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Ismail Mahdi

#21Ismail Mahdi

RB·Arizona·202520231.8 pts line valueDay 3 (Rds 4–7)

Ismail Mahdi is a 2-year Explosive Back for Arizona. Ismail's 2025 season ranks in the 70th percentile nationally by opponent-adjusted EPA per play across 139 plays — a average 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)0.52
    Beats guessing the RB average by 18%. n=4,219 RB seasons
  • EPA per play (efficiency)0.10
    Not projectable — we do not forecast this. n=3,575 RB seasons
  • Total EPA (value)0.41
    Beats 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 Ismail Mahdi'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.

2025 Production

Rushing
853 Rush yards4 Rush TD133 Carries6.4 Yards/carry
Receiving
17 Receptions119 Rec yards1 Rec TD7.0 Yards/rec
Returns
4 Kick returns82 KR yards0 KR TD

Performance Analysis · 2025 · vs RB peers

  • Efficiency70
  • Volume47
  • Explosiveness68
  • Consistency57
  • Receiving42
Player type
Explosive Back

Elite per-carry efficiency — breaks big runs and creates chunk plays at a top rate while in a limited role.

Big-play threatHigh EPA per carryCapitalises on opportunities
Peer percentiles
Opponent-adjusted EPA (WEPA/play)70th %ile · average
Game-to-game consistency57th %ile · average
Key findings
  • Particularly dangerous on passing downs — efficiency spikes in obvious pass situations.
  • Strong second-half surge — EPA/play improved 0.28 from the first to second half of the season.
  • Peak game: 1.44 EPA/play in Wk 10 vs Colorado (SP+ -8).

NIL Market Tier· 2025

On3 valuation ↗
Starter

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.

Historical Comparables · RB · efficiency + volume + value

Players from 2013–2025 matched on EPA efficiency, play volume, and adjusted value tier — not just one metric.

PlayerTeamWEPA/playLine valTotal EPA
Travis EtienneClemson0.4704.7100.1
Saquon BarkleyPenn State0.3403.997.9
Saquon BarkleyPenn State0.4105.298.4
Dalvin CookFlorida State0.3404.399.3
James FlandersTulsa0.3904.9103.7

Comps are statistical — efficiency, volume, and value tier all factor in. Style and conference context differ.

Game Log · box score + EPA, week by week

+1.4401.44Wk 1 vs Hawai'i: +0.18 EPA/play1Wk 2 vs Weber State: +0.39 EPA/play2Wk 3 vs Kansas State: +0.49 EPA/play3Wk 5 vs Iowa State: +0.17 EPA/play5Wk 6 vs Oklahoma State: +0.10 EPA/play6Wk 7 vs BYU: -0.22 EPA/play7Wk 8 vs Houston: +0.03 EPA/play8Wk 10 vs Colorado: +1.44 EPA/play10Wk 11 vs Kansas: +0.35 EPA/play11Wk 12 vs Cincinnati: +0.35 EPA/play12Wk 13 vs Baylor: +0.36 EPA/play13Wk 14 vs Arizona State: -0.20 EPA/play14
EPA per play · x-axis: weekabove 0 = added points · below = lost
WkOpponentResultOpp SP+CarRush YdsAvgRush TDRecRec YdsRec TDEPA/play
1vsHawai'iW40-61.76233.811-300.18
2vsWeber StateW48-39515.7012710.39
3vsKansas StateW23-177.0221898.6023200.49
5@Iowa StateL14-399.913856.503800.17
6vsOklahoma StateW41-13-15.114342.400.10
7vsBYUL27-3315.97213.003100-0.22
8@HoustonL28-317.46427.001500.03
10@ColoradoW52-17-8.338528.311.44
11vsKansasW24-204.17618.700.35
12@CincinnatiW30-244.57486.910.35
13vsBaylorW41-171.414936.6111100.36
14@Arizona StateW23-73.914533.80160-0.20
20vsSMUL19-2413.411686.204230

Usage & Situational · Pro

Snap-share proxy
Overall
16.6%
Passing plays
3.8%
Rushing plays
30.8%
Standard downs
19.4%
Passing downs
10.4%
EPA by down type
Standard downs
0.15
Passing downs
0.31
Pass / Rush EPA
0.15 / 0.18

Usage = share of team plays (CFBD has no true snap counts).

Career · rolling EPA, game by game

Per-game EPA5-game avg
+1.730−0.402025
EPA per play · 2023 — 2025 · 26 games
SeasonTeamLine valueTotal EPA
2023Texas State
2.4
56.8
2025Arizona
1.8
31.2

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.

EPA = expected points added (opponent-adjusted). NIL estimates are model-based ranges, not reported deals. Data: CollegeFootballData. Not betting advice.