Zach Charbonnet

Zach Charbonnet
Charbonnet with Michigan in 2019
No. 26 – Seattle Seahawks
PositionRunning back
Roster statusActive
Personal information
Born (2001-01-08) January 8, 2001
Bellflower, California, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight214 lb (97 kg)
Career information
High schoolOaks Christian (Westlake Village, California)
College
NFL draft2023: 2nd round, 52nd overall pick
Career history
Awards and highlights
Career NFL statistics as of 2025
Rushing yards1,761
Rushing average4.1
Rushing touchdowns21
Receptions95
Receiving yards693
Receiving touchdowns1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Zachariah Charbonnet (/ˈʃɑːrbəneɪ/ SHAR-bə-nay; born January 8, 2001) is an American professional football running back for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines and UCLA Bruins. He was a two-time All-Pac-12 Conference selection with the Bruins, earning first-time All-American honors as a senior in 2022. Charbonnet was selected by the Seahawks in the second round of the 2023 NFL draft.

Early life

Zach Charbonnet was born on January 8, 2001, and grew up in Camarillo, California.[1] His mother, Seda, is part Cambodian and Chinese, and she immigrated to the United States from France.[2] His father, Mark, is African-American. Charbonnet did not begin playing football until the seventh grade.[2]

He attended Oaks Christian School in Westlake Village, California, where he tallied 4,741 rushing yards and 62 total touchdowns, most of which stemmed from his junior year where he recorded 2,049 yards and 23 touchdowns.[1] Former Oaks Christian coach Jim Benkert described Charbonnet as follows: "He's the best there is. He's got all the measurements and loves the game. He's one of those guys who can take over a game on either side of the ball and is probably the best running back in the country. He competes at a high level on every play. You can't coach that kind of stuff. He's a throwback player. He does his job and doesn't care about statistics. All he cares about is winning."[2]

Charbonnet was rated among the top running back prospects in the country – ranked No. 3 by 247Sports.com, No. 4 by Rivals.com,[3] and No. 6 by ESPN.com. He was also invited to play in the 2019 Under Armour All-America Game.[1] On June 23, 2018, prior to the start of his senior year in high school, Charbonnet committed to play college football at the University of Michigan.[2]

College career

Michigan

Shortly after his enrollment at Michigan in January 2019, Charbonnet underwent knee surgery. He missed spring practice while recuperating, but was recovered by late summer.[4][5]

Charbonnet started at running back in Michigan's 2019 season opener where he totaled 99 all-purpose yards, 90 rushing yards on eight carries and nine receiving yards on two receptions.[6][7] On September 7 against Army, Charbonnet had his first 100-yard rushing game on 33 carries and recorded three touchdowns, one of which was his first collegiate touchdown, in the 24–21 double overtime victory.[8] On October 12 against Illinois, Charbonnet had 108 rushing yards in the first half, the first Wolverine to do so since Karan Higdon in the previous season. He finished the 42–25 road win with 116 yards on 18 carries and a rushing touchdown.[9] On November 2 against Maryland, Charbonnet recorded two receiving touchdowns in the 38–7 win, setting a Michigan program record for most touchdowns by a freshman (11).[10]

Charbonnet concluded the 2019 season with 149 carries for 726 yards and 11 touchdowns.[11] During the 2020 season, which was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Charbonnet played in five of six games and totaled 19 carries for 124 yards with one touchdown.[12] In January 2021, Charbonnet announced his intent to transfer and entered the NCAA transfer portal.[13]

UCLA

On January 30, 2021, Charbonnet announced his intention to transfer to the University of California, Los Angeles.[14] During the 2021 season, he and Brittain Brown shared the Bruins' rushing duties in a two-back system. While Brown was injured during UCLA's game against USC, Charbonnet had season-highs in carries (28) and rushing yards (167), while surpassing 1,000 yards on the ground for the season.[15] For his efforts, Pac-12 coaches voted Charbonnet second-team all-conference,[16] and the Associated Press named him the conference's newcomer of the year.[17] He finished the season with 204 carries for 1,137 yards and 13 rushing touchdowns, ranking second in the conference in rushing yards per game (94.8) behind B. J. Baylor of Oregon State.[16]

