cfb zeitgeistZeitgeist
OFFSEASON · SUMMER 2026 · COMMITMENT SEASON
Heisman / Players / Roman Hemby /Indiana

Roman Hemby

RB · Indiana · Sr · #1

Filling the Shoesas of 2026-06-22

Roman Hemby is a cornerstone for Indiana — measured against the line he joined.

1,120RUSH YDS7RUSH TD230CARRIES

PERCEPTION ABOVE TAPE · PCTL GAP

-44

perception vs production percentile · 2025

Read the story so far

Roman Hemby arrived as a 3-star prospect. He lines up at RB for Indiana.

On the field, the headline is 1,120 rush yds, with 7 rush td.

He inherited the RB job from Justice Ellison (3-star).

The number to watch: -44 — perception above tape · pctl gap.

RB successioncontinuity
  • Inherited fromJustice Ellison 3★
Why nowThe 2026 outlook is the live story — the offseason looks forward.
  • season totals
  • perception vs production percentile · 2025
  • throne-line + Filling-the-Shoes

AI narrative · updated 2026-06-22 · compiled from CFB Zeitgeist data

2026 RETURNINGReturning to Indiana for 2026

2026 Outlook

Returning to Indiana for 2026

2026 Depth chart

Projected starter

Running back · Indiana

Returning around him

  • 25% of 2024 offensive production back (Heavy turnover)
  • 8 Indiana players drafted to NFL
  • Transfer portal: +1 net (17 in / 16 out)

2026 Award watch

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

Indiana · Last season: 16-0 (AP #1) · Talent rank #72 · 2026 recruiting class #47

RB · INDIANA · BIG TEN

Roman Hemby

  • 4
  • #1
  • 6-0 | 208 lb
  • Edgewood, MD

CFB Zeitgeist Score

79

All-Conference in the position cohort. Carried by rush yards at the 94th percentile.

Heisman Heat

#90

<1% win probability

Fan Belief

Awaiting

Player-specific FI not yet ingested. Falls back to team mood below.

Respect Gap

Awaiting

Coming online with player-level FI.

Reality Gap

Awaiting

Coming online with player-level FI.

ACCOLADE PROBABILITY

Heisman

<1%

TOP RB AWARD

Doak Walker

CONSENSUS

All-American

Player Standing · 17 rungs

Tier 2 · Starter

R07 · Impact starter

Impact starter. Producing measurable value above replacement.

Not on team2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Career arc · Season-by-season Standing

5 seasons on the ladder

Peak: R09 All-Conference HM / 2nd team · 2025

2021

Maryland · RB

2022

Maryland · RB

2023

Maryland · RB

2024

Maryland · RB

2025

Indiana · RB

R09 · All-Conference HM / 2nd team

Recognized

Development Trajectory · rushing yards

2021–2025
71.02021
9892022
6802023
6072024
1,1202025

+1477%

Up 1477% from first season to most-recent.

Career Arc

HS
Recruit
★★★
#1767 national
CFB
College
2 teams
2021–2025
NFL
NFL Draft
Not drafted (yet)

Identity & Role

The durable bio layer: position, size, hometown, and roster role.

PositionRB
Class4
Jersey1
Measurements6-0 | 208 lb
HometownEdgewood, MD
Primary teamIndiana

Recruiting Pedigree

How big the prospect was before college, and whether the later career arc beat that expectation.

Top pedigree 3-star No. 1767 recruit
Composite rating 0.8293 HighSchool
Signed with Maryland 2021
Origin John Carroll School Bel Air, MD, USA
Class Profile Context
2021 3-star | 0.8293 No. 1767 recruit | HighSchool | Maryland

Transfer Arc

Portal movement changes role, context, and perception. This keeps that path in one place.

Portal moves 0 No portal entry on file
Latest destination -- --
Transfer stars -- CFBD transfer rating context
Eligibility -- Transfer date TBD
Season Move Context
No transfer portal moves on file for this player.

Heisman Lens · 2024 Season · Final

Where the player landed at the end of the listed season — final nowcast rank, win/finalist/ballot probabilities, and the cleanest official Heisman placement on file.

HIGH CONFIDENCE· through week 16
Current nowcast#90Latest modeled ballot order
Season forecast#107Where the full season sim points
Win probability0.0%Chance to actually win the trophy
Finalist probability0.0%Chance to make the finalist tier
Ballot probability0.0%Chance to appear anywhere on a ballot
Best official finish--Best completed Heisman placement on file

Heisman Futures

Not yet listed on major futures markets.

Achievements

  • Program Benchmark 5.5% Program Benchmark Season leader for the program at the player's position across the headline volume metric (passing yards / rushing yards / receiving yards). Held by 5.5% of the 2025 pool. Team leader in rushing yards (1120).

Selector Grid · 2025

AP
FWAA
AFCA
WCFF
SN
SI

NIL · Recruiting · NFL Draft

Market value, pedigree & pro outcome

Recruit stars

★★★☆☆

to Maryland

Composite

0.8293

#1767 national

Today’s Hot-Take

The Hot-Take engine fires when this player’s percentile profile crosses a defensible threshold (top 10% in a cohort, 100+ snap sample). When it’s quiet, the model is honoring its “must be defensible” rule.

Anti-Take

PENDING

The contrarian read fires when the rules-engine detects a stat that complicates the Hot-Take. Quiet here means the model hasn’t found a defensible counter yet — not that one doesn’t exist.

The Room on Roman Hemby

Fan sentiment ·

Belief Meter

Awaiting per-cohort signal

Sample 0 mentions
Confidence BELOW-FLOOR

Top Take

Trajectory

Cohort divergence mapbearishbullishheatedcalmRivals: 3 mentions · belief +0 · "submitted by /u/jco23 [link] [comments]"RivalsNational: 3 mentions · belief -33 · "I want to be transparent: I have spent an embarrassing number of hours on this. "National
  • Rivals · n=3
  • National · n=3

Rival Radar

How rival fanbases talk about Roman Hemby

Only 3 rival mention(s) — below the 4-mention floor for a defensible read.

Signature Story

Awaiting candidate metric

He hasn't written his page yet — we'll start filling it in when there are enough snaps to rank against his peers.

Signature Moment

No signature moment on the ledger yet.

Returns once this player puts together a multi-game body of work — single-game flashes alone don't clear the bar.

A 3-act season arc returns once this player has six or more games on the ledger.

Season Pace · Projection

Where the rushing totals stand

final
Through 16g
1,120Rush yards
230Carries
7Rush TDs
Per game
70Rush yards
14Carries
0Rush TDs
Final
1,120Rush yards
230Carries
7Rush TDs

✓ Hit 750-yard season · finished with 1,120.

✓ Hit 1,000-yard season · finished with 1,120.

Why this is more than a rushing profile

The fast read on the thing that makes this player more than a generic stat line.

Roman Hemby is not a one-lane back. The profile is interesting because the workload spills beyond pure rushing volume: 1,120 rushing yards, 17 catches, and 203 return yards for Indiana. That kind of all-purpose footprint gives the card a much richer story than a basic carry total.

Current place #90 0.0% win | 0.0% finalist
Role load 22.7% Overall usage share
Profile quirk Transfer path 0 portal moves

2025 Season · Final

Traditional stats first. Advanced context underneath.

Last season

RB season snapshot

2025 season snapshot | final

2025 season snapshot | finalData: CFBD player stats + local Heisman modelPeer context: same position + same level
Scrimmage yards 1,285 1,120 rush | 165 rec | #23/735 (97th pct)
Rush TD 7 230 carries | #62/739 (92nd pct)
Yards/carry 4.9 Per-rush efficiency | #305/735 (59th pct)
Player identity What kind of player is this?

30-second read

What kind of player is this?

Workhorse | Passing-game back against FBS RB peers.

