Jay Ajayi in the NFL
In the NFL. Photo: Benjamin Sutton, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Running back, Boise State, 2011–⁠14

Jay Ajayi

Number
No. 27
Height
6′0″
Hometown
Plano, TX
Born
Jun 15, 1993, in London

Wikipedia readers: about 6,677 a month over the past year

Jay Ajayi played running back at Boise State (2011–⁠14). The Miami Dolphins took Ajayi in round 5, No. 149 overall in the 2015 NFL Draft.

At a glance

Best season
1,823
Rushing yards, 2014 (Boise State, 12–⁠2)
Best game
229 yards
Vs. Utah State, week 14, 2014: No. 1 rushing game in FBS that week
Drafted
No. 149
Round 5, 2015 NFL Draft (Miami Dolphins)

Career highs

229rushing yards, career highvs. Utah State, 20145rushing touchdowns, career highvs. Utah State, 201412catches, career highvs. Ole Miss, 2014105receiving yards, career highvs. New Mexico, 2013

Team titles: Mountain West champions, 2012 and 2014

Rushing

Rushing yards, season by season, with his team’s record
SeasonTeamCarYdsAvgTDLong
2012Boise State825486.7471
2013Boise State2491,4255.71871
2014Boise State3471,8235.32874
Career6783,7965.65074

Receiving

SeasonTeamRecYdsAvgTDLong
2012Boise State11414.0014
2013Boise State2222210.1164
2014Boise State5053510.7475
Career7377110.6575

Season lines from CollegeFootballData, regular season and bowls.

On the roster

SeasonTeamNo.PosHt
2011Boise State27RB
2012Boise State27RB
2013Boise State27RB
2014Boise State27RB6′0″

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
2013Boise State2420.1058th (n=226)0.0723.025%0.05
2014Boise State4020.2890th (n=253)0.12110.837%0.37

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.

Game by game

2014 Boise State 14 games, 1,823 rushing yards, 28 TD
DateOpponentResultCarYdsTDLongRecRec yds
Aug 28vs.Ole MissL 13–⁠3520860261293
Sep 6vs.Colorado StateW 37–⁠2433219236461
Sep 13atUConnW 38–⁠21183909213
Sep 20vs.LouisianaW 34–⁠927150326537
Sep 27atAir ForceL 14–⁠281763015558
Oct 4atNevadaW 51–⁠4627152374318
Oct 17vs.Fresno StateW 37–⁠2730158254437
Oct 24vs.BYUW 55–⁠3026118223226
Nov 8atNew MexicoW 60–⁠4931161219175
Nov 15vs.San Diego StateW 38–⁠2931134328425
Nov 22atWyomingW 63–⁠1416110220292
Nov 29vs.Utah StateW 50–⁠192722956211
Dec 6vs.Fresno StateW 28–⁠142270110––
Dec 31 ✦vs.ArizonaW 38–⁠30221343565−1
2013 Boise State 13 games, 1,425 rushing yards, 18 TD
DateOpponentResultCarYdsTDLongRecRec yds
Aug 31atWashingtonL 6–⁠38239301811
Sep 7vs.UT MartinW 63–⁠141580213––
Sep 13vs.Air ForceW 42–⁠2017125435––
Sep 20atFresno StateL 40–⁠41205419––
Sep 28vs.Southern MissW 60–⁠71483122––
Oct 12atUtah StateW 34–⁠232210911918
Oct 19vs.NevadaW 34–⁠172422237139
Oct 25atBYUL 20–⁠372315106138
Nov 2atColorado StateW 42–⁠301391030––
Nov 16vs.WyomingW 48–⁠7117032223
Nov 23atSan Diego StateL 31–⁠3422103131255
Nov 30vs.New MexicoW 45–⁠17221471574105
Dec 24 ✦vs.Oregon StateL 23–⁠382397117633
2012 Boise State 11 games, 548 rushing yards, 4 TD
DateOpponentResultCarYdsTDLongRecRec yds
Sep 20vs.BYUW 7–⁠61202––
Sep 29atNew MexicoW 32–⁠296118171––
Oct 6atSouthern MissW 40–⁠14940012––
Oct 13vs.Fresno StateW 20–⁠101591023––
Oct 20vs.UNLVW 32–⁠7837113––
Oct 27atWyomingW 45–⁠14849121––
Nov 3vs.San Diego StateL 19–⁠21632018––
Nov 10atHawai’iW 49–⁠14854113––
Nov 17vs.Colorado StateW 42–⁠14867024114
Dec 1atNevadaW 27–⁠21951019––
Dec 22 ✦vs.WashingtonW 28–⁠264704––

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

Before the draft

DrillCombine 2015
Height5′11¾″
Weight221 lb
Arm length32″
Hand size10″
Wingspan77⅛″W
40-yard dash4.57 s
10-yard split1.59 sW
Vertical jump39″
Broad jump10′1″
Bench press19 reps
3-cone drill7.10 s
20-yard shuttle4.10 s

Unmarked: Combine and pro day results compiled by array-carpenter (nfl-draft-data); W: Pre-draft measurables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

In the NFL

5 seasons, 45 games with a stat; latest team: Philadelphia Eagles.

Pro Bowl: 2016

SeasonTeamGCarYdsTDRecRec yds
2015Miami Dolphins9491871790
2016Miami Dolphins152601,272827151
2017Philadelphia Eagles14208873124158
2018Philadelphia Eagles4451843520
2019Philadelphia Eagles31030000
NFL career455722,5461363419

Regular seasons, from nflverse (CC BY 4.0), matched to him by his draft pick and college (Player ids: DynastyProcess (GPL-3.0)). G counts games in which the player recorded a stat. Pro Bowls and All-Pro teams by NFL season: rosters and honors, Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

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