Efficiency & Role
EPA = expected points added per play. Compared with every FBS WR/TE who qualifies
Advanced
Computed from every play, garbage time excluded. FBS rank among players with enough volume
| Receiving | Value | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Targets | 14 | — |
| Target share | 10.3% | — |
| Catch rate | 71.4% | — |
| Success rate per target | 64.3% | — |
| Yards per target | 6.3 | — |
| Explosive catches | 7.1% | — |
| Deep-target rate | 21.4% | — |
| 3rd-down targets | 1 | — |
| Red-zone targets | 1 | — |
Charting
Where Nelson's plays went: throw and catch spots, air yards and yards after the catch, read from the play-by-play
Where he's targeted16 targets charted
Career
3 seasons at 2 schools since 2014 · box-score totals, snap share estimated from play-by-play
| Season | Team | G | Snaps | Rec | Rec yds | Rec TD | Tgt share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 so far |  Ball State#133 · 2-5 | 6 | 31% | 11 | 83 | 0 | 10.3% |
| 2023 |  Houston#87 · 4-8 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2022 * | Houston#54 · 8-5 | 4 | 1% | 2 | 7 | 0 | 5.3% |
Past seasons are summed from ESPN box scores; success rates and snap shares come from the play-by-play. CJ Nelson's team rank is that season's final TDC rank. A dash means the stat wasn't recorded. * Defense rebuilt from the play-by-play (ESPN's box scores that season are missing it); about 10% below official totals.
Game Log
CJ Nelson's box score, game by game, from ESPN, with a 0–10 game score for each (hover it for how it works). Click a result for the full game
| Receiving | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk | Opponent | Result | Game score | Rec | Yds | Y/R | TD | Long |
| 1 | @ Ohio State | L 3–56 | 4.2 | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | 0 | 8 |
| 2 |  Stony Brook | W 41–17 | 3.9 | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 0 | 6 |
| 3 | @ Liberty | L 15–51 | — | no stats recorded | ||||
| 4 | @ Kent State | L 13–26 | — | no stats recorded | ||||
| 5 |  Toledo | L 24–39 | — | no stats recorded | ||||
| 6 | @ Northwestern | L 14–45 | 5.4 | 3 | 10 | 3.3 | 0 | 10 |
| 7 | @ Bowling Green | W 32–31 | 6.9 | 6 | 59 | 9.8 | 0 | 23 |
| 2026 · 4 games | 5.1 | 11 | 83 | 7.5 | 0 | 23 | ||
2026 Season Stats
FBS rank among qualifying players
| Rushing | 2026 | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Carries | 1 | — |
| Yards | 10 | 1037th / 1453 |
| Yards / carry | 10 | — |
| Touchdowns | 0 | — |
| Long | 10 | — |
| Receiving | 2026 | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Receptions | 11 | 520th / 1994 |
| Yards | 83 | 765th / 1980 |
| Yards / catch | 7.5 | — |
| Touchdowns | 0 | — |
| Long | 23 | — |
Snaps by Game
Estimated snaps from a model trained on real NFL snap counts. Ranges in brackets are where the real number lands 80% of the time: wide for a single game, tighter over the season. How it works
| Game | Start | Team plays | Est. snaps | Plays involved | Penalties | Snap share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 · Ohio State | — | 60 | ~23 (7–31) | 3 | · | 38% |
| Wk 2 · Stony Brook | — | 68 | ~7 (2–11) | 1 | 1 | 10% |
| Wk 4 · Kent State | ✓ WR | 54 | ~8 (2–13) | 1 | · | 15% |
| Wk 5 · Toledo | — | 61 | · | · | 1 | — |
| Wk 6 · Northwestern | — | 78 | ~44 (29–54) | 5 | 1 | 56% |
| Wk 7 · Bowling Green | ✓ WR | 66 | ~55 (36–66) | 7 | · | 83% |
| Season | 2 GS | 443 | 137 (78–180) | 17 | 3 | 31% |
Position Room
12 WRs on the Ball State roster, ordered by rec
| # | Player | Pos | Class | Rec | Yds | TD | Tgt share | EPA/play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Donovan Hamilton | WR | JR | 22 | 273 | 1 | 16% | +0.78 |
| 10 | Jamarion McDougle | WR | SR | 21 | 201 | 1 | 17% | +0.11 |
| 5 | Jabari Smith | WR | SR | 19 | 196 | 2 | 16% | +0.81 |
| 11 | Isaiah Thacker | WR | SR | 15 | 152 | 0 | 16% | +0.25 |
| 7 | CJ Nelson | WR | SR | 11 | 83 | 0 | 9% | +0.23 |
| 14 | Elisha Durham | WR | SO | 4 | 68 | 0 | 5% | +0.53 |
| 83 | Eli Hohlt | WR | SR | 3 | 30 | 1 | 6% | +0.46 |
| 15 | Tayshon Bardo | WR | FR | 1 | 13 | 0 | 2% | +0.62 |
| DJ Young | WR | 1 | 21 | 0 | 2% | +1.12 | ||
| 8 | Corey Thompson Jr. | WR | SR | — | — | — | 8% | -0.65 |
| 80 | Derion Talbert | WR | SO | — | — | — | — | — |
| 85 | Ace Cooper | WR | FR | — | — | — | 0% | +0.46 |
Stats, EPA and usage come from CollegeFootballData.com and refresh daily. FBS ranks only count players with enough volume for the stat to mean something. Qualifying for EPA takes 4+ plays per team game. Ball State depth chart →