WorkhorsePassing-game back

2025 Season · Final

2025 season snapshot | final

Rushing

CAR
230 99th
YDS
1,120 97th
YPC
4.9 59th
TD
7 92nd

Receiving

REC
17 80th
YDS
165 85th
YPR
9.7 75th
TD
0 70th

Game Log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 16 games

Box score · CFBD
WkOppCARYDSAVGTDLONGNote
Wk 1W 27-14vs Old Dominion231114.8030
Wk 2W 56-9vs Kennesaw State9647.1021
Wk 3W 73-0vs Indiana State4256.309
Wk 4W 63-10vs Illinois14654.6010
Wk 5W 20-15@ Iowa15865.7016
Wk 7W 30-20@ Oregon19703.7214
Wk 8W 38-13vs Michigan State6111.809
Wk 9W 56-6vs UCLA17814.8215
Wk 10W 55-10@ Maryland18884.9116
Wk 11W 27-24@ Penn State12554.6011
Wk 12W 31-7vs Wisconsin14584.108
Wk 14W 56-3@ Purdue1215212.7182Season-high 152 yds
Wk 15W 13-10@ Ohio State13524.0010
BowlW 38-3vs Alabama18894.9121
BowlW 56-22vs Oregon17533.1012
BowlW 27-21vs Miami19603.2015
Total23011205.0782
Season-by-season tables Career rows + per-season box score

Traditional history

Traditional Stats

Season rows up top, career context at the bottom.

Season rows Career row

Season context · Team result + system

2021Maryland6-6HC: Mike Locksley · Balanced, fast tempo
2022Maryland8-5HC: Mike Locksley · Balanced
2023Maryland8-5HC: Mike Locksley · Pass-leaning
2024Maryland4-8HC: Mike Locksley · Pass-leaning
2025Indiana16-0HC: Curt Cignetti · Run-heavy
SeasonTeam
2025Indiana2301,1204.97--
2024Maryland1346074.56--
2023Maryland1436804.84--
2022Maryland1889895.310--
2021Maryland17714.22--
Career5 loaded seasons7123,4674.929--
SeasonTeam
2025Indiana171659.70--
2024Maryland402736.81--
2023Maryland383499.23--
2022Maryland332989.01--
2021Maryland111.00--
Career5 loaded seasons1291,0868.45--
Advanced layer Usage, value, and context

Advanced metrics second

Advanced Metrics

Usage, value, and opponent-adjusted context.

Usage Value Context
Rushing WEPA

Opponent-adjusted rushing value. It helps separate empty volume from carries that actually move the scoreboard.

Role share

How much of the team's offense flows through this back once rushing work and receiving work are combined.

Peer percentile

Every percentile is compared against players at the same position and level, so an FBS quarterback is judged against FBS quarterbacks, not the whole sport.

Traditional first

The top tables stick to the stats fans already know from broadcasts and box scores. Advanced context is pushed underneath instead of replacing the basics.

Receiving work 17 165 rec yds | #111/552 (80th pct)
Usage 22.7% 35.7% rush share | #67/738 (91st pct)
Rushing WEPA +0.09 Opponent-adjusted rush value | #226/362 (38th pct)
Open full stat explorer
0 metrics visible Showing all metrics
Group Metric Value Rank Pct Why it matters
Rushing Rushing yards 1,120 #23/735 97th pct Volumevs FBS RB
Rushing Rush TD 7 #62/739 92nd pct Scoringvs FBS RB
Rushing Yards / carry 4.9 #305/735 59th pct Efficiencyvs FBS RB
Receiving Receptions 17 #111/552 80th pct Volumevs FBS RB
Receiving Receiving yards 165 #82/548 85th pct Volumevs FBS RB
Value Rushing WEPA +0.09 #226/362 38th pct Opponent-adjusted rushing value | 226 weighted playsvs FBS RB
Usage Role share 22.7% #67/738 91st pct Share of team offensevs FBS RB
Rushing Carries 230 #12/739 99th pct Volumevs FBS RB
Rushing Rushing LONG 82 #21/733 97th pct Metricvs FBS RB
Receiving Receiving LONG 26 #157/540 71st pct Metricvs FBS RB
Receiving Yards / catch 9.7 #139/548 75th pct Efficiencyvs FBS RB
Receiving Receiving TD 0 #169/552 70th pct Scoringvs FBS RB
Returns Kick return yards 203 #37/200 82nd pct Volumevs FBS RB
Returns Kick return avg 22.6 #47/199 77th pct Efficiencyvs FBS RB
Returns Kick returns 9 #34/206 84th pct Volumevs FBS RB
Usage Rush share 35.7% #86/738 88th pct Ground-game usagevs FBS RB
Usage 1st-down usage 25.5% #75/738 90th pct Early-down loadvs FBS RB
Usage Standard-down usage 24.8% #76/738 90th pct Base-situation sharevs FBS RB
Usage 2nd-down usage 24.5% #50/738 93rd pct Middle-down loadvs FBS RB
Usage Passing-down usage 16.2% #49/738 93rd pct Known-passing sharevs FBS RB
Usage 3rd-down usage 14.5% #76/738 90th pct Money-down loadvs FBS RB
Usage Pass share 4.5% #188/738 75th pct Air-game usagevs FBS RB
Ball Security Fumbles lost 0 #1/256 100th pct Turnoversvs FBS RB

