Running back, Ohio State (from West Virginia), 2022–25
C.J. Donaldson
- Number
- No. 12
- Height
- 6′2″
- Weight
- 232 lb
- Class (2025)
- Senior
- Hometown
- Miami, FL
- Born
- Jul 9, 2004
Wikipedia readers: about 2,205 a month over the past year
C.J. Donaldson played running back at West Virginia (2022–24) and Ohio State (2025).
Career highs
125rushing yards, career hightwice; last vs. UAlbany, 20243rushing touchdowns, career highvs. Towson, 20227catches, career highat Texas Tech, 2024Rushing
| Season | Team | Car | Yds | Avg | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | West Virginia | 87 | 526 | 6.0 | 8 | 82 |
| 2023 | West Virginia | 171 | 798 | 4.7 | 11 | 32 |
| 2024 | West Virginia | 163 | 734 | 4.5 | 11 | 48 |
| 2025 | Ohio State | 96 | 361 | 3.8 | 10 | 27 |
| Career | 517 | 2,419 | 4.7 | 40 | 82 | |
Receiving
| Season | Team | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | West Virginia | 10 | 17 | 1.7 | 0 | 9 |
| 2023 | West Virginia | 9 | 59 | 6.6 | 0 | 18 |
| 2024 | West Virginia | 14 | 104 | 7.4 | 1 | 15 |
| 2025 | Ohio State | 15 | 96 | 6.4 | 1 | 14 |
| Career | 48 | 276 | 5.8 | 2 | 18 | |
Season lines from CollegeFootballData, regular season and bowls.
On the roster
| Season | Team | No. | Pos | Class | Ht | Wt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | West Virginia | 12 | RB | Fr. | ||
| 2023 | West Virginia | 12 | RB | So. | ||
| 2024 | West Virginia | 12 | RB | Jr. | ||
| 2025 | Ohio State | 12 | RB | Sr. | 6′2″ | 232 |
As each season’s roster listed the player (CollegeFootballData). Classes before the latest listing are counted back from it; “Yr 1” is the year on file where that count can’t place a season he played (a redshirt, transfer or 2020 year); height and weight as last listed.
Per play
| Season | Team | Plays | EPA/play | Pctile | Median | Total | Usage | Adj. rush |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | West Virginia | 95 | 0.26 | 82nd (n=470) | 0.14 | 24.5 | 18% | 0.24 |
| 2023 | West Virginia | 174 | 0.30 | 84th (n=450) | 0.17 | 52.4 | 21% | 0.36 |
| 2024 | West Virginia | 173 | 0.22 | 70th (n=434) | 0.16 | 38.3 | 19% | 0.25 |
| 2025 | Ohio State | 109 | 0.26 | 91st (n=576) | 0.10 | 28.2 | 13% | 0.31 |
Expected points added: how much the player’s plays moved the team’s expected score, per play and in total. Plays: total EPA divided by EPA per play, the plays the source credits to him (for a receiver roughly his catches and runs, not every target; for a passer, not every attempt), so it can differ from attempts plus carries. Percentile: against the position’s regulars that season across all divisions on file (quarterbacks with 150+ plays, backs 60+, receivers and tight ends 30+), with how many there were (n) and their median; a dash means too few plays to rank. A season in progress uses the full-season bar scaled by games played, never below 75 plays for quarterbacks, 30 for backs and 20 for receivers. The cohort grows or shrinks with the source’s coverage each season (2025 lists far more players), so compare percentiles rather than raw EPA across years. FCS seasons are marked. Usage: the share of the team’s plays the player was part of (shown from 20 plays). Adjusted pass and rush: EPA per play adjusted for the defenses faced (CollegeFootballData’s WEPA). From CollegeFootballData, 2013 on.
Rushing detail
| Season | Team | Success | Line yards | Second level | Open field | Stuffed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Ohio State | 55% | 3.00 | 0.70 | 0.30 | 13% |
Where his yards came from, per carry: line yards are the ones credited to the blockers (the first few, and losses), second level the yards 5 to 10 past the line, open field those beyond 10. Success: carries that kept the offense on schedule. Stuffed: carries stopped at or behind the line. From CollegeFootballData, FBS games, 2025 on.
