Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 34-8vs NC State | 6 | 10 | 1.7 | 0 | 5 | Season-high 10 yds |
| Wk 2 | W 59-3vs Norfolk State | 4 | 7 | 1.8 | 1 | 8 | |
| Total | 10 | 17 | 1.8 | 1 | 8 |
#2
Peyton Lewis
New school, new number, same question — and Peyton Lewis's early answer at Virginia is No.136 4★, national recruit.
6′1″ · 212 lb · Salem, VA · Salem
CFB Index 43 · #194 of 326 RBsHigh confidenceTransferred Tennessee → Virginia 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
17
rushing yards · 2026
1 TD · 1.7 per carry
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 7 rush yds, 1 TD, vs Norfolk State
Swing playSwung Tennessee from 31% to 54% to win.UTEP at Tennessee · 56-0
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
3 running back for Virginia. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 4-star recruit to Tennessee in 2024.
- Transferred from Tennessee to Virginia in 2026.
In Their Words
159 windows · 2026 fan posts
peyton×208.1lewis×110.5tennessee×15.6north×10.5
Peyton Lewis
On Trialas of 2026-09-15
Peyton Lewis arrives at Virginia with a new fit to prove and an old chapter behind him.
17RUSH YDS1RUSH TD10CARRIES
4★ · NATIONAL RECRUIT
No.136
recruiting national rank
Virginia fans are litigating his worthiness — the eye test against the résumé.
medium confidence8 sources
Minority viewA vocal minority sees it the other way.
Read the story so far
AI-generated narrative · may contain errors · not journalism · updated 2026-09-15
His career
4 programs, one constant: he played.
20249 games
- Signed with Tennessee4-star out of Salem
2026
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
1 coach2024–2026
Virginia
Played his entire career under Tony Elliott.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Virginia
2025Tennessee
2026Virginia
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2024Tennessee10-3HC: Josh Heupel · Run-heavy
2025Tennessee8-5HC: Josh Heupel · Balanced
2026Virginia2-0HC: Tony Elliott · Run-heavy
Where this profile ranks vs the RB cohort
Box-score percentiles
High confidence
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 2 games: 8.5 YDS/g, 1.8 YPC, 0.5 TD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Tony Elliott
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
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 59–3
7 rush yds (4 car) · 1 TD
Dominant 56-point win at home against Norfolk State.
With B. Pribula — 162 yds · 3 TD · 1 INT · QBR 51.1 · -8 rush yds (2 car) · D. Sparks — 54 AVG · 2 IN 20 · 61 LONG
Signature plays
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
- Week 2 · Norfolk State · 2&2 · Q2 · EPA +2.08(01:06) #2 P.Lewis rush middle for 3 yards gain to the NSU00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 01:04, 1ST DOWN #41 W.Bettridge kick attempt good (H: #38 D.Sparks, LS: #50 W.Rubinoff)
- Week 2 · Norfolk State · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA -1.62(06:32) Shotgun #2 P.Lewis rush right for 3 yards loss to the UVA36 (#4 J.Davis)
- Week 2 · Norfolk State · 1&4 · Q3 · EPA -0.75(08:00) Shotgun #2 P.Lewis rush middle for 1 yard loss to the NSU05 (#15 R.Perry)
- Week 1 · NC State · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA -0.60(08:05) Shotgun #2 P.Lewis rush middle for 2 yards gain to the UVA35 (#0 P.Aguirre; #3 T.Teasdell)
- Week 1 · NC State · 2&8 · Q2 · EPA -0.46(07:22) Shotgun #2 P.Lewis rush right for 2 yards gain to the UVA37 (#15 A.Richardson; #42 K.Carter)
- Week 2 · Norfolk State · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA +0.45(01:49) #2 P.Lewis rush left for 8 yards gain to the NSU03 (#12 J.Henry; #1 J.Saunders)
- Week 1 · NC State · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA -0.37(09:35) Shotgun #2 P.Lewis rush left for 0 yards to the UVA11 (#0 P.Aguirre; #22 J.Vick)
- Week 1 · NC State · 1&10 · Q4 · EPA -0.31(02:14) #2 P.Lewis rush middle for 1 yard gain to the UVA12 (#3 T.Teasdell; #47 A.Farrow)
- Week 1 · NC State · 2&9 · Q4 · EPA -0.19(01:58) #2 P.Lewis rush middle for 0 yards to the UVA12 (#47 A.Farrow; #55 K.Evans)
- Week 1 · NC State · 3&9 · Q4 · EPA +0.02(01:50) #2 P.Lewis rush left for 5 yards gain to the UVA17 (#22 J.Vick; #29 B.Barnhardt)
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Does a little of everything without one standout trait.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Balanced Back
Plays within the scheme — consistent production without a dominant dimension.
RB
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Donavyn Lester’s 2023 season.
78%match
Matches Donavyn on
Rush TD rate
Total rush EPA (college ability)
Yards / carry
Through 3 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Joshua Samuel’s path through Austin Peay.
98%match
Matches Joshua on
Yards per carry
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Kedrick Reescano's sophomore season at Arizona (2025).
74%match
Matches Kedrick on
Yards / carry
Total rush EPA (college ability)
Height
Differs from Kedrick on
Class year (lower)
EPA / carry (adj) (higher)
The backfield · Virginia
- #21Jekail Middlebrook752 rushing yards · 2025
- #28Solomon Beebe338 rushing yards · 2025
- #2Peyton Lewis290 rushing yards · 2025
- Xavier Brown241 rushing yards · 2025
- #3Noah Vaughn174 rushing yards · 2025
2 more on the roster · Virginia team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology