#22

Samson Evans

Senior running back for Eastern Michigan. 2023: 635 rushing yards, 12 rushing TD, 12 catches.

RB · Eastern Michigan · Sr. · #22

6′0″ · 217 lb · Crystal Lake, IL

CFB Index 48 · #128 of 310 RBsHigh confidenceEastern Michigan 2023 alumnus

Recruiting

3★

ATH recruit

No. 1223 nationally · Signed with Iowa

Statement game36 car · 258 yds · 1 TDat Arizona State (FBS) · W 30-21

Top 0.1% rushing yards game since 2021.

Samson Evans living up to the namer/CFB game thread · ▲ 4His career numbers, season by season

The story

4 running back for Eastern Michigan. 2023: 635 rushing yards, 12 rushing TD, 12 catches.

Signed as a 3-star recruit to Iowa in 2018.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Four seasons at Eastern Michigan, 2,302 rushing yards — his college career is complete.

His career

Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.

2018

Signed with Iowa3-star out of Prairie Ridge

202212 games

All-MACsecond

Career arc

Recruit

★★★

#1223 national

CFB

College

Eastern Michigan

2020–2023

NFL

NFL Draft

—

Not drafted

Trophy case · Confirmed honors

What the selectors said

2 honors · 1 category

🎖

ALL-MAC · 2ND TEAM

All-MAC 2nd team (2022)

Coaching lineage · 2020–2023

1 coach

2020–2023

Chris Creighton

Eastern Michigan

Played his entire career under Chris Creighton.

2023 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

4 seasons under Chris Creighton — 24-21 over that span.

2020Eastern Michigan2-4HC: Chris Creighton · Balanced

2021Eastern Michigan7-6HC: Chris Creighton · Balanced, fast tempo

2022Eastern Michigan9-4HC: Chris Creighton · Run-leaning

2023Eastern Michigan6-7HC: Chris Creighton · Run-leaning, slow tempo

Where this profile ranks vs the RB cohort

Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles

48Rotational starter #128 of 310?

High confidence13 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: td rate (86th percentile). Strength: rush tds (91st percentile). Concern: yards / carry (15th percentile).

Real play-by-play efficiency

TD rate#61 / 426 · 86th pct

8.2%

Success rate#182 / 426 · 57th pct

45.9%

EPA / carry#199 / 426 · 53rd pct

0.18

Explosive rate#324 / 426 · 24th pct

4.5%

Yards / carry#364 / 426 · 15th pct

4.2

Box-score rates (8)

Rush TDs#27 / 333 · 91st pct

Carries#85 / 333 · 74th pct

142

Long run#86 / 333 · 74th pct

Rush yards#112 / 333 · 67th pct

635

Rec yards#145 / 327 · 56th pct

Receptions#140 / 327 · 55th pct

Yards / carry#217 / 333 · 33rd pct

4.5

Fumbles lost#154 / 207 · 16th pct

Season trend

Last seasonThis season

EPA / carry

60th → 53rd percentile

Success rate

60th → 57th percentile

Explosive rate

14th → 24th percentile

Yards / carry

19th → 15th percentile

TD rate

69th → 86th 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

134 carries

12%

Stuffed (≤0)

43%

Grind (1–3)

37%

Chunk (4–9)

Explosive (10+)

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2023 season · 12 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	YDS/g	YPC	TD/g
Home6g	54.5	4.8	1.5
Road6g	51.3	3.9	0.5

First half vs Second half

	YDS/g	YPC	TD/g
Weeks 1-77g	47.3	4.6	0.7
Weeks 8+5g	60.8	4.1	1.4

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Chris Creighton

Pass share

58.2%

107 pass / 77 run

Plays / game

61.3

3 games

Team sack rate

5.1%

117 dropbacks · PBP

Scheme: Pass-leaning, slow tempo.

Awards

Player standing · 2023

Starter

A locked-in starting job.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

48 · #128 of 310 RBs

Three-star recruit. Now #128 at the position.

Career stats

Season	Team
2023	Eastern Michigan	142	635	4.5	12	--
2022	Eastern Michigan	249	1,166	4.7	15	--
2021	Eastern Michigan	83	316	3.8	13	--
2020	Eastern Michigan	41	185	4.5	1	--
Career		515	2,302	4.5	41	--

Season	Team
2023	Eastern Michigan	12	89	7.4	--
2022	Eastern Michigan	15	96	6.4	--
2021	Eastern Michigan	19	107	5.6	--
2020	Eastern Michigan	6	46	7.7	--
Career		52	338	6.5	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2023

W 33–23

vs Howard

52 rush yds (16 car) · 1 TD

With H. Elzayat — 6 rush yds (1 car) · A. Smith — 175 yds · 1 TD · 1 INT · QBR 43.2 · 27 rush yds (4 car)

Signature plays

Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|

The plays that mattered most

fact

Week 5 · Central Michigan · 4&1 · Q2 · EPA -4.13Samson Evans run for no gain to the CMU 6
Week 13 · Buffalo · 3&9 · Q4 · EPA -3.33Samson Evans run for 5 yds to the BUFF 20 Samson Evans fumbled, recovered by BUFF Marcus Fuqua Evans,Samson rush middle for 5 yards to the BUF20, fumble by Evans,Samson recovered by BUF Fuqua,Marcus, Fuqua,Marcus rush.
Week 9 · Western Michigan · 3&5 · Q2 · EPA +2.95Samson Evans run for 15 yds for a TD (Jesus Gomez KICK)
Week 11 · Toledo · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA +2.76Samson Evans pass complete to Elijah Jackson-Anderson for 28 yds for a TD (Jesus Gomez PAT MISSED)
Week 7 · Kent State · 3&1 · Q2 · EPA +2.73Samson Evans run for 19 yds for a TD (Jesus Gomez KICK)
Week 9 · Western Michigan · 2&5 · Q3 · EPA +2.44Samson Evans run for 5 yds for a TD (Two-Point Conversion failed)
Week 12 · Akron · 4&1 · Q1 · EPA +2.27Samson Evans run for 9 yds to the EMU 42 for a 1ST down
Week 1 · Howard · 2&2 · Q1 · EPA +2.07Samson Evans run for 2 yds for a TD (Kenyon Bowyer KICK)
Week 5 · Central Michigan · 2&2 · Q3 · EPA +2.07Samson Evans 2 Yd Run (Jesus Gomez Kick)
Week 1 · Howard · 4&1 · Q1 · EPA +1.98Samson Evans run for 2 yds to the EMU 42 for a 1ST down

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2023 season · 12 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	Note
Wk 1	W 33-23vs Howard	16	52	3.3	1	16
Wk 2	L 6-25@ Minnesota	11	73	6.6	0	20
Wk 3	W 19-17vs Massachusetts	8	89	11.1	0	61
Wk 4	L 0-21@ Jacksonville State	3	6	2.0	0	6
Wk 5	L 23-26@ Central Michigan	9	22	2.4	1	6
Wk 6	W 24-10vs Ball State	14	42	3.0	1	9
Wk 7	W 28-14vs Kent State	13	47	3.6	2	19
Wk 8	L 13-20@ Northern Illinois	19	68	3.6	1	9
Wk 9	L 21-45vs Western Michigan	8	26	3.3	2	15
Wk 11	L 23-49@ Toledo	4	12	3.0	0	5
Wk 12	W 30-27vs Akron	15	71	4.7	3	12	3 rushing TDs
Wk 13	W 24-11@ Buffalo	22	127	5.8	1	35	Season-high 127 yds
Total		142	635	4.4	12	61

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