J.K. Dobbins is a 2-year Explosive Back for Ohio State. J.K.'s 2017 season ranks in the 65th percentile nationally by opponent-adjusted EPA per play across 193 plays — a average rate for the RB. A four-star recruit in the class of 2017, J.K. has shown flashes of the talent that made him a coveted recruit.
Recruiting data from CFBD/247Sports composite. Sourced from the player's signing-class team — transfers show original school's class.
Elite per-carry efficiency — breaks big runs and creates chunk plays at a top rate while in a limited role.
Players from 2014–2024 matched on EPA efficiency, play volume, and adjusted value tier — not just one metric.
| Player | Team | Yr | Plays | WEPA/play | Line val | Total EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travis Etienne | Clemson | 2019 | 213 | 0.470 | 4.7 | 100.1 |
| Saquon Barkley | Penn State | 2017 | 240 | 0.410 | 5.2 | 98.4 |
| Clyde Edwards-Helaire | LSU | 2019 | 216 | 0.490 | 5.0 | 105.8 |
| Nick Wilson | Arizona | 2014 | 250 | 0.410 | 5.2 | 102.5 |
| James Flanders | Tulsa | 2016 | 266 | 0.390 | 4.9 | 103.7 |
Comps are statistical — efficiency, volume, and value tier all factor in. Style and conference context differ.
| Wk | Opponent | Result | Opp SP+ | Car | Rush Yds | Avg | Rush TD | Rec | Rec Yds | Rec TD | EPA/play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | @Indiana | W49-21 | 10.2 | 29 | 181 | 6.2 | 0 | 2 | 24 | 0 | 0.21 |
| 2 | vsOklahoma | L16-31 | 25.5 | 13 | 72 | 5.5 |
Usage = share of team plays (CFBD has no true snap counts).
| Season | Team | Line value | WEPA/play | YoY Δ | Total EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Ohio State | 3.3 | 0.360 | — | 72.0 |
| 2019 | Ohio State | 8.4 | 0.510 | +0.15 | 162.2 |
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.
Car 13 · Rush Yds 39 · Avg 3.0 · Rush TD 0
| 1 |
| 1 |
| -1 |
| 0 |
| 0.10 |
| 3 | vsArmy | W38-7 | -5.3 | 13 | 172 | 13.2 | 2 | — | — | — | 1.17 |
| 4 | vsUNLV | W54-21 | -14.5 | 14 | 95 | 6.8 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.45 |
| 5 | @Rutgers | W56-0 | -5.5 | 6 | 53 | 8.8 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.02 |
| 6 | vsMaryland | W62-14 | -4.5 | 13 | 96 | 7.4 | 1 | — | — | — | 0.16 |
| 7 | @Nebraska | W56-14 | 2.5 | 12 | 106 | 8.8 | 1 | 4 | 42 | 0 | 0.62 |
| 9 | vsPenn State | W39-38 | 26.0 | 13 | 88 | 6.8 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 | 0.20 |
| 10 | @Iowa | L24-55 | 9.8 | 6 | 51 | 8.5 | 0 | 5 | 25 | 0 | 0.13 |
| 11 | vsMichigan State | W48-3 | 13.8 | 18 | 124 | 6.9 | 0 | 4 | 20 | 1 | 0.26 |
| 12 | vsIllinois | W52-14 | -7.4 | 12 | 51 | 4.3 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 0.39 |
| 13 | @Michigan | W31-20 | 19.6 | 15 | 101 | 6.7 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0.20 |
| 14 | vsWisconsin | W27-21 | 26.8 | 17 | 174 | 10.2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0.39 |
| 1 | vsUSC | W24-7 | 17.9 | 13 | 39 | 3.0 | 0 | — | — | — | -0.23 |