#8Markell Jones

RB·Purdue·20152.6 pts line valueDay 3 (Rds 4–7)

Markell Jones is a Committee Back for Purdue. Markell's 2015 season ranks in the 43th percentile nationally by opponent-adjusted EPA per play across 210 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)0.52
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 Markell Jones'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.

Recruiting Profile· Class of 2015

★★★★★

3-Star · Developmental

Stars: ★★★★★
247 composite: 0.8358
National rank: #1,306
High school: Columbus East
Hometown: Columbus, IN

Recruiting data from CFBD/247Sports composite. Sourced from the player's signing-class team — transfers show original school's class.

2015 Production

Rushing

875 Rush yards10 Rush TD168 Carries5.2 Yards/carry

Receiving

34 Receptions239 Rec yards1 Rec TD7.0 Yards/rec

Performance Analysis · 2015 · vs RB peers

Efficiency43
Volume66
Explosiveness44
Consistency40
Receiving65

Player type

Committee Back

Part of a rotation — contributes in a complementary role and keeps the featured back fresh.

Rotational roleSituational use

Peer percentiles

Opponent-adjusted EPA (WEPA/play)43th %ile · below avg

Game-to-game consistency40th %ile · below avg

Key findings

▸Particularly dangerous on passing downs — efficiency spikes in obvious pass situations.
▸Peak game: 0.61 EPA/play in Wk 3 vs Virginia Tech (SP+ 11).

Historical Comparables · RB · efficiency + volume + value

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

Player	Team	Yr	Plays	WEPA/play	Line val	Total EPA
Saquon Barkley	Penn State	2016	288	0.340	3.9	97.9
Dalvin Cook	Florida State	2016	292	0.340	4.3	99.3
James Flanders	Tulsa	2016	266	0.390	4.9	103.7
Travis Etienne	Clemson	2019	213	0.470	4.7	100.1
Hassan Haskins	Michigan	2021	280	0.380	4.8	106.4

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

Game Log · box score + EPA, week by week

EPA per play · x-axis: weekabove 0 = added points · below = lost

Wk	Opponent	Result	Opp SP+	Car	Rush Yds	Avg	Rush TD	Rec	Rec Yds	Rec TD	EPA/play
1	@Marshall	L31-41	3.5	12	72	6.0	1	—	—	—	0.17
2	vsIndiana State	W38-14	—	14	67	4.8	1	4	32	1	0.38
3	vsVirginia Tech	L24-51	11.4	6	90	15.0	1	1	1	0	0.61
4	vsBowling Green	L28-35	7.5	6	19	3.2	0	4	23	0	-0.12
5	@Michigan State	L21-24	15.6	22	157	7.1	2	1	2	0	0.19
6	vsMinnesota	L13-41	8.1	6	7	1.2	0	—	—	—	-0.32
7	@Wisconsin	L7-24	15.1	12	46	3.8	0	3	29	0	-0.11
9	vsNebraska	W55-45	11.1	23	92	4.0	2	5	51	0	0.25
10	vsIllinois	L14-48	2.7	14	84	6.0	0	5	13	0	0.02
11	@Northwestern	L14-21	0.2	13	58	4.5	1	5	68	0	0.56
12	@Iowa	L20-40	9.3	24	87	3.6	1	2	8	0	-0.01
13	vsIndiana	L36-54	0.4	16	96	6.0	1	4	12	0	-0.01

Usage & Situational · Pro

Snap-share proxy

Overall

23.1%

Passing plays

8.3%

Rushing plays

43.4%

Standard downs

27.6%

Passing downs

14.5%

EPA by down type

Standard downs: 0.08
Passing downs: 0.41
Pass / Rush EPA: 0.23 / 0.13

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

Career · rolling EPA, game by game

Per-game EPA5-game avg

EPA per play · 2015 · 12 games

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.