3 | 3.6 | 0.3 |
| Weeks 8+1g | 10.0 | 3.3 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Tosh Lupoi
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Player standing · 2025
Earning real snaps in the rotation without a starting job.
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | California | 33 | 108 | 3.3 | 2 | -- |
| 2024 | SMU | 74 | 303 | 4.1 | 5 | -- |
| 2023 | SMU | 109 | 576 | 5.3 | 4 | -- |
| 2022 | Texas A&M | 10 | 39 | 3.9 | 2 | -- |
| 2021 | Texas A&M | 21 | 76 | 3.6 | 0 | -- |
| Career | 247 | 1,102 | 4.5 | 13 | -- |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | California | 4 | 18 | 4.5 | 0 | -- |
| 2024 | SMU | 11 | 80 | 7.3 | 0 | -- |
| 2023 | SMU | 7 | 58 | 8.3 | 0 | -- |
| 2022 | Texas A&M | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2021 | Texas A&M | 1 | 14 | 14.0 | 0 | -- |
| Career | 23 | 170 | 7.4 | 0 | -- |
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
Game log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 7 games
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 34-15@ Oregon State | 8 | 22 | 2.8 | 0 | 8 | |
| Wk 2 | W 35-3vs Texas Southern | 2 | 14 | 7.0 | 1 | 12 | |
| Wk 3 | W 27-14vs Minnesota | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Wk 4 | L 0-34@ San Diego State | 10 | 39 | 3.9 | 0 | 7 | Season-high 39 yds |
| Wk 5 | W 28-24@ Boston College | 6 | 7 | 1.2 | 1 | 5 | |
| Wk 6 | L 21-45vs Duke | 3 | 14 | 4.7 | 0 | 7 | |
| Wk 8 | W 21-18vs North Carolina | 3 | 10 | 3.3 | 0 | 6 | |
| Total | 33 | 108 | 3.6 | 2 | 12 |
Play style
Plays within the scheme — consistent production without a dominant dimension.
CFB Index positional classification
Short-yardage / goal-line · enumeration
Who gets the tough yard
3 of the team's 31 inside-the-5 carries (9.7%).
2026 Outlook
California
2026 Depth chart
Returning starter
Running back · California
Returning around him
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
California · Last season: 7-6 · Talent rank #33 · 2026 recruiting class #56
Player DNA
Plays within the scheme — consistent production without a dominant dimension.
His 2024 production profile sits closest to Toa Taua’s 2022 season.
Matches Toa on
Differs from Toa on
Through 4 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Cam Porter’s path through Northwestern.
Matches Cam on
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Kejon Owens's senior season at Florida International (2024).
Matches Kejon on
Player DNA