#28
Minnesota · 2026
Niko Castillo
RBFreshman6' 1", 235 lbsSchuylkill Haven, PA★★★ 2026 recruit · #1263 nationally
Minnesota Golden Gophers5-3 · TDC #52
Snap share
2%
likely 1–5%
Efficiency & Role
EPA = expected points added per play. Compared with every FBS RB who qualifies
Game Log
Niko Castillo'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
2.8 avg. game scoreBest: 2.8 vs Eastern Illinois (Week 1)0 of 1 games at 8.0+
| Rushing | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk | Opponent | Result | Game score | Car | Yds | Y/C | TD | Long |
| 1 |  Eastern Illinois | W 59–7 | 2.8 | 4 | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 1 |
| 2 |  Mississippi State | L 13–38 | — | no stats recorded | ||||
| 3 |  Akron | W 41–7 | — | no stats recorded | ||||
| 4 | @ Washington | W 27–24 | — | no stats recorded | ||||
| 5 |  Michigan | W 20–14 | — | no stats recorded | ||||
| 6 | @ Purdue | L 13–41 | — | no stats recorded | ||||
| 8 |  Iowa | W 13–10 | — | no stats recorded | ||||
| 9 | @ Indiana | L 16–23 | — | no stats recorded | ||||
| 2026 · 1 game | 2.8 | 4 | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 1 | ||
2026 Season Stats
FBS rank among qualifying players
| Rushing | 2026 | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Carries | 4 | — |
| Yards | 2 | 1304th / 1519 |
| Yards / carry | 0.5 | — |
| Touchdowns | 0 | — |
| Long | 1 | — |
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 | Team plays | Est. snaps | Plays involved | Snap share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 · Eastern Illinois | 71 | ~12 (3–23) | 4 | 17% |
| Season | 497 | 12 (3–23) | 4 | 2% |
Position Room
8 RBs on the Minnesota roster, ordered by car
| # | Player | Pos | Class | Car | Yds | YPC | TD | Rec | EPA/play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Darius Taylor | RB | SR | 83 | 217 | 2.6 | 5 | 22 | -0.08 |
| 23 | TJ Thomas | RB | JR | 64 | 381 | 6 | 1 | 20 | -0.05 |
| 9 | Xavier Ford | RB | SO | 29 | 128 | 4.4 | 1 | 1 | +0.04 |
| A.J. Turner | RB | 10 | 44 | 4.4 | 1 | 1 | +0.04 | ||
| 28 | Niko Castillo | RB | FR | 4 | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | — | -0.45 |
| 20 | Ryan Estrada | RB | FR | 3 | 10 | 3.3 | 0 | 2 | +0.11 |
| 22 | Jaron Thomas | RB | SO | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | — | +0.07 |
| 26 | Zeke Bates | RB | FR | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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 6+ plays per team game. Minnesota depth chart →