#1Eli Sanders
Eli Sanders is a Committee Back for Iowa State. Eli's 2023 season ranks in the 0th percentile nationally by opponent-adjusted EPA per play across 104 plays — a developing rate for the RB.
What projects, and what doesn't · RBs · held out 2019-2025
How well one season predicts the next, measured on seasons the model never trained on. 1.00 would be perfectly predictable; 0.00 means last year told us nothing.
- Usage share (volume)0.52Beats guessing the RB average by 18%. n=4,219 RB seasons
- EPA per play (efficiency)0.10Not projectable — we do not forecast this. n=3,575 RB seasons
- Total EPA (value)0.41Beats guessing the RB average by 9%. n=3,575 RB seasons
Across all positions, usage carries year to year at 0.47 and efficiency at 0.07. So Eli Sanders's projection is a projection of opportunity — how much of the offense he runs through. How well he converts it is something this model does not claim to know a year in advance, and the number above is why.
2023 Production
Performance Analysis · 2023 · vs RB peers
- Efficiency0
- Volume56
- Explosiveness34
- Consistency0
- Receiving18
Part of a rotation — contributes in a complementary role and keeps the featured back fresh.
- ▸Below-average efficiency vs RB peers — value comes through volume, not per-play impact.
- ▸High game-to-game variance — boom-or-bust profile.
- ▸Strong second-half surge — EPA/play improved 0.10 from the first to second half of the season.
- ▸Peak game: 0.36 EPA/play in Wk 9 vs Baylor (SP+ -8).
NIL Market Tier· 2023
On3 valuation ↗Meaningful starter. Local collective + position-group deals.
Tier is a model estimate based on position, school brand, performance rank, and usage — not a reported deal. NIL deals are private. For a real market valuation, see On3's NIL profile, which factors in social following and actual deal tracking.
Game Log · box score + EPA, week by week
Usage & Situational · Pro
- Standard downs
- 0.07
- Passing downs
- 0.11
- Pass / Rush EPA
- 0.95 / 0.03
Usage = share of team plays (CFBD has no true snap counts).
Career · rolling EPA, game by game
Chart shows per-game EPA (bars) and rolling 5-game average (line). Season breaks marked with dashed lines. Line value = est. points over replacement per game.