James Smith (American football)
Smith in 2026 | |
| Ohio State Buckeyes | |
|---|---|
| Position | Defensive tackle |
| Class | Junior |
| Personal information | |
| Born | April 7, 2005[1] |
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Listed weight | 297 lb (135 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | George Washington Carver (Montgomery, Alabama) IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida) |
| College |
|
| Stats at ESPN | |
James Smith (born April 7, 2005)[1] is an American college football defensive tackle for the Ohio State Buckeyes. He previously played for the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Early life
Smith is from Montgomery, Alabama.[2] He attended George Washington Carver High School in Montgomery from his freshman to sophomore years, playing football as a defensive lineman and posting double-digit sacks as a sophomore while helping Carver allow only 16 points per game.[3] He transferred to IMG Academy in Florida as a junior in 2021, but transferred back to Carver mid-way through the 2021 season.[4] He then had to sit out the rest of the year after being ruled ineligible.[5] He played his senior season at Carver in 2022.[6]
Smith was ranked a five-star prospect and one of the top recruits in the class of 2023.[3] He was ranked a top-20 player nationally and the second-best defensive line recruit by 247Sports.[7] Smith, along with his Carver teammate Qua Russaw, committed to play college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide.[8]
College career
Alabama
Smith was a backup as a true freshman in 2023, behind Jaheim Oatis, Tim Keenan III, and Tim Smith, and posted two tackles.[9] He then appeared in all 13 games as a sophomore in 2024, tallying 20 tackles, two pass breakups and a sack.[10] Smith became a starter for Alabama in 2025.[11][12]
Ohio State
On January 12, 2026, Smith transferred to Ohio State.
References
- ^ a b "James Smith DL Alabama NFL Draft Profile". nfldraftbuzz.com. Retrieved December 28, 2025.
- ^ "James Smith". Alabama Crimson Tide.
- ^ a b Shames, Jacob (August 18, 2022). "Fab Five: Carver football 5-star DT James Smith lets his reputation speak for itself". The Montgomery Advertiser. Retrieved December 1, 2025 – via archive.today.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ Rushin, Jerell (March 10, 2022). "Carver 5-star James Smith hungry for Alabama high school football after year at IMG Academy". The Montgomery Advertiser.
- ^ Alvarez, Nick (April 21, 2022). "2023 5-star DL James Smith is back home for nationwide recruitment". AL.com.
- ^ Alvarez, Nick (August 15, 2022). "A-List No. 3: Carver-Montgomery 5-star James Smith enjoys the questions around his recruitment". AL.com. Retrieved December 1, 2025 – via archive.today.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ Suttles, Aaron (December 21, 2022). "Alabama signs 5-star teammates James Smith, Qua Russaw". The Athletic.
- ^ VanHaaren, Tom (December 21, 2022). "Jaquavious Russaw, James Smith stay local, commit to Alabama". ESPN.
- ^ Goodbread, Chase (September 5, 2024). "Five-star recruits James Smith, Qua Russaw emerging in second year with Alabama football". Tuscaloosa News.
- ^ Kelly, Nick (August 20, 2025). "This Alabama defender is a 'havoc-style' player". AL.com.
- ^ Stahl, Matt (August 26, 2025). "Can newfound maturity help this Alabama DL unlock his potential?". AL.com.
- ^ Kelly, Nick (September 27, 2025). "Alabama star ejected for targeting in second half vs Georgia". AL.com.