Sun Belt ConferenceShort-yardage / goal-line · enumeration
Who gets the tough yard
10/123rd/4th & short
10 of 12 on 3rd/4th-and-2-or-less (83.3%).
Telly Johnson Jr.
Rushing yards57448th of 278 running backsLast gameL 24–31at UNLV · Oct 31
Nextat San José StateSat Nov 7 · 4 pm ET
- touchdown
Dashed line: 100 yards.
Compare with
Johnson against Northern Illinois’s best seasons, game by game
Backs who run like Johnson, and how their seasons went
Johnson against this year’s top backs, game by game
The road ahead: 574 yards, 72 a game, 4 regular-season games left.
- 690 yards, their own best season (2025): 116 to go, 29 a game.
- 899 yards, Harrison Waylee in 2022, Northern Illinois’s 5th-best season in our records: 325 to go, 81 a game, more than the 72 a game so far.
- 1,011 yards, Tre Harbison in 2019, Northern Illinois’s 3rd-best season in our records: 437 to go, 109 a game, more than the 72 a game so far.
This week
- RecordNorthern Illinois is 0-8.
- Next gameat San José State · Sat Nov 7
His most important play this season
44% of the carries, 61% of the yards, 71% of the touchdowns
- Carries44%103 of 235
- Yards61%574 of 944
- Touchdowns71%5 of 7
- Yards a carry: 5.6. Everyone else on the team: 2.8.
- A touchdown every 20.6 carries. Everyone else on the team: one every 66.0.
At least 30% of the team's rushing yards in every game
No bar in a game where the team had under 100 rushing yards: a share of that little says nothing.
Who carried it
- Telly Johnson Jr.574 yards, 103 carries, 5 touchdowns
- Elijah Porter233 yards, 54 carries, 2 touchdowns
- Jaidaun Cranford67 yards, 9 carries
- Taron Dickens64 yards, 55 carries
- DeAree Rogers5 yards, 1 carry
- 1 others2 yards
Share of the team's total this season.
Most of his carries go up the middle
102030242823
leftmiddleright
a carry, up for a gain and down for a lossa touchdown
Each line is one carry: taller means more yards, and a line pointing down lost yards. Black lines are touchdowns. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside each lane the carries are lined up shortest to longest, not placed. Of his carries with a spot in the play text: left 21, middle 72, right 10. His longest went for 28 yards.
Telly Johnson Jr.
Filling the Shoesas of Nov 4
Telly Johnson Jr. takes over from Chavon Wright at Northern Illinois.
574rushing yards5rushing TD103carries
Rushing value per play
+0.27
our model · 2026 · 59 plays
Read the story so far
AI-generated narrative · may contain errors · not journalism · updated 2026-11-04
Style of play
Style of play
Play style
Does a little of everything without one standout trait.
Similar players
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
What fans said
Fans first named Telly Johnson Jr. vs Illinois State.
- A fan first, numbered by kind (1 first named)
Named in
Where to follow
Career stats
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Northern Illinois | 103 | 574 | 5.6 | 5 | 28 |
| 2025 | Northern Illinois | 124 | 690 | 5.6 | 4 | 80 |
| 2024 | Northern Illinois | 103 | 480 | 4.7 | 4 | 38 |
| Career | 330 | 1,744 | 5.3 | 13 | 80 |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Northern Illinois | 12 | 45 | 3.8 | 0 | 17 |
| 2025 | Northern Illinois | 16 | 97 | 6.1 | 0 | 17 |
| 2024 | Northern Illinois | 2 | 3 | 1.5 | 0 | 2 |
| Career | 30 | 145 | 4.8 | 0 | 17 |
Last game (Wk 9): 72 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD, 1 catch.