Player Standing

Universal 17-step ladder. Tier pills below; accolade streams nested.

ALL-CONF HM

On-team2-deepStartingRecognizedEliteApex

ALL-CONF HM · Rung 9 of 16

Why he’s here

All-Conference honorable mention / 2nd team — the recognition has started.

What moves him up

A best-at-position run lifts to 1st team.

What moves him down

A back-end conference finish drops out of the honor list.

Accolade streams

StatusAwaiting tracker

Heisman model tracks the top FBS contenders weekly; this player hasn't entered the watch list yet.

Splits · Per-game

2025 season · 16 games

Home/Road · Win/Loss · Season halves

Home vs Road

YDS/gYPCTD/g
Home10g61.74.50.3
Road6g83.85.90.7

Win vs Loss

YDS/gYPCTD/g
Wins16g70.05.00.4

First half vs Second half

YDS/gYPCTD/g
Weeks 1-79g69.24.80.3
Weeks 8+7g71.05.30.6

Pocket and defense-quality (clean vs. pressure) splits are coming soon.

Savant · Box-rate percentiles

Where this profile ranks vs the RB cohort

79All-Conference
8 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: carries (96th). Strength: long run (94th).

Carries#12 / 349 · 97th pct
230rush
Long run#20 / 349 · 94th pct
82rush
Rush yards#23 / 349 · 94th pct
1120rush
Fumbles lost#1 / 201 · 87th pct
0fumb
Rush TDs#62 / 349 · 80th pct
7rush
Rec yards#78 / 338 · 77th pct
165rece
Receptions#103 / 338 · 67th pct
17rece
Yards / carry#171 / 349 · 49th pct
4.9rush

Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.

Advanced Savant · RB · 2024

Percentile Card

Advanced opponent-adjusted percentile bars are coming soon for this player.

P4G5All FBS
EPA / dropback
awaiting
CPOE
awaiting
Success rate
awaiting
Explosive rate (20+)
awaiting
aDOT
awaiting
Deep-ball accuracy
awaiting
Pressure-to-sack
awaiting
3rd-down EPA
awaiting
Red-zone TD rate
awaiting
Play-action EPA
awaiting
Scramble EPA
awaiting
Turnover-worthy play rate
awaiting

Advanced Savant

Opponent-adjusted advanced metrics with a cohort filter.

wepa_rushing0.09Low (p25–p50) (n=178)

Peer Comparator · Fingerprint match

Three closest profiles by box-rate percentile

3 peers · 8 metrics
Roman HembyIndianaCarson HansenIowa State· 91% simAnthony HankersonOregon State· 89% simChip TrayanumToledo· 88% sim
Carries
97
Hemby
91
Hansen
98
Hankerson
90
Trayanum
Long run
94
Hemby
78
Hansen
78
Hankerson
90
Trayanum
Rush yards
94
Hemby
87
Hansen
93
Hankerson
90
Trayanum
Fumbles lost
87
Hemby
87
Hansen
87
Hankerson
87
Trayanum
Rush TDs
80
Hemby
72
Hansen
87
Hankerson
94
Trayanum
Rec yards
77
Hemby
70
Hansen
65
Hankerson
87
Trayanum
Receptions
67
Hemby
75
Hansen
81
Hankerson
79
Trayanum
Yards / carry
49
Hemby
58
Hansen
29
Hankerson
74
Trayanum

Closest peers by overall box-score percentile profile at the same position.