Game by game
2025 Ohio State 13 games, 361 rushing yards, 10 TD
| Date | Opponent | Result | Car | Yds | TD | Long | Rec | Rec yds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 30 | vs. | W 14–7 | 19 | 67 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 9 |
| Sep 6 | vs. | W 70–0 | 5 | 45 | 1 | 27 | – | – |
| Sep 13 | vs. | W 37–9 | 9 | 39 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 13 |
| Sep 27 | at | W 24–6 | 9 | 39 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 4 |
| Oct 4 | vs. | W 42–3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | – | – |
| Oct 11 | at | W 34–16 | 13 | 44 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 4 |
| Oct 18 | at | W 34–0 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 13 | 3 | 26 |
| Nov 1 | vs. | W 38–14 | 7 | 17 | 1 | 5 | – | – |
| Nov 8 | at | W 34–10 | 5 | 12 | 2 | 4 | – | – |
| Nov 22 | vs. | W 42–9 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 5 | – | – |
| Nov 29 | at | W 27–9 | 14 | 44 | 0 | 8 | – | – |
| Dec 6 | vs. | L 10–13 | – | – | – | – | 2 | 9 |
| Dec 31 ✦ | vs. | L 14–24 | 7 | 31 | 0 | 12 | 5 | 31 |
2024 West Virginia 13 games, 734 rushing yards, 11 TD
| Date | Opponent | Result | Car | Yds | TD | Long | Rec | Rec yds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 31 | vs. | L 12–34 | 12 | 42 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 6 |
| Sep 7 | vs. | W 49–14 | 14 | 125 | 1 | 48 | – | – |
| Sep 14 | at | L 34–38 | 19 | 79 | 1 | 14 | 1 | 10 |
| Sep 21 | vs. | W 32–28 | 6 | 38 | 0 | 27 | – | – |
| Oct 5 | at | W 38–14 | 20 | 77 | 2 | 20 | – | – |
| Oct 12 | vs. | L 16–28 | 9 | 17 | 0 | 6 | – | – |
| Oct 19 | vs. | L 18–45 | 12 | 34 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| Oct 26 | at | W 31–26 | 8 | 41 | 1 | 20 | 1 | 3 |
| Nov 9 | at | W 31–24 | 4 | 12 | 0 | 5 | – | – |
| Nov 16 | vs. | L 35–49 | 9 | 60 | 1 | 23 | 1 | 1 |
| Nov 23 | vs. | W 31–21 | 19 | 96 | 2 | 31 | – | – |
| Nov 30 | at | L 15–52 | 9 | 30 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 73 |
| Dec 17 ✦ | vs. | L 37–42 | 22 | 83 | 2 | 13 | 2 | 11 |
2023 West Virginia 12 games, 798 rushing yards, 11 TD
| Date | Opponent | Result | Car | Yds | TD | Long | Rec | Rec yds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2 | at | L 15–38 | 18 | 81 | 1 | 17 | 1 | 3 |
| Sep 9 | vs. | W 56–17 | 13 | 56 | 0 | 14 | – | – |
| Sep 16 | vs. | W 17–6 | 18 | 102 | 1 | 17 | – | – |
| Sep 23 | vs. | W 20–13 | 15 | 48 | 1 | 15 | 2 | 11 |
| Sep 30 | at | W 24–21 | 22 | 61 | 1 | 9 | – | – |
| Oct 12 | at | L 39–41 | 17 | 66 | 1 | 17 | 2 | 25 |
| Oct 21 | vs. | L 34–48 | 13 | 39 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 11 |
| Oct 28 | at | W 41–28 | 17 | 121 | 1 | 32 | 1 | 9 |
| Nov 4 | vs. | W 37–7 | 14 | 102 | 2 | 23 | – | – |
| Nov 11 | at | L 20–59 | 14 | 79 | 1 | 14 | 1 | 0 |
| Nov 18 | vs. | W 42–21 | 5 | 20 | 1 | 13 | – | – |
| Nov 25 | at | W 34–31 | 5 | 23 | 0 | 7 | – | – |
2022 West Virginia 7 games, 526 rushing yards, 8 TD
| Date | Opponent | Result | Car | Yds | TD | Long | Rec | Rec yds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1 | at | L 31–38 | 7 | 125 | 1 | 44 | – | – |
| Sep 10 | vs. | L 42–55 | 13 | 48 | 2 | 10 | 3 | 0 |
| Sep 17 | vs. | W 65–7 | 9 | 101 | 3 | 82 | – | – |
| Sep 22 | at | W 33–10 | 23 | 106 | 0 | 18 | 3 | 6 |
| Oct 1 | at | L 20–38 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Oct 22 | at | L 10–48 | 12 | 33 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 7 |
| Oct 29 | vs. | L 31–41 | 19 | 104 | 2 | 38 | 1 | 0 |
Box scores from CollegeFootballData, 2004 on. ✦ postseason; ★ a career high on file.
Before the draft
| Drill | Combine 2026 | Combine or pro day 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Height | 6′1⅝″ | |
| Weight | 230 lb | |
| Arm length | 31¾″ | |
| Hand size | 9½″ | |
| Wingspan | 79¼″ | |
| 40-yard dash | 4.63 sW | |
| 10-yard split | 1.63 sW | |
| Vertical jump | 36½″W | |
| Broad jump | 10′0″W | |
| Bench press | 14 repsW | |
| 3-cone drill | 7.22 sW | |
| 20-yard shuttle | 4.53 sW |
Combine or pro day: the source doesn’t say which. Unmarked: Combine and pro day results compiled by array-carpenter (nfl-draft-data); W: Pre-draft measurables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
In the NFL
1 season, 5 games with a stat; latest team: New Orleans Saints.
| Season | Team | G | Car | Yds | TD | Rec | Rec yds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | New Orleans Saints | 5 | 11 | 42 | 0 | 4 | 10 |
Regular seasons, from nflverse (CC BY 4.0). G counts games in which the player recorded a stat.
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