Usage Score
19.7
Player Dossier
2014-2017Nevada
James Butler
RB • 5'9" • 210 lbs • Bloomingdale, IL, USA
Balanced backfield optionSteady chain mover
James Butler leans balanced backfield option traits and 46.7 efficiency.
Efficiency
46.7
Consistency
76.4
Season Value
42.1
Career Arc
Value trend by season
Best season by value score: 2016 Regular Season · Nevada
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Snapshot
- Career Teams
- 2
- Seasons Tracked
- 7
- Program Path
- Nevada • Iowa
- Peak Game
- Peak game by takeover score: Colorado State
Scouting Read
Best season and peak-game context are pinned here so the rest of the page can stay analytical without losing the headline story.
James Butler, RB. Best season Best season by value score: 2016 Regular Season · Nevada. James Butler leans balanced backfield option traits and 46.7 efficiency.
Player insights
Lead takeaway
Best season by value score: 2016 Regular Season
Nevada paired 1,717 primary output with 54.5 efficiency.
Supporting note
2017 Postseason role shape
backfield-heavy usage with 46.7 efficiency.
Supporting note
Career value stayed steady
2017 Regular Season tracked close to the prior stop by season value score.
Supporting note
Multi-stop career journey
Production spans 2 team stops, with role shifts visible across Nevada, Iowa.
Supporting note
Peak game by takeover score: Ohio State
Win with 74 yards from scrimmage and efficient touch value. It landed in the 100th percentile of the selected season.
Analysis workspace
Season Workbench
Filter the strongest season sample, inspect game-level shape, and then drop into the full log without losing the story of the year.
Season Explorer
Understand the selected season before dropping into the full game log.
2017 Postseason · Iowa
Games
9
Scrimmage Yards / G
49.2
Efficiency
46.7
Usage
19.7
Consistency
76.4
Best Game by takeover score
Boston College
Hover a point or expand a game row to keep the active game context visible here.
Game-by-Game Trend
123456789
Chronological game order.
Game by game trend chart. Boston College: 32. Wyoming: 47. Iowa State: 63. North Texas: 74. Minnesota: 47. Ohio State: 74. Wisconsin: 30. Purdue: 40. Nebraska: 36
Volume vs Efficiency
Low volume / high quality
High volume / high quality
Low volume / lower quality
High volume / lower quality
Volume on the x-axis, quality on the y-axis.
Volume versus efficiency scatter chart. Boston College: 10 by 33.3. Wyoming: 10 by 49. Iowa State: 11 by 47. North Texas: 16 by 48.2. Minnesota: 12 by 32.2. Ohio State: 10 by 77.1. Wisconsin: 9 by 37.3. Purdue: 8 by 54.8. Nebraska: 9 by 41.7
Split Comparison
Wins53.3 · n=7 · +18.3 vs Losses
Losses35 · n=2 · -18.3 vs Wins
First Half52.6 · n=5 · +7.6 vs Second Half
Second Half45 · n=4 · -7.6 vs First Half
Game Log
Dense stat lines with inline explanations and season-linked highlights.
9 games
Featured metric
Scrimmage Yards
Top game by takeover score
Ohio State
Best efficiency game
77.1 vs Ohio State
| Result | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 12/27 | @ Boston College | W 27-20 | 10 | 32 | 3.20 | 0 | — | — | 3.2 |
| Fri 11/24 | @ Nebraska | W 56-14 | 9 | 36 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 4 |
| Sat 11/18 | vs Purdue | L 15-24 | 7 | 38 | 5.40 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Sat 11/11 | @ Wisconsin | L 14-38 | 8 | 30 | 3.80 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3.3 |
| Sat 11/4 | vs Ohio State | W 55-24 | 10 | 74 | 7.40 | 0 | — | — | 7.4 |
| Sat 10/28 | vs Minnesota | W 17-10 | 11 | 28 | 2.50 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 3.9 |
| Sat 9/16 | vs North Texas | W 31-14 | 16 | 74 | 4.60 | 0 | — | — | 4.6 |
| Sat 9/9 | @ Iowa State | W 44-41 | 10 | 37 | 3.70 | 0 | 1 | 26 | 5.7 |
| Sat 9/2 | vs Wyoming | W 24-3 | 10 | 47 | 4.70 | 0 | — | — | 4.7 |
Career Arc
Track team changes, role shifts, and season-to-season movement.
- 1
Nevada
2014-2016
Opening stop
- 2
Iowa
2017
Final stop
Season Progression
2014201420152015201620172017
| Season | Team | Primary | Efficiency | Usage | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 Postseason | Nevada | 648 | 42.4 | 18.4 | — |
| 2014 Regular Season | Nevada | 648 | 42.4 | 18.4 | 0 |
| 2015 Postseason | Nevada | 1,389 | 62.5 | 29.5 | 741 |
| 2015 Regular Season | Nevada | 1,389 | 62.5 | 29.5 | 0 |
| 2016 Regular Season | Nevada | 1,717 | 54.5 | 43.7 | 328 |
| 2017 Postseason | Iowa | 443 | 46.7 | 19.7 | -1,274 |
| 2017 Regular Season | Iowa | 443 | 46.7 | 19.7 | 0 |
Signature Performances
Top Games
#1 Featured game
Colorado State
Win driven by a workhorse rushing load.
189
Primary metric
189 scrimmage yards and 53.3 usage.
#2
UNLV
244
Primary metric
Win driven by a workhorse rushing load.
244 scrimmage yards and 57.8 usage.
#3
Buffalo
177
Primary metric
Win with 177 yards from scrimmage and efficient touch value.
177 scrimmage yards and 32.7 usage.
#4
UNLV
116
Primary metric
Win with 116 yards from scrimmage and efficient touch value.
116 scrimmage yards and 19 usage.
#5
Hawai'i
184
Primary metric
Loss driven by a workhorse rushing load.
184 scrimmage yards and 39.3 usage.
Top Seasons
#1 Season by value score
2016 Regular Season · Nevada
1,717 primary output · 54.5 efficiency · 43.7 usage
68.3
#2
2015 Postseason · Nevada
60.8
1,389 primary · 62.5 efficiency · 29.5 usage
#3
2015 Regular Season · Nevada
60.8
1,389 primary · 62.5 efficiency · 29.5 usage
Milestones
18
100+ rush yards
8
150+ scrimmage yards
8
2+ TD games
Bio, Recruit, and Data Context
Recruit Profile
3★
Class 2014 · Rating 0.8144
St. Francis · Wheaton, IL
- Committed To
- Nevada
- Commit Date
- Jan 1, 2014
Career Facts
2
Career teams
7
Seasons tracked
4,197
Career Scrimmage Yards
Data Context
Coverage spans 7 tracked seasons, 47 games, and base opponent context only. Derived metrics fall back to raw production when share or rating context is missing.