Kaelon Black with the San Francisco 49ers, 2026
With the San Francisco 49ers, 2026. Photo: Bobak Ha’Eri, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Running back, Indiana (from James Madison), 2020–⁠25

Kaelon Black

Number
No. 8
Height
5′10″
Weight
210 lb
Class (2025)
Senior
Hometown
Virginia Beach, VA
Born
Oct 17, 2001

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Kaelon Black played running back at James Madison (2020–⁠23) and Indiana (2024–⁠25). The San Francisco 49ers took Black in round 3, No. 90 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft.

At a glance

Best season
1,039
Rushing yards, 2025 (Indiana, 16–⁠0)
Drafted
No. 90
Round 3, 2026 NFL Draft (San Francisco 49ers)

Career highs

125rushing yards, career highvs. Bucknell, 20232rushing touchdowns, career hightwice; last vs. Oregon, 20252receiving touchdowns, career highvs. Georgia Southern, 2023

Team titles: National champions, 2025 (Indiana); Big Ten champions, 2025

Rushing

Rushing yards, season by season, with his team’s record
SeasonTeamCarYdsAvgTDLong
2022James Madison693334.8327
2023James Madison1426374.5157
2024Indiana462515.5221
2025Indiana1871,0395.61040
Career4442,2605.11657

Receiving

SeasonTeamRecYdsAvgTDLong
2022James Madison1717710.4225
2023James Madison252389.5434
2024Indiana461.508
2025Indiana4369.0011
Career504579.1634

Season lines from CollegeFootballData, regular season and bowls.

On the roster

SeasonTeamNo.PosClassHtWt
2022James Madison8RBFr.
2023James Madison8RBSo.
2024Indiana8RBJr.
2025Indiana8RBSr.5′10″210

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
2022James Madison870.0831st (n=470)0.147.214%0.03
2023James Madison1470.1238th (n=450)0.1717.819%0.02
2024Indiana500.19––9.67%0.11
2025Indiana1930.1977th (n=576)0.1037.318%0.27

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
2025Indiana47%3.301.101.5016%

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 Indiana 16 games, 1,039 rushing yards, 10 TD
DateOpponentResultCarYdsTDLongRecRec yds
Aug 30vs.Old DominionW 27–⁠141792136––
Sep 6vs.Kennesaw StateW 56–⁠91057029––
Sep 12vs.Indiana StateW 73–⁠0768029––
Sep 20vs.IllinoisW 63–⁠101089140––
Sep 27atIowaW 20–⁠151138010––
Oct 11atOregonW 30–⁠20731014––
Oct 18vs.Michigan StateW 38–⁠131064129––
Oct 25vs.UCLAW 56–⁠61070028110
Nov 1atMarylandW 55–⁠1014110131––
Nov 8atPenn StateW 27–⁠241232110––
Nov 15vs.WisconsinW 31–⁠76120519
Nov 28atPurdueW 56–⁠3136621616
Dec 6vs.Ohio StateW 13–⁠101669037––
Jan 1 ✦vs.AlabamaW 38–⁠31599125111
Jan 9 ✦vs.OregonW 56–⁠221263223––
Jan 19 ✦vs.MiamiW 27–⁠211779020––
2024 Indiana 11 games, 251 rushing yards, 2 TD
DateOpponentResultCarYdsTDLongRecRec yds
Aug 31vs.Florida InternationalW 31–⁠71707––
Sep 6vs.Western IllinoisW 77–⁠3530014––
Sep 14atUCLAW 42–⁠1352107––
Sep 21vs.CharlotteW 52–⁠14755121––
Sep 28vs.MarylandW 42–⁠283170827
Oct 5vs.NorthwesternW 41–⁠24533010––
Oct 19vs.NebraskaW 56–⁠7422110––
Oct 26vs.WashingtonW 31–⁠173130813
Nov 2atMichigan StateW 47–⁠1061906––
Nov 9vs.MichiganW 20–⁠15––––1−4
Nov 30vs.PurdueW 66–⁠0734016––
2023 James Madison 13 games, 637 rushing yards, 1 TD
DateOpponentResultCarYdsTDLongRecRec yds
Sep 2vs.BucknellW 38–⁠312125057––
Sep 9atVirginiaW 36–⁠35122508318
Sep 16atTroyW 16–⁠141378028442
Sep 23atUtah StateW 45–⁠381776016543
Sep 30vs.South AlabamaW 31–⁠23196101013
Oct 14vs.Georgia SouthernW 41–⁠131145120338
Oct 19atMarshallW 20–⁠9163301315
Oct 28vs.Old DominionW 30–⁠271043015220
Nov 4atGeorgia StateW 42–⁠144707130
Nov 11vs.UConnW 44–⁠643802515
Nov 18vs.App StateL 23–⁠26628016––
Nov 25atCoastal CarolinaW 56–⁠14735014––
Dec 23 ✦vs.Air ForceL 21–⁠311143015434
2022 James Madison 9 games, 333 rushing yards, 3 TD
DateOpponentResultCarYdsTDLongRecRec yds
Sep 3vs.Middle TennesseeW 44–⁠7931012125
Sep 10vs.Norfolk StateW 63–⁠7954122––
Sep 24atApp StateW 32–⁠281885118123
Oct 1vs.Texas StateW 40–⁠133101219
Oct 22vs.MarshallL 12–⁠26––––320
Nov 5atLouisvilleL 10–⁠34221013227
Nov 12atOld DominionW 37–⁠31156127437
Nov 19vs.Georgia StateW 42–⁠40735015426
Nov 26vs.Coastal CarolinaW 47–⁠71050012––

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

Before the draft

Played in the 2026 Senior Bowl (American team, won 17–⁠9).

DrillCombine 2026Pro day 2026
Height5′9″5′9¼″W
Weight208 lb211 lbW
Arm length29½″W
Hand size8⅞″W
Wingspan70⅞″W
40-yard dash4.46 sW
10-yard split1.53 sW
Vertical jump37½″W
Broad jump10′5″W
Bench press27 repsW
20-yard shuttle4.55 sW

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

In the NFL

1 season, 5 games with a stat; latest team: San Francisco 49ers.

SeasonTeamGCarYdsTDRecRec yds
2026 (so far)San Francisco 49ers537136015

Regular seasons, from nflverse (CC BY 4.0). G counts games in which the player recorded a stat.

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