Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 9-19@ South Florida | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 1 tackles |
| Wk 2 | W 33-20vs Buffalo | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#95
Anthony Smith
Sophomore defensive lineman on Florida International's 2026 roster.
6′2″ · 345 lb · Fort Lauderdale, FL
Returning to Florida International for 2026
The numbers
0
sacks · 2026
2 tackles
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 1 tackles, vs Buffalo
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
2 defensive lineman on Florida International's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Florida International in 2025.
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.
His career
2025
- Signed with Florida International3-star out of Chaminade-Madonna
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
Florida International
NFL
NFL Draft
—
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2 seasons under Willie Simmons — 8-7 over that span.
2025Florida International7-6HC: Willie Simmons · Balanced
2026Florida International1-1HC: Willie Simmons · Pass-leaning, fast tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
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: 1.0 TKL/g, 0.0 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
Willie Simmons
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Florida International | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Florida International | 2 | -- | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 4 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 33–20
vs Buffalo
Game log
How he plays
2026 Outlook
Florida International
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive line · Florida International
Returning around him
- Transfer portal: -5 net (17 in / 22 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Florida International · Last season: 7-6 · Talent rank #90 · 2026 recruiting class #102
The defensive line · Florida International
- #5Kenton Simmons9 tackles for loss · 2025
- #13Dante Anderson5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #99Germaine Carter3 tackles for loss · 2025
- #15Nathan Jennings2 tackles for loss · 2025
- #95Anthony Smith0 tackles for loss · 2025
15 more on the roster · Florida International team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology