Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 34-15vs Boston College | 6 | 31 | 5.2 | 0 | 18 | Season-high 31 yds |
| Wk 2 | W 62-10vs Western Carolina | 5 | 26 | 5.2 | 1 | 9 | |
| Total | 11 | 57 | 5.2 | 1 | 18 |
#13
Zion Johnson
Sophomore running back for Cincinnati. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
5′8″ · 192 lb · Covington, GA · Newton
Returning to Cincinnati for 2026
The numbers
57
rushing yards · 2026
1 TD · 5.2 per carry · 1 catches
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 26 rush yds, 1 TD, 11 rec yds, vs Western Carolina
The play that turned itSwung Cincinnati from 11% to 49% to win.Arizona at Cincinnati · 30-24
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
2 running back for Cincinnati. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Cincinnati in 2025.
- Named All-America (WCFF) in 2021.
- Named All-America (AP) in 2021.
Zion Johnson
He has spent two seasons in the Cincinnati backfield. Two straight seasons of it now: All-America (AP) again in 2021. One game to point at: 31 rush yds against Boston College — Week 1, 2026.
57 RUSH YDS · 1 RUSH TD · 11 CARRIES
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- seasons on the roster
- recognition record
- game log
His career
Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.
2020
- All-ACCthird
2021
- All-Americafirst · 4 selectors
- All-ACC
20254 games
- Signed with Cincinnati3-star out of Newton
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
Cincinnati
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
🎖
ALL-ACC
All-ACC mention (2020)
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2 seasons under Scott Satterfield — 9-6 over that span.
2025Cincinnati7-6HC: Scott Satterfield · Balanced, slow tempo
2026Cincinnati2-0HC: Scott Satterfield · Run-heavy
Where this profile ranks vs the RB cohort
Box-score percentiles
Concern: rush yards (0th percentile).
Box-score rates (7)
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 2 games: 28.5 YDS/g, 5.2 YPC, 0.5 TD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Scott Satterfield
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
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Cincinnati | 11 | 57 | 5.2 | 1 | -- |
| 2025 | Cincinnati | 22 | 106 | 4.8 | 1 | -- |
| Career | 33 | 163 | 4.9 | 2 | -- |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Cincinnati | 1 | 11 | 11.0 | 0 | -- |
| 2025 | Cincinnati | 2 | 21 | 10.5 | 0 | -- |
| Career | 3 | 32 | 10.7 | 0 | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 62–10
Signature plays
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
- Week 2 · Western Carolina · 1&3 · Q2 · EPA +1.46(00:37) No Huddle-Shotgun #13 Z.Johnson rush middle for 3 yards gain to the WCU00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 00:38 #99 S.Rusnak kick attempt good (H: #31 M.Fletcher, LS: #48 E.Stein)
- Week 2 · Western Carolina · 2&15 · Q4 · EPA -0.73(14:33) Shotgun #13 Z.Johnson rush right for 1 yard gain to the WCU47 (#8 R.McKinnis) PENALTY WCU Face Mask (#34 J.Martin-Durham) 15 yards from WCU47 to WCU32, 1ST DOWN
- Week 2 · Western Carolina · 1&10 · Q4 · EPA +0.62(12:41) Shotgun #13 Z.Johnson rush middle for 9 yards gain to the WCU11 (#18 T.Anderson)
- Week 2 · Western Carolina · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA +0.61(01:38) No Huddle-Shotgun #4 J.French IV pass complete short right to #13 Z.Johnson caught at CIN09, for 11 yards to the CIN26 (#8 R.McKinnis), 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · Boston College · 1&10 · Q4 · EPA -0.55Shotgun #13 Z.Johnson rush middle for 2 yards gain to the CIN32 (#1 A.Palano)
- Week 1 · Boston College · 2&8 · Q4 · EPA -0.40Shotgun #13 Z.Johnson rush middle for 2 yards gain to the CIN34 (#90 K.Sampson)
- Week 1 · Boston College · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA +0.32No Huddle-Shotgun #13 Z.Johnson rush middle for 18 yards gain to the BCE14 (#2 K.Price), 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · Boston College · 1&10 · Q4 · EPA -0.32Shotgun #13 Z.Johnson rush middle for 1 yard gain to the CIN13 (#17 D.Green; #13 D.Ballard)
- Week 2 · Western Carolina · 1&23 · Q2 · EPA +0.13(01:22) No Huddle-Shotgun #13 Z.Johnson rush middle for 8 yards gain to the CIN21 (#31 A.Reese; #8 R.McKinnis)
- Week 2 · Western Carolina · 1&10 · Q4 · EPA +0.08(14:17) Shotgun #13 Z.Johnson rush left for 5 yards gain to the WCU27 (#27 J.Douglas; #4 A.Jackson Jr.)
Game log
How he plays
2026 Outlook
Cincinnati
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Running back · Cincinnati
Returning around him
- 8% of 2024 offensive production back (Heavy turnover)
- 4 Cincinnati players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: +0 net (23 in / 23 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Cincinnati · Last season: 7-6 (AP #22) · Talent rank #77 · 2026 recruiting class #58
The backfield · Cincinnati
- #7Zylan Perry689 rushing yards · 2025
- #3Cole Tabb445 rushing yards · 2025
- #13Zion Johnson106 rushing yards · 2025
- #6Gi'Bran Payne53 rushing yards · 2025
- #25James Lewis1 game · 2026
2 more on the roster · Cincinnati team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology