Running back, UCF (from Louisville), 2024–⁠26

Duke Watson

Number
No. 26
Height
5′11″
Weight
185 lb
Class (2026)
Junior
Hometown
Forsyth, GA

Duke Watson plays running back for UCF, after Louisville (2024–⁠25). Last time out, at Oklahoma State: 21 carries, 79 yards. Watson leads UCF in rushing touchdowns and rushing yards this season.

2026 so far

483 rushing yards, 3 TD

Last game: 21 carries, 79 yards at Oklahoma State, L 28–⁠42

Next game: vs. BYU, Oct 24

Game by game this season, rushing yards
  1. 110BCU
  2. 10@PITT
  3. 177GAST
  4. 57TCU
  5. 50@HOU
  6. 79@OKST

Filled bars: wins; outlined: losses.

Career highs

177rushing yards, career highvs. Georgia State, 20263rushing touchdowns, career highat Stanford, 2024

Rushing

Rushing yards, season by season, with his team’s record

* The season in progress, so far.

SeasonTeamCarYdsAvgTDLong
2024Louisville675978.9768
2025Louisville491583.2115
2026UCF704836.9364
Career1861,2386.71168

Receiving

SeasonTeamRecYdsAvgTDLong
2024Louisville56012.0131
2025Louisville6498.2130
2026UCF671.208
Career171166.8231

Season lines from CollegeFootballData, regular season and bowls.

On the roster

SeasonTeamNo.PosClassHtWt
2024Louisville26RBFr.
2025Louisville26RBSo.
2026UCF26RBJr.5′11″185

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

SeasonTeamPlaysEPA/playPctileMedianTotalUsageAdj. rush
2024Louisville710.4999th (n=434)0.1634.79%0.36
2025Louisville57-0.07––-4.012%0.06
2026UCF750.1356th (n=478)0.109.720%0.24

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

SeasonTeamSuccessLine yardsSecond levelOpen fieldStuffed
2025Louisville41%2.500.800.1022%
2026UCF42%3.301.302.5015%

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

2026 UCF 6 games, 483 rushing yards, 3 TD
DateOpponentResultCarYdsTDLongRecRec yds
Sep 3vs.Bethune-CookmanW 73–⁠67110164––
Sep 12atPittsburghL 7–⁠126100837
Sep 19vs.Georgia StateW 44–⁠30141772631−1
Sep 26vs.TCUW 21–⁠13135701412
Oct 3atHoustonL 17–⁠279500371−1
Oct 10atOklahoma StateL 28–⁠422179013––
2025 Louisville 7 games, 158 rushing yards, 1 TD
DateOpponentResultCarYdsTDLongRecRec yds
Aug 30vs.Eastern KentuckyW 51–⁠172202130
Sep 5vs.James MadisonW 28–⁠1471308––
Sep 27atPittsburghW 34–⁠27144701513
Oct 4vs.VirginiaL 27–⁠30120216
Nov 8vs.CaliforniaL 26–⁠2981919––
Nov 14vs.ClemsonL 19–⁠20113901024
Nov 22atSMUL 6–⁠3863601016
2024 Louisville 12 games, 597 rushing yards, 7 TD
DateOpponentResultCarYdsTDLongRecRec yds
Aug 31vs.Austin PeayW 62–⁠0686158––
Sep 7vs.Jacksonville StateW 49–⁠14451140––
Sep 21vs.Georgia TechW 31–⁠192404––
Sep 28atNotre DameL 24–⁠311303––
Oct 12atVirginiaW 24–⁠2072508––
Oct 19vs.MiamiL 45–⁠5233902614
Oct 25atBoston CollegeW 31–⁠2741406––
Nov 2atClemsonW 33–⁠212201131
Nov 16atStanfordL 35–⁠3811117368––
Nov 23vs.PittsburghW 37–⁠91169022116
Nov 30atKentuckyW 41–⁠14610425818
Dec 31 ✦vs.WashingtonW 35–⁠34108305411

Box scores from CollegeFootballData, 2004 on. ✦ postseason; ★ a career high on file.

Is this you, or do you know of something wrong or missing here? Suggest a correction. We check each one against a source before changing the page.