#21

Marlon Gunn

Senior running back for East Carolina. 2025: 582 rushing yards, 6 rushing TD, 6 catches.

RB · East Carolina · Sr. · #21

6′0″ · 207 lb · Baton Rouge, LA

CFB Index 46 · #165 of 326 RBsHigh confidenceReturning to East Carolina for 2026

The numbers

582

rushing yards · 2025

6 TD · 5.2 per carry · 6 catches

Best game: 130 rush yds, 1 TD, at Florida Atlantic

Swing playSwung East Carolina from 19% to 42% to win.East Carolina at Cincinnati · 27-25

His career numbers, season by season

The story

4 running back for East Carolina. 2025: 582 rushing yards, 6 rushing TD, 6 catches.

Signed as a 3-star recruit to East Carolina in 2022.

His career, year by year

How he plays

Does a little of everything without one standout trait.

Success rate: 72nd percentile.

The full scouting read

Marlon Gunn

RB · East Carolina · Sr · #21

Does a little of everything without one standout trait. Four seasons at East Carolina, two different head coaches: Mike Houston and Blake Harrell. The receipt on tape: 130 rush yds, 1 rush TD against Florida Atlantic, Week 14, 2025.

Low coverage — composed from the verified record.

positional archetype classification
head-coach lineage
game log

2025 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2022East Carolina8-5HC: Mike Houston · Balanced

2023East Carolina2-10HC: Mike Houston · Balanced

2024East Carolina8-5HC: Mike Houston · Balanced

2025East Carolina9-4HC: Blake Harrell · Run-leaning, fast tempo

Where this profile ranks vs the RB cohort

Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles

46Rotational starter #165 of 326?

High confidence12 metrics · season cumulative

Concern: rec yards (17th percentile).

Real play-by-play efficiency

Success rate#127 / 456 · 72nd pct

48.4%

EPA / carry#201 / 456 · 56th pct

0.13

TD rate#227 / 456 · 50th pct

2.8%

Yards / carry#241 / 456 · 47th pct

4.9

Explosive rate#262 / 456 · 43rd pct

5.5%

Box-score rates (7)

Rush TDs#83 / 349 · 72nd pct

Rush yards#124 / 349 · 65th pct

582

Yards / carry#127 / 349 · 62nd pct

5.2

Carries#132 / 349 · 62nd pct

112

Long run#144 / 349 · 58th pct

Receptions#253 / 338 · 23rd pct

Rec yards#282 / 338 · 17th pct

Season trend

Last seasonThis season

EPA / carry

13th → 56th percentile

Success rate

40th → 72nd percentile

Explosive rate

4th → 43rd percentile

Yards / carry

6th → 47th percentile

TD rate

57th → 50th percentile

Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season. Most bars are box-score rates; EPA / success-rate bars are computed from real play-by-play (offense only — no defensive EPA model exists yet).

Situational

Situational · Carry shape (PBP, full season)

Yardage DNA

109 carries

16%

Stuffed (≤0)

32%

Grind (1–3)

38%

Chunk (4–9)

15%

Explosive (10+)

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2025 season · 13 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	YDS/g	YPC	TD/g
Home7g	38.4	4.3	0.3
Road6g	52.2	5.7	0.7

First half vs Second half

	YDS/g	YPC	TD/g
Weeks 1-77g	32.6	3.4	0.3
Weeks 8+6g	59.0	6.7	0.7

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Blake Harrell

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

Awards

Player standing · 2025

Part-time starter

Splitting first-team reps — starts some weeks, rotates others.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

46 · #165 of 326 RBs

Three-star recruit. Now #165 at the position.

2026 outlook

Outside shot for All-AAC

Based on 2025: #16 of 37 American Athletic RBs

How the All-AAC estimate is computed

22% estimated, 95% confidence interval 19–25%. 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

Season	Team
2025	East Carolina	112	582	5.2	6	--
2024	East Carolina	61	224	3.7	3	--
2023	East Carolina	24	65	2.7	0	--
2022	East Carolina	65	301	4.6	0	--
Career		262	1,172	4.5	9	--

Season	Team
2025	East Carolina	6	29	4.8	--
2024	East Carolina	2	34	17.0	--
2023	East Carolina	5	34	6.8	--
2022	East Carolina	14	77	5.5	--
Career		27	174	6.4	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 18 · 2025

W 23–17

vs Pittsburgh

50 rush yds (18 car)

A wire-to-wire battle — won by 6 at home.

With A. Smith — 4 rec · 156 yds · 2 TD · C. Ditta — 177 yds · 2 TD · 0 INT · QBR 29.7 · -17 rush yds (10 car)

