Sun Belt ConferenceShort-yardage / goal-line · enumeration
Who gets the tough yard
1/26Inside-5 share
1 of the team's 26 inside-the-5 carries (3.8%).
Nick Herman
Rushing yards315174th of 278 running backsLast gameL 21–24vs Troy · Oct 29
Nextat Southern MissThu Nov 5 · 8 pm ET
- touchdown
Troy · L 21-24
7 carries, 15 yards
The other 8 games average 38 yards. This one was 22 below.
Dashed line: 100 yards.
This week
- RecordJames Madison is 7-2.
- Next gameat Southern Miss · Thu Nov 5
A play of his this season
Nick Herman
A game that shows it: 132 rushing yards and 12 receiving yards against Wagner — Week 2, 2026.
315 rushing yards · 3 rushing TD · 52 carries
Style of play
Style of play
Play style
Hits the crease and outruns the angle.
Similar players
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
What fans said
Fans first named Nick Herman vs Wagner.
- A fan first, numbered by kind (1 first named)
- The game fans talked about most
vs Georgia State, Oct 17Herman was looking for the TD instead of focusing on holding the ball. That’s a weak fumble.James Madison fan, r/CFB game thread
at Old Dominion, Sep 26Herman should have more than 2 carries atpJames Madison fan, r/CFB game thread
at San Diego State, Sep 19Herman is a funny RB nameJames Madison fan, r/CFB game thread
Where to follow
The latest game
Against Troy on Oct. 29: 7 carries for 15 yards. In the 9 games drawn here: 52 carries for 315 yards.
First quarterSecond quarterThird quarterFourth quarter
- L 21-24 vs Troy7 carries, 15 yds
- L 31-34 at App State2 carries, 8 yds
- W 49-22 vs Georgia State2 carries, 12 yds
- W 27-24 at Georgia Southern4 carries, 21 yds
- W 45-17 vs Marshall9 carries, 46 yds, 1 TD
- W 46-20 at Old Dominion6 carries, 18 yds
- W 26-13 at San Diego State12 carries, 60 yds
- W 87-3 vs Wagner8 carries, 132 yds, 2 TD
- W 20-13 vs Liberty2 carries, 3 yds
a carry, by its yardsa loss, below the linea catcha touchdown
Each game is split into its four quarters, so the columns line up from game to game; inside a quarter, plays keep their order. Third and fourth downs are marked under the line, bold when he moved the chains.
Career stats
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | James Madison | 52 | 315 | 6.1 | 3 | 77 |
| Career | 52 | 315 | 6.1 | 3 | 77 |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | James Madison | 7 | 57 | 8.1 | 0 | 17 |
| Career | 7 | 57 | 8.1 | 0 | 17 |
Last game (Wk 9): 15 rushing yards, 1 catch.
Game log
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 9 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 20-13vs Liberty | 2 | 3 | 1.5 | 0 | 3 | |
| Wk 2 | W 87-3vs Wagner | 8 | 132 | 16.5 | 2 | 77 | Season-high 132 yds |
| Wk 3 | W 26-13@ San Diego State | 12 | 60 | 5.0 | 0 | 9 | |
| Wk 4 | W 46-20@ Old Dominion | 6 | 18 | 3.0 | 0 | 8 | |
| Wk 5 | W 45-17vs Marshall | 9 | 46 | 5.1 | 1 | 14 | |
| Wk 6 | W 27-24@ Georgia Southern | 4 | 21 | 5.3 | 0 | 9 | |
| Wk 7 | W 49-22vs Georgia State | 2 | 12 | 6.0 | 0 | 12 | |
| Wk 8 | L 31-34@ App State | 2 | 8 | 4.0 | 0 | 6 | |
| Wk 9 | L 21-24vs Troy | 7 | 15 | 2.1 | 0 | 7 | |
| Total | 52 | 315 | 6.1 | 3 | 77 |
Signature game
Week 2 · 2026
W 87-3
vs Wagner
132 rush yds (8 car) · 2 TD · 2 rec · 12 yds
Dominant 84-point win at home against Wagner.
