Running back, Notre Dame, 2025–26
Nolan James Jr.
- Number
- No. 2
- Height
- 5′10″
- Weight
- 212 lb
- Class (2026)
- Freshman
- Hometown
- Westwood, NJ
- Born
- Aug 22, 2006
Wikipedia readers: about 603 a month over the past year
Nolan James Jr. plays running back for Notre Dame. Last time out, at BYU: 16 carries, 77 yards, 1 TD; 3 catches, 18 yards. James leads Notre Dame in rushing touchdowns this season.
2026 so far
412 rushing yards, 6 TD
Last game: 16 carries, 77 yards, 1 TD; 3 catches, 18 yards at BYU, L 24–28
Next game: vs. Navy, Oct 31
Filled bars: wins; outlined: losses.
Career highs
121rushing yards, career highvs. Michigan State, 20262rushing touchdowns, career hightwice; last vs. Stanford, 2026Rushing
* The season in progress, so far.
| Season | Team | Car | Yds | Avg | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Notre Dame | 14 | 37 | 2.6 | 0 | 15 |
| 2026 | Notre Dame | 81 | 412 | 5.1 | 6 | 31 |
| Career | 95 | 449 | 4.7 | 6 | 31 | |
Receiving
| Season | Team | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Notre Dame | 13 | 105 | 8.1 | 3 | 28 |
Season lines from CollegeFootballData, regular season and bowls.
On the roster
| Season | Team | No. | Pos | Class | Ht | Wt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Notre Dame | 2 | RB | Yr 1 | ||
| 2026 | Notre Dame | 2 | RB | Fr. (Yr 2) | 5′10″ | 212 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Notre Dame | 14 | -0.23 | – | – | -3.3 | – | – |
| 2026 | Notre Dame | 97 | 0.30 | 89th (n=478) | 0.10 | 29.3 | 20% | 0.26 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Notre Dame | 59% | 3.60 | 1.00 | 0.70 | 10% |
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 Notre Dame 7 games, 412 rushing yards, 6 TD
| Date | Opponent | Result | Car | Rush yds | Rush TD | Rec | Rec yds | Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 6 | vs. Wisconsin | W 41–13 | 7 | 19 | 0 | 4 | 67 | 1 |
| Sep 12 | vs. Rice | W 52–0 | 6 | 29 | 2 | 1 | −1 | 0 |
| Sep 19 | vs. Michigan State | W 27–10 | 26 | 121 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 0 |
| Sep 26 | at Purdue | W 49–10 | 7 | 28 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 1 |
| Oct 3 | at North Carolina | W 37–26 | 9 | 65 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 |
| Oct 10 | vs. Stanford | W 58–7 | 10 | 73 | 2 | – | – | – |
| Oct 17 | at BYU | L 24–28 | 16 | 77 | 1 | 3 | 18 | 0 |
2025 Notre Dame 4 games, 37 rushing yards
Box scores from CollegeFootballData, 2004 on. ✦ postseason; ★ a career high on file.
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