Game log
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 8 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 0-40@ No. 22 Iowa | 8 | 16 | 2.0 | 0 | 5 | |
| Wk 2 | L 24-28vs Illinois State | 22 | 83 | 3.8 | 1 | 14 | |
| Wk 3 | L 17-42@ Arizona | 12 | 69 | 5.8 | 0 | 20 | |
| Wk 4 | L 14-35@ Georgia State | 15 | 85 | 5.7 | 1 | 23 | |
| Wk 6 | L 7-28vs Air Force | 8 | 47 | 5.9 | 1 | 13 | |
| Wk 7 | L 23-41@ Wyoming | 16 | 139 | 8.7 | 1 | 28 | Season-high 139 yds |
| Wk 8 | L 21-56vs Hawai'i | 14 | 63 | 4.5 | 0 | 12 | |
| Wk 9 | L 24-31@ UNLV | 8 | 72 | 9.0 | 1 | 24 | |
| Total | 103 | 574 | 5.6 | 5 | 28 |
The latest game
Oct. 31 · L 24-31 at UNLV, play by play
8 carries for 72 yards and a touchdown. He converted a 4th and 1 with Northern Illinois down 31-24.
- 3 went 10+ yards
- 1 stopped at or behind the line
- 4 moved the chains
- 1 catch for -1 yds
- First quarterbegan tied 0-0
- 2 for 20, 1 TD1
- Second quarterbegan up 14-10
- 4 for 27, 1 rec23
- Fourth quarterbegan down 31-24
- 2 for 254
- FinalL 24-31
a carry, by its yardsa loss, below the linea catcha touchdown
- 1
20-yard touchdown run on 3rd and 1. First quarter, made it 7-7.
- 2
15-yard run on 3rd and 1. Second quarter, up 14-10. Converted.
- 3
1-yard catch on 3rd and 8. Second quarter, up 14-10.
- 4
24-yard run on 4th and 1. Fourth quarter, down 31-24. Converted.
The season, game by game
L 21-56 vs Hawai'iOct. 2463 yds14 carries
14 carries for 63 yards.
- of the 13 carries drawn:
- 1 went 10+ yards
- 4 stopped at or behind the line
- 2 moved the chains
- First quarterbegan tied 0-0
- 4 for 3
- Second quarterbegan down 14-7
- 5 for 2912
- Third quarterbegan down 35-14
- 2 for 10
- Fourth quarterbegan down 49-14
- 2 for 9
- FinalL 21-56
a carry, by its yardsa loss, below the linea catcha touchdown
The per-play feed is missing a 12-yard run in the third quarter, which the play text shows; the chart draws the 13 carries it has.
- 1
11-yard run. Second quarter, down 14-7.
- 2
6-yard run on 4th and 1. Second quarter, down 28-14. Converted.
102030
leftmiddleright
a carry, up for a gain and down for a lossa touchdown
Each carry is a stem from the line, in the lane the play text names, sorted shortest to longest. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside a lane marks are sorted, not placed.
6 more games, with the play by play
L 23-41 at WyomingOct. 17139 yds16 carries, 1 TD
16 carries for 139 yards and a touchdown, his most this season.
- of the 15 carries drawn:
- 5 went 10+ yards
- 0 stopped at or behind the line
- 6 moved the chains
- 2 catches for -1 yds
- First quarterbegan tied 0-0
- 3 for 38
- Second quarterbegan down 10-0
- 5 for 23, 1 rec
- Third quarterbegan down 20-6
- 6 for 64, 1 rec, 1 TD1
- Fourth quarterbegan down 27-17
- 1 for 6
- FinalL 23-41
a carry, by its yardsa loss, below the linea catcha touchdown
The per-play feed is missing an 8-yard run in the second quarter (the play drew a penalty), which the play text shows; the chart draws the 15 carries it has.
- 1
28-yard run. Third quarter, down 20-6.
1020302628
leftmiddleright
a carry, up for a gain and down for a lossa touchdown
Each carry is a stem from the line, in the lane the play text names, sorted shortest to longest. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside a lane marks are sorted, not placed.