With M. Scott — 3 rec · 45 yds · C. Coleman — 171 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · QBR 38.4
Signature plays
The plays that mattered most
- Week 2 · Wagner · 2nd and 5 · Q3 · EPA +6.41N.Herman rush middle for 77 yards gain for a touchdown
- Week 7 · Georgia State · 1st and 10 · Q2 · EPA −5.77N.Herman rush middle for 12 yards gain fumbled by N.Herman at GSU40 forced by D.Lee recovered by GSU M.Harrell at GSU33, End Of Play
- Week 2 · Wagner · 2nd and 10 · Q2 · EPA +2.88N.Herman rush right for 15 yards gain for a touchdown
- Week 5 · Marshall · 1st and 3 · Q4 · EPA +1.46N.Herman rush middle for 3 yards gain for a touchdown
- Week 2 · Wagner · 1st and 18 · Q1 · EPA +1.41Coleman to Herman: an 11-yard pass.
- Week 3 · San Diego State · 2nd and 3 · Q2 · EPA +1.29Coleman to Herman: a 17-yard pass.
4 more plays
- Week 3 · San Diego State · 1st and 10 · Q3 · EPA +1.25N.Herman rush right for 9 yards gain (S.Hala)
- Week 9 · Troy · 1st and 10 · Q4 · EPA −1.16N.Herman rush middle for 0 yards (D.Whitaker)
- Week 2 · Wagner · 1st and 10 · Q1 · EPA +1.06N.Herman rush right for 11 yards gain (B.Leal)
- Week 5 · Marshall · 1st and 10 · Q3 · EPA +1.02N.Herman rush middle for 8 yards gain (K.McBride)
Where he ranks
Rush yards315174thAmong 278 backs with 40 or more carries
Yards / carry6.1tied for 48thAmong 278 backs with 40 or more carries
Rush TDs3tied for 136thAmong 278 backs with 40 or more carries
Long run77tied for 18thAmong 278 backs with 40 or more carries
Carries52tied for 223rdAmong 278 backs with 40 or more carries
Rec yards57tied for 148thAmong 273 backs with 40 or more carries
Receptions7tied for 157thAmong 273 backs with 40 or more carries
Fumbles lost1tied for 43rdAmong 141 backs with 40 or more carries
208th in rushing yards, among all 1,551 FBS players with a rushing row this season, any position
Opponents faced, by strength
Ratings of the games shown run from -15 to +8 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Rushing profile
Rush profile · Shape, efficiency, and ball security
How he gets his yards, and how often it works
50 of 52 carries matched to play-by-play
Success rate
42%50 carriesFumble rate
1.9%1 of 52 carries · 1 lostStuffed
0 or fewer yds8%of carries
4 carries
Grind
1–3 yds40%of carries
20 carries
Chunk
4–9 yds42%of carries
21 carries
Explosive
10+ yds10%of carries
5 carries
6.1 yds/carry on 52 carries · 10% explosive (10+ yds) · 42% success rate.
Teams and coaches
2026James Madison7-2HC: Billy Napier · Run-leaning
Our ratings
Splits
Home and road splits, scheme and staff
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 9 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home5g | 41.6 | 6.2 | 0.6 |
| Road4g | 26.8 | 4.3 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 41.7 | 6.1 | 0.4 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 11.5 | 3.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Billy Napier
Pass share
45.5%
283 pass / 339 run
Plays / game
69.1
9 games
Team sack rate
3.3%
306 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
52 carries and 7 catches in 9 games
Fewer touches a game than most FBS running backs who play every week.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
47 · #153 of 330 RBs
Two-star recruit. Now #153 at the position.
Starter
The No. 3,430 recruit in the country is carrying the ball in the Sun Belt.
First season at James Madison, 9 games
- 2026 James Madison NapierYear 1 · 9 games
- High school St. RitaChicago, IL · Class of 2025Two-star, No. 3,430 in the 2025 class. Signed with Drake.
2025
- Signed with DrakeTwo-star, out of St. Rita