Signature plays

Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|

The plays that mattered most

fact

Week 13 · UTSA · 4&2 · Q4 · EPA +5.99(13:06) No Huddle-Shotgun #21 M.Gunn Jr. rush right for 50 yards gain to the UTSA00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 12:58, 1ST DOWN #4 K.Houser pass attempt failed #4 K.Houser pass attempt failed PENALTY #4 K.Houser pass attempt failed PENALTY UTSA Holding (#3 D.Martin) 2 yards from UTSA03 to UTSA01. NO PLAY #93 R.Roseborough pass attempt Successful
Week 5 · Army · 4&1 · Q3 · EPA -3.83Marlon Gunn Jr. run for no gain to the ARMY 16
Week 14 · Florida Atlantic · 3&10 · Q2 · EPA +3.79(00:28) Shotgun #21 M.Gunn Jr. rush middle for 36 yards gain to the FAU20 (#23 D.Allen), 1ST DOWN
Week 3 · Coastal Carolina · 4&1 · Q2 · EPA -3.69Marlon Gunn Jr. run for no gain to the CCU 19
Week 1 · Pittsburgh · 3&10 · Q2 · EPA +2.87(14:23) No Huddle-Shotgun #21 M.Gunn Jr. rush right for 10 yards gain to the Pitt46 (#3 R.Biles; #12 C.Brookins), 1ST DOWN. #11 N.James injured on the play
Week 1 · NC State · 3&4 · Q4 · EPA +2.70Marlon Gunn Jr. run for 4 yds for a TD (Nick Mazzie KICK)
Week 2 · Campbell · 3&4 · Q2 · EPA +2.70Marlon Gunn Jr. run for 4 yds for a TD (Andrew Conrad KICK)
Week 1 · Pittsburgh · 4&1 · Q3 · EPA +2.68(05:09) No Huddle #21 M.Gunn Jr. rush right for 14 yards gain to the ECU46, End Of Play, 1ST DOWN
Week 14 · Florida Atlantic · 3&4 · Q4 · EPA +2.34Shotgun #21 M.Gunn Jr. rush left for 17 yards gain to the ECU43 (#18 Z.Paret), 1ST DOWN
Week 14 · Florida Atlantic · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA -1.93Shotgun #21 M.Gunn Jr. rush middle for 4 yards loss to the ECU40 (#7 B.Langston)

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 13 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	Note
Wk 1	L 17-24@ NC State	6	5	0.8	1	4
Wk 2	W 56-3vs Campbell	8	33	4.1	1	13
Wk 3	W 38-0@ Coastal Carolina	1	0	0.0	0	0
Wk 4	L 13-34vs BYU	6	35	5.8	0	13
Wk 5	W 28-6vs Army	10	53	5.3	0	15
Wk 7	L 19-26@ Tulane	10	52	5.2	0	16
Wk 8	W 41-27vs Tulsa	14	60	4.3	1	13
Wk 10	W 45-14@ Temple	10	64	6.4	1	25
Wk 11	W 48-22vs Charlotte	5	18	3.6	0	7
Wk 12	W 31-27vs Memphis	5	20	4.0	0	11
Wk 13	L 24-58@ UTSA	5	62	12.4	1	50
Wk 14	W 42-3@ Florida Atlantic	14	130	9.3	1	36	Season-high 130 yds
Bowl	W 23-17vs Pittsburgh	18	50	2.8	0	14
Total		112	582	4.9	6	50

How he plays

Play style

Plays within the scheme — consistent production without a dominant dimension.

CFB Index positional classification

Closer · Q4-with-lead carry share

The closer

~ our read

20.9%Carry share

27.8%Q4-lead share

92.6%In competitive games

20.9% of carries overall (112/536) → 27.8% of Q4-with-lead carries (27/97) — 92.6% of those in competitive (≤16-pt) games.

Short-yardage / goal-line · enumeration

Who gets the tough yard

fact

8/113rd/4th & short

8/27Inside-5 share

8 of 11 on 3rd/4th-and-2-or-less (72.7%). 8 of the team's 27 inside-the-5 carries (29.6%).

2026 Outlook

East Carolina

Preseason read · May 27

2026 Depth chart

Returning starter

Running back · East Carolina

Returning around him

14% of 2024 offensive production back (Heavy turnover)
1 East Carolina player drafted to NFL
Transfer portal: -2 net (24 in / 26 out)

2026 Award watch

No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)

East Carolina · Last season: 9-4 · Talent rank #83 · 2026 recruiting class #94

DNA match

Player DNA

Balanced Back

Plays within the scheme — consistent production without a dominant dimension.

His 2025 production profile sits closest to Billy Lucas’s 2023 season.

Billy Lucas

80%match

Liberty · 2023

All-Conference USA

Spencer Brown

UAB · 2020

All-Conference USA

80%

Avery Morrow

Colorado State · 2024

All-Mountain West

79%

Bryson Kuzdzal

Michigan · 2025

78%

Jalen Buckley

Western Michigan · 2025

All-MAC

77%

Matches Billy on

Yards / carry

Total rush EPA (college ability)

EPA / carry (adj)

Through 4 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Gaej Walker’s path through Western Kentucky.

Gaej Walker

99%match

Western Kentucky · 2020

Andrew Body

Alabama State · 2025

98%

Narii Gaither

Gardner-Webb · 2023

97%

Shomari Lawrence

Missouri State · 2025

All-Conference USA

95%

Greg McCrae

UCF · 2020

95%

Matches Gaej on

Yards per carry

As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Zachary Palmer-Smith's senior season at UL Monroe (2025).

Zachary Palmer-Smith

79%match

UL Monroe · 2025

Le'Veon Moss

Texas A&M · 2025

77%

Reggie Love III

Illinois · 2023

76%

Sam Franklin

South Florida · 2025

75%

Chez Mellusi

Wisconsin · 2023

74%

Matches Zachary on

Weight

Total rush EPA (college ability)

Yards / carry

Differs from Zachary on

Rush TD rate (higher)

Yards / reception (lower)

Player DNA

Players who play like Marlon Gunn

Bryce Duke

Old Dominion · 2024

80%

Ashaad Clayton

Tulane · 2023

76%

Shomari Lawrence

Florida International · 2024

75%

Ke'Travion Hargrove

Old Dominion · 2025

75%

Matt Jones

Ole Miss · 2024

72%

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

202210 games

2025 snapshot

Situational

Splits & context

Awards

Part-time starter

Career stats

Signature game

Signature plays

Game log

How he plays

DNA match

Balanced Back

Players who play like Marlon Gunn