L 7-28 vs Air ForceOct. 1047 yds8 carries, 1 TD
8 carries for 47 yards and a touchdown.
- 2 went 10+ yards
- 1 stopped at or behind the line
- 3 moved the chains
- 1 catch for 6 yds
- First quarterbegan tied 0-0
- 2 for 6
- Second quarterbegan down 7-0
- 3 for 18, 1 TD
- Third quarterbegan down 14-7
- 2 for 10, 1 rec1
- Fourth quarterbegan down 28-7
- 1 for 132
- FinalL 7-28
a carry, by its yardsa loss, below the linea catcha touchdown
- 1
6-yard catch on 4th and 4. Third quarter, down 28-7. Converted.
- 2
13-yard run. Fourth quarter, down 28-7.
102030
leftmiddleright
a carry, up for a gain and down for a lossa touchdown
Each carry is a stem from the line, in the lane the play text names, sorted shortest to longest. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside a lane marks are sorted, not placed.
L 14-35 at Georgia StateSept. 2685 yds15 carries, 1 TD
15 carries for 85 yards and a touchdown. He converted a 4th and 1 with Northern Illinois down 7-0. He also caught 3 passes for 26 yards.
- of the 12 carries drawn:
- 4 went 10+ yards
- 3 stopped at or behind the line
- 4 moved the chains
- 3 catches for 26 yds
- First quarterbegan tied 0-0
- 4 for 24, 1 TD12
- Second quarterbegan tied 7-7
- 3 for -1, 3 rec
- Third quarterbegan down 21-14
- 5 for 423
- FinalL 14-35
a carry, by its yardsa loss, below the linea catcha touchdown
The per-play feed is missing an 18-yard run in the first quarter (a touchdown called back by a penalty) and a 1-yard run in the first quarter (the play drew a penalty) and a 1-yard run in the second quarter (the play drew a penalty), which the play text shows; the chart draws the 12 carries it has.
- 1
3-yard loss on 3rd and 6. First quarter, down 7-0.
- 2
14-yard touchdown run on 4th and 1. First quarter, made it 7-7.
- 3
23-yard run. Third quarter, down 35-14.
10203023
leftmiddleright
a carry, up for a gain and down for a lossa touchdown
Each carry is a stem from the line, in the lane the play text names, sorted shortest to longest. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside a lane marks are sorted, not placed.
L 17-42 at ArizonaSept. 1969 yds12 carries
12 carries for 69 yards.
- 3 went 10+ yards
- 3 stopped at or behind the line
- 4 moved the chains
- 1 catch for 2 yds
- First quarterbegan tied 0-0
- 4 for 46, 1 rec12
- Second quarterbegan up 10-7
- 3 for 1
- Third quarterbegan down 28-10
- 2 for 2
- Fourth quarterbegan down 35-10
- 3 for 20
- FinalL 17-42
a carry, by its yardsa loss, below the linea catcha touchdown
- 1
20-yard run. First quarter, tied 0-0.
- 2
2-yard catch on 3rd and 10. First quarter, tied 0-0.
10203020
leftmiddleright
a carry, up for a gain and down for a lossa touchdown
Each carry is a stem from the line, in the lane the play text names, sorted shortest to longest. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside a lane marks are sorted, not placed.
L 24-28 vs Illinois StateSept. 1283 yds22 carries, 1 TD
22 carries for 83 yards and a touchdown. He converted a 3rd and 1 with Northern Illinois down 21-17.
- 3 went 10+ yards
- 4 stopped at or behind the line
- 10 moved the chains
- 2 catches for 10 yds
- First quarterbegan tied 0-0
- 4 for 9, 2 rec
- Second quarterbegan down 14-0
- 9 for 26
- Third quarterbegan down 21-17
- 5 for 2612
- Fourth quarterbegan down 21-17
- 4 for 22, 1 TD34
- FinalL 24-28
a carry, by its yardsa loss, below the linea catcha touchdown
- 1
14-yard run. Third quarter, down 21-17.
- 2
1-yard loss on 4th and 2. Third quarter, down 21-17. Turnover on downs.
- 3
1-yard touchdown run on 3rd and 1. Fourth quarter, made it 24-21.
- 4
4-yard run on 3rd and 2. Fourth quarter, down 28-24. Converted.
102030
leftmiddleright
a carry, up for a gain and down for a lossa touchdown
Each carry is a stem from the line, in the lane the play text names, sorted shortest to longest. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside a lane marks are sorted, not placed.
L 0-40 at IowaSept. 516 yds8 carries
8 carries for 16 yards.
- 0 went 10+ yards
- 2 stopped at or behind the line
- 0 moved the chains
- 2 catches for 3 yds
- First quarterbegan tied 0-0
- 1 for 0
- Second quarterbegan down 20-0
- 3 for 7
- Third quarterbegan down 33-0
- 4 for 9, 2 rec1
- FinalL 0-40
a carry, by its yardsa loss, below the linea catcha touchdown
- 1
5-yard run. Third quarter, down 40-0.
102030
leftmiddleright
a carry, up for a gain and down for a lossa touchdown
Each carry is a stem from the line, in the lane the play text names, sorted shortest to longest. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside a lane marks are sorted, not placed.
Signature game
Week 7 · 2026
L 23-41
at Wyoming
139 rush yds (16 car) · 1 TD
With J. Ference — 50.5 yards per punt · 4 punts · 2 inside the 20 · T. Dickens — 216 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · QBR 36.3 · 11 rush yds (8 car)
Signature plays
The plays that mattered most
- Week 8 · Hawai'i · 2nd and 2 · Q4 · EPA −6.38T.Johnson Jr. rush middle for 1 yard gain fumbled by T.Johnson Jr. at HAW42 forced by W.Ho'ohuli recovered by HAW W.Ho'ohuli at HAW42, End Of Play
- Week 2 · Illinois State · 4th and 2 · Q3 · EPA −4.20T.Johnson Jr. rush middle for 1 yard loss (T.Niekamp; V.Garcia), TURNOVER ON DOWNS
- Week 4 · Georgia State · 4th and 1 · Q1 · EPA +3.10T.Johnson Jr. rush middle for 14 yards gain for a touchdown
- Week 9 · UNLV · 3rd and 1 · Q1 · EPA +2.76T.Johnson Jr. rush right for 20 yards gain for a touchdown
- Week 7 · Wyoming · 1st and 13 · Q3 · EPA +2.72T.Johnson Jr. rush left for 13 yards gain for a touchdown. The previous play is under automatic review - "Runner was out of bounds". CALL UPHELD G.Dimopoulos rush attempt Successful
- Week 9 · UNLV · 4th and 1 · Q4 · EPA +2.64T.Johnson Jr. rush left for 24 yards gain (T.Nkuba)
4 more plays
- Week 6 · Air Force · 4th and 4 · Q3 · EPA +2.54Dickens to Johnson Jr.: a 6-yard pass.
- Week 7 · Wyoming · 1st and 10 · Q3 · EPA +2.46T.Johnson Jr. rush middle for 28 yards gain (J.DaCosta)
- Week 2 · Illinois State · 3rd and 1 · Q4 · EPA +2.45T.Johnson Jr. rush right for 1 yard gain for a touchdown PENALTY ISU Offside declined
- Week 6 · Air Force · 1st and 9 · Q2 · EPA +2.42T.Johnson Jr. rush middle for 9 yards gain for a touchdown
Where he ranks
Rush yards574tied for 48thAmong 278 backs with 40 or more carries
Yards / carry5.6tied for 71stAmong 278 backs with 40 or more carries
Rush TDs5tied for 56thAmong 278 backs with 40 or more carries
Long run28tied for 196thAmong 278 backs with 40 or more carries
Carries103tied for 56thAmong 278 backs with 40 or more carries
Rec yards45tied for 181stAmong 273 backs with 40 or more carries
Receptions12tied for 66thAmong 273 backs with 40 or more carries
Fumbles lost2tied for 127thAmong 141 backs with 40 or more carries
57th in rushing yards, among all 1,551 FBS players with a rushing row this season, any position
Rushing yards5745th in the Mountain West this season.
