CFB Zeitgeist
ASAnthony Smith

Anthony Smith

Anthony Smith led the Big Ten in sacks at 6-6, 295 -- a power rusher built like a defensive end and a tackle at once. He turned down the NFL to come back, sharpen the craft, and chase the first round.

DL · Minnesota · Cl 3

CFB Zeitgeist 88

Anthony Smith led the Big Ten in sacks at 6-6, 295 -- a power rusher built like a defensive end and a tackle at once. He turned down the NFL to come back, sharpen the craft, and chase the first round.

Smith's 2025 was a wrecking-ball season: 12.5 sacks to lead the Big Ten and 17.5 tackles for loss, the kind of production that usually buys a ticket to the draft. Instead he rejected transfer interest and the NFL to return to Minnesota, pairing with Karter Menz to form one of the conference's best edge duos. The forward stakes are a climb up draft boards: he's already an All-America-caliber rusher, and 2026 is about refining the rush plan around a heavy, powerful base into a first-round profile. At his size, with this production, he's a problem for any tackle in the Big Ten.

PLAY STYLE

Smith is a power-rush edge -- 6-6, 295, a heavy, long defender who wins by walking tackles back into the pocket rather than running the arc around them. The bull rush is the foundation, and the 12.5 sacks and 17.5 tackles for loss say it works: he collapses the edge and the quarterback's launch point at once. At his weight he's stout against the run too, hard to move off the ball -- the kind of edge who sets a firm edge and rushes from a base of strength. The development is the finesse to complement the force: add the counters and the bend, and a dominant power rusher becomes a complete one.

Career Arc

HS
Recruit
★★★★
#326 national
CFB
College
Minnesota
2022–2025
NFL
NFL Draft
Not drafted (yet)

Coaching Lineage · 2022–2025

1 coach
2022
P.J. Fleck
Minnesota
2023
P.J. Fleck
Minnesota
2024
P.J. Fleck
Minnesota
2025
P.J. Fleck
Minnesota

Played his entire career under P.J. Fleck.

2025 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2022Minnesota9-4HC: P.J. Fleck · Run-heavy
2023Minnesota6-7HC: P.J. Fleck · Run-heavy, slow tempo
2024Minnesota8-5HC: P.J. Fleck · Balanced
2025Minnesota8-5HC: P.J. Fleck · Balanced, slow tempo

Savant · Box-rate percentiles

Where this profile ranks vs the DL cohort

88All-Conference
6 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: sacks (99th). Strength: tackles for loss (99th).

Sacks#3 / 2975 · 100th pct
12.5defe
Tackles for loss#5 / 2975 · 100th pct
17.5defe
QB hurries#69 / 2975 · 97th pct
7defe
Passes defended#517 / 2975 · 78th pct
3defe
Tackles#976 / 2975 · 67th pct
38defe
Solo tackles#959 / 2975 · 67th pct
21defe

Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.

Career stats

Defense

Season-by-season defensive box score for disruption and splash plays.

Season Team TOTSOLOTFLSACKPDINTFF
2025 MinnesotaFinal snapshot 382117.512.53----
2024 MinnesotaFinal snapshot 271411.56.01----
2023 MinnesotaFinal snapshot 1472.01.0------
2022 MinnesotaFinal snapshot 110.00.0------
Career 4 loaded seasonsCareer row reflects the stat seasons currently loaded in this database. 804331.019.54----

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 8 · 2025

W 24–6

vs Nebraska

5 TOT  ·  3 SOLO  ·  2 SACKS

Game log

Game Log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 12 games

Box score · CFBD
WkOppTKLSOLOTFLSACKINTPDNote
Wk 1W 23-10vs Buffalo211.50.51Season-high 6 tackles
Wk 2W 66-0vs Northwestern State311.51.50
Wk 3L 14-27@ California211.01.00
Wk 5W 31-28vs Rutgers422.01.50
Wk 7W 27-20vs Purdue200.50.00
Wk 8W 24-6vs Nebraska532.52.502.5 sacks
Wk 9L 3-41@ Iowa300.50.00
Wk 10W 23-20vs Michigan State532.01.50
Wk 12L 13-42@ Oregon211.01.00
Wk 13L 35-38@ Northwestern331.01.00
Wk 14W 17-7vs Wisconsin100.00.00
BowlW 20-17vs New Mexico664.02.02
Total382117.512.53

How he plays

Savant · Box-rate percentiles

Where this profile ranks vs the DL cohort

88All-Conference
6 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: sacks (99th). Strength: tackles for loss (99th).

