TJ Harden is a running back who has not played this season; the last season with a stat line was 2025, at SMU.
Harden just keeps getting the ball, series after series. Played for three head coaches across four seasons and two programs. First career honor, 2025: ACC Running Back Player of the Week. On tape: 130 rushing yards and 1 reception against Boston College, Week 11, 2025.
Play style
Built to take 20+ carries per game. Volume is the value.
Closer · Q4-with-lead carry share
The closer
44.1% of carries overall (164/372) → 36.5% of Q4-with-lead carries (27/74) — 55.6% of those in competitive (≤16-pt) games.
Counted from the play-by-play, so a carry or two can differ from the box score.
Short-yardage / goal-line · enumeration
Who gets the tough yard
19 of 22 on 3rd/4th-and-2-or-less (86.4%). 9 of the team's 15 inside-the-5 carries (60.0%).
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
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Game log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 13 games
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| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 42-13vs East Texas A&M | 8 | 42 | 5.3 | 0 | 11 | |
| Wk 2 | L 45-48vs Baylor | 19 | 115 | 6.1 | 3 | 40 | 3 rushing TDs |
| Wk 3 | W 28-10@ Missouri State | 15 | 96 | 6.4 | 2 | 37 | |
| Wk 4 | L 24-35@ TCU | 15 | 56 | 3.7 | 0 | 12 | |
| Wk 6 | W 31-18vs Syracuse | 16 | 67 | 4.2 | 0 | 22 | |
| Wk 7 | W 34-10vs Stanford | 12 | 39 | 3.3 | 0 | 7 | |
| Wk 8 | W 35-24@ Clemson | 11 | 16 | 1.5 | 0 | 4 | |
| Wk 9 | L 12-13@ Wake Forest | 13 | 25 | 1.9 | 0 | 6 | |
| Wk 10 | W 26-20vs No. 10 Miami | 8 | 27 | 3.4 | 1 | 7 | |
| Wk 11 | W 45-13@ Boston College | 16 | 130 | 8.1 | 0 | 53 | Season-high 130 yds |
| Wk 13 | W 38-6vs Louisville | 18 | 90 | 5.0 | 0 | 23 | |
| Wk 14 | L 35-38@ California | 10 | 44 | 4.4 | 1 | 14 | |
 Bowl | W 24-19vs No. 21 Arizona | 10 | 40 | 4.0 | 2 | 13 | |
| Total | 171 | 787 | 4.6 | 9 | 53 |
Week 13 · 2025
W 38-6
vs Louisville
90 rush yds (18 car)
Dominant 32-point win at home against Louisville.
With K. Jennings — 303 yds · 3 TD · 0 INT · QBR 93.9 · W. McSparron — 37.3 yards per punt · 3 punts · 2 inside the 20
The plays that mattered most
Rush profile · Shape, efficiency, and ball security
How he gets his yards, and how often it works
Success rate
44%153 carriesFumble rate
0.6%1 of 171 carriesStuffed
0 or fewer ydsGrind
1–3 ydsChunk
4–9 ydsExplosive
10+ yds4.6 yds/carry on 171 carries · 11% explosive (10+ yds) · 44% success rate.
Receiver profile · Targets, catch rate, and throw depth
How often he's targeted, and how well it works
Targets
236% of team targetsCatch rate
87%20 of 23 targetsBehind LOS · Negative air yds
Short · 0–9 air yds
87% catch rate on 23 targets · 6% of the team's targets.
Situational · Carry shape (PBP, full season)
Yardage DNA
Stuffed (≤0)
Grind (1–3)
Chunk (4–9)
Explosive (10+)
Splits · Per-game
2025 season · 13 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home6g | 63.3 | 4.5 | 0.7 |
| Road6g | 61.2 | 4.3 | 0.5 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 65.0 | 4.7 | 1.0 |
| Weeks 8+6g | 55.3 | 4.0 | 0.3 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Rhett Lashlee
Pass share
53.7%
460 pass / 396 run
Plays / game
65.8
13 games
Team sack rate
3.9%
466 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Player standing · 2025
171 carries and 19 catches in 13 games, more touches a game than most FBS running backs who play every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #81 at the position.
Played for two programs.
The role got bigger.
Coaching lineage · 2022–2025
3 coachesPlayed for 3 head coaches at 2 schools: Chip Kelly, Deshaun Foster and Rhett Lashlee.
In the portal · 2026
In transfer portal