Player DNA

The Balanced Back

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

RB

His 2025 production profile sits closest to Christian Turner’s 2023 season.

Christian Turner

79%match

Indiana · 2023

#2

Myles Montgomery

UCF · 2025

80%
#3

Shomari Lawrence

Florida International · 2023

78%
#4

Alex Fontenot

Colorado · 2022

78%
#5

Ari Broussard

Rice · 2021

75%

Matches Christian on

Rush TD rate
Weight
Height

Differs from Christian on

Recruiting rating (lower)
EPA / carry (adj) (lower)

Not enough data yet for this comparison.

As a graduate, his production profile tracks closest to Jaquez Moore's graduate season at Duke (2025).

Jaquez Moore

75%match

Duke · 2025

#2

Kevorian Barnes

TCU · 2025

67%
#3

Harrison Waylee

Wyoming · 2024

All-MAC
65%
#4

Micah Bernard

Utah · 2024

66%
#5

Matthew Sluka

James Madison · 2025

62%

Matches Jaquez on

Total rush EPA (college ability)
Receiving share
Yards / reception

Differs from Jaquez on

Height (higher)
EPA / carry (adj) (higher)

Supporting Cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2025 season

Head Coach

Curt Cignetti

Pass share

38.7%

404 pass / 641 run

Plays / game

65.3

16 games

OL sack rate (allowed)

7.3%

275 dropbacks · PBP

Scheme: Run-heavy.

Coaching Lineage · 2021–2025

2 coaches
2021
Tom Allen
Indiana
2022
Tom Allen
Indiana
2023
Tom Allen
Indiana
2024
Curt Cignetti
Indiana
era →
2025
Curt Cignetti
Indiana

Coaching transition mid-career: Tom Allen → Curt Cignetti. Worth noting in scheme + development context.

Bio · Recruiting · Transfer · Roster

Off-field context — switch tabs to drill into recruit profile, transfer arc, or roster timeline.

HometownEdgewood, MD
Height6'0"
Weight208 lb
Class4
PositionRB
Jersey1

Trophy Case · Confirmed honors

What the selectors said

1 entries
🎖

ALL-CONFERENCE

All-Conf mention (2025)

All-Big Ten

Trophy Case · Detail

Every honor on the ledger, broken out by stream and selector.

All-Conference

1 all-conference honor

Conference-level recognition helps anchor whether a player is merely statistically loud or actually viewed as elite within his competitive lane.

Honors Timeline

Season-end distinction and week-by-week recognition on one timeline.

Season Honor Scope Team / Selector Context
2025 All-Big Ten all_conference Indiana | Big Ten RB

Heisman By Year

Modeled rank and official finish by season.

Season Team Role Latest Model Forecast Win Finalist Official Finish Points Context
2024 Maryland RB4 #90 #107 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W16 snapshot | Big Ten
2023 Maryland RB4 #186 #252 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W19 snapshot | Big Ten
2022 Maryland RB4 #131 #191 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W20 snapshot | Big Ten
2021 Maryland RB4 #1103 #1027 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W20 snapshot | Big Ten

Roster Timeline

Team, conference, and class by season.

Season Team Conference Pos Class Bio
2025 Indiana Big Ten RB 4 No. 1 | 6-0 | 208 lb | Edgewood, MD
2024 Maryland Big Ten RB 4 No. 1 | 6-0 | 208 lb | Edgewood, MD
2023 Maryland Big Ten RB 4 No. 1 | 6-0 | 208 lb | Edgewood, MD
2022 Maryland Big Ten RB 4 No. 1 | 6-0 | 208 lb | Edgewood, MD
2021 Maryland Big Ten RB 4 No. 1 | 6-0 | 208 lb | Edgewood, MD