Rushing touchdowns5tied for 8th in the Mountain West this season.
Conference ranks count every player in the conference with a row in that stat, any position. Career ranks count current FBS players, from the games in our log.
Opponents faced, by strength
Ratings of the games shown run from -10 to +16 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
98 of 103 carries matched to play-by-play
Success rate
45%98 carriesFumble rate
1.9%2 of 103 carries · 2 lostStuffed
0 or fewer yds18%of carries
18 carries
Grind
1–3 yds31%of carries
30 carries
Chunk
4–9 yds30%of carries
29 carries
Explosive
10+ yds21%of carries
21 carries
10 of 12 (83%) converted on 3rd/4th & short (≤2 to go) · 1 of 4 (25%) scored from inside the 5-yard line
5.6 yds/carry on 103 carries · 21% explosive (10+ yds) · 45% success rate.
Receiving profile
Receiver profile · Targets, catch rate, and throw depth
How often he's targeted, and how well it works
12 of 12 receptions matched to play-by-play
16 of 16 targets charted for true throw depth
Targets
166% of team targetsCatch rate
75%12 of 16 targetsBehind LOS · Negative air yds
50% of targets (8)
88%catch rate
Air -3.5 · YAC 4.3 avg
Short · 0–9 air yds
50% of targets (8)
62%catch rate
Air 3.6 · YAC 4.6 avg
75% catch rate on 16 targets · 6% of the team's targets.
Teams and coaches
2024Northern Illinois8-5HC: Thomas Hammock · Run-leaning
2025Northern Illinois3-9HC: Thomas Hammock · Run-heavy, slow tempo
2026Northern Illinois0-8HC: Rob Harley · Balanced
Our ratings
Splits
Home and road splits, scheme and staff
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home3g | 64.3 | 4.7 | 0.7 |
| Road5g | 76.2 | 6.2 | 0.6 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 73.2 | 5.3 | 0.7 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 67.5 | 6.8 | 0.5 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Rob Harley
Pass share
53.1%
266 pass / 235 run
Plays / game
62.6
8 games
Team sack rate
8.0%
301 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Starter
103 carries and 12 catches in 8 games, about as many touches a game as a typical FBS running back who plays every week.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
62 · #63 of 330 RBs
Three-star recruit. Now #63 at the position.
2026 outlook
In the mix for All-Mountain West
Based on 2025: #8 of 30 Mid-American RBs — his program moves to the Mountain West for 2026
How the All-Mountain West base rate is computed
A base rate for the rank, not a forecast of this player: 35% of returning players who ranked #4–10 at their position in their conference made an all-conference team the next season (95% confidence interval 31–38%). It was measured on players who stayed in the same conference and is not adjusted for the move to the Mountain West.
Starter
The No. 2,609 recruit in the country is carrying the ball in the Mountain West.
Three seasons at Northern Illinois
2026 is in progress.
- 2026 Northern Illinois HarleyYear 3 · 8 games
- 2025 Northern Illinois HammockYear 2 · 12 games
- 2024 Northern Illinois HammockYear 1 · 6 games
- High school HephzibahHephzibah, GA · Class of 2024Three-star, No. 2,609 in the 2024 class. Signed with Northern Illinois.
A stat line in 26 games over three seasons.
2024 6 games
- Signed with Northern IllinoisThree-star, out of Hephzibah
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
2 coaches2024–2025
Northern Illinois
Coaching transition mid-career: Thomas Hammock → Rob Harley. Worth noting in scheme + development context.