On January 14, 2022, Charbonnet announced that he would return to UCLA in 2022 for his senior season.[18] On September 24, he made 3 rushing touchdowns in a 45–17 road win over Colorado. On October 8, he had 22 carries for a career-high 198 yards and a rushing touchdown in a 42–32 win over No. 11 Utah.[19] Three weeks later against Stanford, he tied his career-high 198 rushing yards on 21 carries in the 38–13 win, scoring three touchdowns while also leading the team with five receptions for a season-high 61 yards.[20] The following week, he scored another three rushing touchdowns, compiling 24 carries for 181 yards, in a 28–34 loss to Arizona. Charbonnet finished his senior season with 195 carries for 1,359 yards and 14 rushing touchdowns, while catching 37 passes for 321 yards.[21] He was named a first-team All-American as an all-purpose specialist by the Football Writers Association of America.[22] Charbonnet was seventh in the nation in rushing yards per attempt (7.0),[23] and his 1,680 all-purpose yards were the seventh-highest single-season total in UCLA history.[24] After the season, Charbonnet declared for the 2023 NFL draft, forgoing his remaining year of eligibility, which was granted by the NCAA for all players on a roster during the 2020 season impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.[21]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span Wingspan 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 0+3⁄8 in
(1.84 m)		 214 lb
(97 kg)		 32 in
(0.81 m)		 9+7⁄8 in
(0.25 m)		 6 ft 3+5⁄8 in
(1.92 m)		 4.53 s 1.54 s 2.58 s 4.46 s 7.16 s 37.0 in
(0.94 m)		 10 ft 2 in
(3.10 m)		 18 reps
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[25][26]

Charbonnet was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round, 52nd overall, of the 2023 NFL draft.[27] In Week 13 of his rookie season against the Dallas Cowboys, he scored his first NFL touchdown on a one-yard rush in the second quarter of a 35–41 loss on the road.[28] As a rookie, Charbonnet appeared in 16 games, starting two. He finished with 108 carries for 462 yards and one rushing touchdown, to go with 33 receptions for 209 yards.[29]

In Week 3 of the 2024 season, Charbonnet had his first multi-touchdown game, scoring 2 in 18 carries for 91 yards; Seattle went on to win 24–3 against the Miami Dolphins at home. In Week 14, he had his first career game with 100+ rushing yards, making 22 carries for a season-high 134 yards coupled with 2 touchdowns, and 7 receptions for a season-high 59 yards, in their 30–18 win over the Arizona Cardinals on the road. Charbonnet finished the season appearing in all 17 games (including six starts), compiling 135 carries for 569 yards and eight rushing touchdowns, to go with 42 receptions for 340 yards and 1 touchdown through the air.[30]

Splitting time in 2025 with Kenneth Walker III, who ran for a team-high 1,027 yards, Charbonnet rushed for 730 yards and a team-leading 12 touchdowns.[31] On January 19, 2026, Charbonnet suffered a season-ending ACL tear during the team's divisional round victory over the San Francisco 49ers.[32] Charbonnet won his first NFL championship when the Seahawks defeated the Patriots 29–13 in Super Bowl LX.[33]

Career statistics

NFL

Regular season

Legend
Bold Career high
Year Team Games Rushing Receiving Fumbles
GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2023 SEA 16 2 108 462 4.3 23 1 33 209 6.3 39 0 0 0
2024 SEA 17 11 135 569 4.2 51 8 42 340 8.1 32 1 0 0
2025 SEA 16 0 184 730 4.0 30 12 20 144 7.2 21 0 0 0
Career 49 13 427 1761 4.1 51 21 95 693 7.3 39 1 0 0

Playoffs

Year Team Games Rushing Receiving Fumbles
GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2025 SEA 1 0 5 20 4.0 15 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
Career 1 0 5 50 4.0 15 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0

College

Season Team Conf GP Rushing Receiving
Att Yds Avg TD Rec Yds Avg TD
2019 Michigan Big Ten 13 149 726 4.9 11 8 30 3.8 0
2020 Michigan Big Ten 5 19 124 6.5 1 6 41 6.8 0
2021 UCLA Pac-12 12 202 1,137 5.6 13 24 197 8.2 0
2022 UCLA Pac-12 10 195 1,359 7.0 14 37 321 8.7 0
Career 40 565 3,346 5.9 39 75 589 7.9 0