Sacks#3 / 2975 · 100th pct
12.5defe
Tackles for loss#5 / 2975 · 100th pct
17.5defe
QB hurries#69 / 2975 · 97th pct
7defe
Passes defended#517 / 2975 · 78th pct
3defe
Tackles#976 / 2975 · 67th pct
38defe
Solo tackles#959 / 2975 · 67th pct
21defe

Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.

PLAY STYLE

Smith is a power-rush edge -- 6-6, 295, a heavy, long defender who wins by walking tackles back into the pocket rather than running the arc around them. The bull rush is the foundation, and the 12.5 sacks and 17.5 tackles for loss say it works: he collapses the edge and the quarterback's launch point at once. At his weight he's stout against the run too, hard to move off the ball -- the kind of edge who sets a firm edge and rushes from a base of strength. The development is the finesse to complement the force: add the counters and the bend, and a dominant power rusher becomes a complete one.

2026 Outlook

Returning to Minnesota for 2026

2026 Depth chart

Projected starter

Defensive line · Minnesota

Returning around him

  • 44% of 2024 offensive production back (Moderate turnover)
  • 1 Minnesota player drafted to NFL
  • Transfer portal: -1 net (19 in / 20 out)

2026 Award watch

No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)

Minnesota · Last season: 8-5 · Talent rank #41 · 2026 recruiting class #49

Perception vs tape

Anthony Smith led the Big Ten in sacks at 6-6, 295 — a power rusher built like a defensive end and a tackle at once. He turned down the NFL to come back, sharpen the craft, and chase the first round.

Smith's 2025 was a wrecking-ball season: 12.5 sacks to lead the Big Ten and 17.5 tackles for loss, the kind of production that usually buys a ticket to the draft. Instead he rejected transfer interest and the NFL to return to Minnesota, pairing with Karter Menz to form one of the conference's best edge duos. The forward stakes are a climb up draft boards: he's already an All-America-caliber rusher, and 2026 is about refining the rush plan around a heavy, powerful base into a first-round profile. At his size, with this production, he's a problem for any tackle in the Big Ten.

How he plays

Smith is a power-rush edge — 6-6, 295, a heavy, long defender who wins by walking tackles back into the pocket rather than running the arc around them. The bull rush is the foundation, and the 12.5 sacks and 17.5 tackles for loss say it works: he collapses the edge and the quarterback's launch point at once. At his weight he's stout against the run too, hard to move off the ball — the kind of edge who sets a firm edge and rushes from a base of strength. The development is the finesse to complement the force: add the counters and the bend, and a dominant power rusher becomes a complete one.

2026 outlook · as of 2026-06-13

DNA match

Player DNA

The 3-Tech Penetrator

Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.

IDL

His 2025 production profile sits closest to Gabe Hall’s 2021 season.

Gabe Hall

70%match

Baylor · 2021

#2

Tuli Tuipulotu

USC · 2022

Consensus All-AmericanNFL Rd 2 · Pk 23
63%
#3

Anthony Smith

Minnesota · 2024

54%
#4

Maurice White

Memphis · 2021

52%
#5

Trajan Jeffcoat

Arkansas · 2023

51%

Matches Gabe on

Weight
Height
Sack rate

Differs from Gabe on

TFL rate (higher)

Not enough data yet for this comparison.

As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Darius Hodges's senior season at Tulane (2023).

Darius Hodges

48%match

Tulane · 2023

All-AAC
#2

Byron Turner Jr.

Tulsa · 2025

46%
#3

Brandon Matterson

UTSA · 2023

All-AAC
42%
#4

Gabriel Murphy

UCLA · 2023

42%
#5

RJ Oben

Duke · 2023

40%

Matches Darius on

Class year
Weight
Sack rate

Differs from Darius on

Height (higher)
TFL rate (higher)

Peer comparator

Peer Comparator · Fingerprint match

Three closest profiles by box-rate percentile

3 peers · 6 metrics
Anthony SmithMinnesotaJohn MillerUtah State· 83% simRasheem BilesPittsburgh· 83% simCade UluaveCalifornia· 82% sim
Sacks
100
Smith
99
Miller
95
Biles
89
Uluave
Tackles for loss
100
Smith
96
Miller
100
Biles
98
Uluave
QB hurries
97
Smith
98
Miller
88
Biles
88
Uluave
Passes defended
78
Smith
78
Miller
86
Biles
86
Uluave
Tackles
67
Smith
99
Miller
98
Biles
98
Uluave
Solo tackles
67
Smith
92
Miller
91
Biles
94
Uluave

Closest peers by overall box-score percentile profile at the same position.

Heisman trajectory

Heisman futures · live sportsbook odds

#8 in market ▼ from #6 · 4 books

+10009.1% implied