Jalen Buckley is a Featured Back for Western Michigan. Jalen's 2023 season ranks in the 70th percentile nationally by opponent-adjusted EPA per play across 201 plays — a average rate for the RB.
The centerpiece of the run game — high carry volume, used in early downs and goal-line, true workhorse role.
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.
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 | 2016 | 288 | 0.340 | 3.9 | 97.9 |
| Saquon Barkley | Penn State | 2017 | 240 | 0.410 | 5.2 | 98.4 |
| James Flanders | Tulsa | 2016 | 266 | 0.390 | 4.9 | 103.7 |
| Nick Wilson | Arizona | 2014 | 250 | 0.410 | 5.2 | 102.5 |
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 | vsSt. Francis (PA) | W35-17 | — | 30 | 194 | 6.5 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0.34 |
| 2 | @Syracuse | L7-48 | -4.4 | 8 | 87 | 10.9 | 1 | — | — | — | 0.41 |
| 3 | @Iowa | L10-41 | 5.8 | 14 |
Usage = share of team plays (CFBD has no true snap counts).
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 18 · Rush Yds 85 · Avg 4.7 · Rush TD 1
| 30 |
| 2.1 |
| 0 |
| — |
| — |
| — |
| -0.18 |
| 4 | @Toledo | L31-49 | 3.7 | 29 | 190 | 6.6 | 2 | — | — | — | 0.32 |
| 5 | vsBall State | W42-24 | -14.9 | 13 | 50 | 3.8 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 0.11 |
| 7 | vsMiami (OH) | L21-34 | 2.8 | 14 | 61 | 4.4 | 0 | 4 | 47 | 0 | 0.16 |
| 8 | @Ohio | L17-20 | -1.6 | 6 | 19 | 3.2 | 0 | 4 | 59 | 0 | 0.42 |
| 9 | @Eastern Michigan | W45-21 | -12.3 | 25 | 138 | 5.5 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0.31 |
| 11 | vsCentral Michigan | W38-28 | -19.1 | 23 | 117 | 5.1 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 0.23 |
| 12 | @Northern Illinois | L0-24 | -7.5 | 9 | 26 | 2.9 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | -0.20 |
| 13 | vsBowling Green | L10-34 | -7.8 | 18 | 85 | 4.7 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 0 | 0.31 |