References

  1. ^ a b c "Zach Charbonnet". mgoblue.com. Michigan Wolverines. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d Sondheimer, Eric (August 9, 2018). "Oaks Christian running back Zach Charbonnet is the strong, silent type". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  3. ^ "Zach Charbonnet, 2019 Running Back, Michigan". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  4. ^ Chengelis, Angelique S. (September 1, 2019). "Freshman Zach Charbonnet's Michigan career off to stirring start". The Detroit News. Digital First Media. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  5. ^ Bastock, Ashley (August 28, 2019). "Michigan coaches heaping praise on freshman RB Charbonnet". The Blade. Block Communications. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  6. ^ "Middle Tennessee vs. Michigan – Box Score – August 31, 2019". ESPN. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  7. ^ Sang, Orion (September 1, 2019). "Michigan football goes with freshman Zach Charbonnet as No. 1 RB. He shows why". Detroit Free Press. Gannett. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  8. ^ "Postgame Notes: #7 Michigan 24, Army 21 (2OT)". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. September 7, 2019. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
  9. ^ "Postgame Notes: #16 Michigan 42, Illinois 25". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. October 12, 2019. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  10. ^ "Postgame Notes: #14 Michigan 38, Maryland 7". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. November 2, 2019. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
  11. ^ "Zach Charbonnet 2019 Game Log". Sports Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2024.
  12. ^ "Zach Charbonnet 2020 Game Log". Sports Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2024.
  13. ^ Sabin, Rainer (January 18, 2021). "Michigan football RB Zach Charbonnet plans to transfer". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  14. ^ Biggins, Greg (January 30, 2021). "Commit Analysis: Close Look at New UCLA Commit Zach Charbonnet". 247Sports. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  15. ^ Williams, James H. (November 21, 2021). "UCLA's Zach Charbonnet rushes past 1,000-yard milestone". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
  16. ^ a b Williams, James H. (December 7, 2021). "Kyle Philips leads UCLA's nine All-Pac-12 football selections". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  17. ^ Peterson, Anne M. (December 10, 2021). "USC's Drake London named AP Pac-12 offensive player of the year". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
  18. ^ @zachcharbon (January 14, 2022). "Not done yet" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  19. ^ Bolch, Ben (October 9, 2022). "Don't tell anyone, but Chip Kelly is enjoying UCLA's run: Four takeaways from Utah win". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  20. ^ Bolch, Ben (October 29, 2022). "Zach Charbonnet bulldozes Stanford's Rose Bowl winning streak in dominant UCLA win". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  21. ^ a b Williams, James H. (January 16, 2023). "UCLA RB Zach Charbonnet declares for NFL Draft". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  22. ^ Turi, Alex (December 9, 2022). "Tyler Davis earns All-American Honors". USA Today. FWAA. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
  23. ^ "2022 College Football Leaders". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved September 26, 2025.
  24. ^ "Ucla Bruins All-time Yards Leader Single Season". StatMuse. Retrieved September 26, 2025.
  25. ^ Reuter, Chad; Zierlein, Lance. "Zach Charbonnet Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  26. ^ "2023 NFL Draft Scout Zach Charbonnet College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  27. ^ Boyle, John (April 28, 2023). "Seahawks Select RB Zach Charbonnet With 52nd Overall Pick". Seahawks.com. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  28. ^ "Thursday Night Football highlights: Dak Prescott, Cowboys beat Seahawks 41-35 in thriller". FOX Sports. November 30, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  29. ^ "Zach Charbonnet 2023 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  30. ^ "Zach Charbonnet 2024 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
  31. ^ Henderson, Brady (January 19, 2026). "Seahawks RB Zach Charbonnet (knee) out for rest of playoffs". ESPN. Retrieved January 19, 2026.
  32. ^ Cwlk, Chris (January 19, 2026). "Seahawks lose Zach Charbonnet to 'significant' knee injury ahead of NFC Championships vs. Rams". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved January 19, 2026.
  33. ^ Maaddi, Rob (February 8, 2026). "Seahawks ride their 'Dark Side' defense to a Super Bowl title, pounding the Patriots 29-13". AP News. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
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