Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 59-7vs Eastern Illinois | 1 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 13-38vs Mississippi State | 2 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 2 tackles |
| Total | 3 | 2 | 1.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
AS
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.
6′6″ · 280 lb · Shippensburg, PA · Shippensburg
CFB Index 92 · #9 of 420 edge rushersLow confidenceNational watchReturning to Minnesota for 2026
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
The numbers
0
sacks · 2026
1.5 TFL · 3 tackles
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 1 TFL, 2 tackles, vs Mississippi State
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
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.
- Signed as a 4-star recruit to Minnesota in 2022.
- Named Preseason All-America in 2026.
In Their Words
224 windows · 2026 fan posts
minnesota×76.6anthony×33.8fleck×152.9indiana×19.8carter×13.9jeremiah×11.5
The story
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.
His career
He arrived as a blue-chip recruit and played like one.
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.
Written by our staff.
2022
- Signed with Minnesota4-star out of Shippensburg Area
202512 games
The role got bigger.
- All-Big Tenfirst
2026
- Preseason All-AmericaSecond Team
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★★
CFB
College
Minnesota
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
🥇
ALL-AMERICA
All-America honors (2026)
1 mentions across the selector pool
🥈
ALL-BIG TEN · 1ST TEAM
All-Big Ten 1st team (2025)
Badges
- Honors Badge
Coaching lineage · 2022–2026
1 coach2022–2026
Minnesota
Played his entire career under P.J. Fleck.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
5 seasons under P.J. Fleck — 32-22 over that span.
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
2026Minnesota1-1HC: P.J. Fleck · Pass-leaning
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Medium confidenceSustained Ascent
Concern: tackles (0th percentile).
Box-score production (6)
Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 2 games: 1.5 TKL/g, 0.8 TFL/g, 0.0 SACK/g, 0.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
P.J. Fleck
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
All-Conference 1st team
First team in his league at the position.
our read the All-Conference 1st team honor is earned — and the box score backs it up emphatically: #9 of 420 FBS edge rushers by CFB Index Score.2025 profile
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Index Score
92 · #9 of 420 edge rushers
Former four-star. Now #9 at the position.
2026 outlook
In the mix to repeat All-Big Ten
Based on 2025: #1 of 69 Big Ten DLs
How the All-Big Ten estimate is computed
49% estimated, 95% confidence interval 43–54%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player.
Selector Grid · 2026
AP—
FWAA—
AFCA—
WCFF—
SN—
SI—
Career stats
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 59–7
1 TOT · 0 TFL
Dominant 52-point win at home against Eastern Illinois.
With J. Tracy — 5 rec · 98 yds · D. Lindsey — 264 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · QBR 86.2 · 6 rush yds (2 car)
Game log
How he plays
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.
Our classifier reads him the same way: disrupts the pocket from the interior.
2026 Outlook
Minnesota
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive line · Minnesota
Returning around him
- 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 #28
DNA match
Player DNA
3-Tech Penetrator
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
IDL
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Gabe Hall’s 2021 season.
71%match
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).
49%match
All-AAC
Matches Darius on
Weight
Hurry rate
Sack rate
Differs from Darius on
Height (higher)
TFL rate (higher)
Player DNA
Players who play like Anthony Smith
Background
PRONUNCIATION Your browser does not support HTML5 audio. HONORS: All-Big Ten First Team, Edge (2025, coaches) All-Big Ten Second Team, Edge (2025, media) AP Second Team All-Big Ten (2025) All-Big Ten Honorable Mention (2024) 2025 • JUNIOR SEASON: Started all 13 games • made 38 tackles • had 17.5...
The defensive line · Minnesota
- Anthony Smith17.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #3T.J. Bush10.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #11Karter Menz9 tackles for loss · 2025
- #1Jaxon Howard5.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #70Naquan Crowder3 tackles for loss · 2025
19 more on the roster · Minnesota team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology