Senior defensive lineman on UConn's 2025 roster.
6′4″ · 245 lb · Norfolk, VA
The numbers
sacks · 2025
2 TFL · 21 tackles · 2 hurries
Best game: 0.5 TFL, 3 tackles, at Florida Atlantic
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 defensive lineman on UConn's 2025 roster.
Ben Smiley III
Wins his gap play after play. Across six seasons and two programs, three head coaches: Bronco Mendenhall, Tony Elliott and Gordon Sammis. One game to point at: 4 tackles against Buffalo — Week 5, 2025.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
His career
He was on the field for 6 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
Career arc
Coaching lineage · 2019–2025
4 coachesPlayed under 4 different head coaches: Randy Edsall, Lou Spanos, Jim Mora, and Gordon Sammis. Multi-era developmental context.
Season context · Team result + system
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Concern: solo tackles (17th percentile).
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 · Per-game
2025 season · 7 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 2.8 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road3g | 3.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-75g | 3.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 2.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Jason Candle
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Player standing · 2025
Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
Game log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 7 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 59-13vs Central Connecticut | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 20-27@ Syracuse | 3 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | W 31-25vs Ball State | 4 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 4 tackles |
| Wk 5 | W 20-17@ Buffalo | 4 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | W 51-10vs Florida International | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 12 | W 26-16vs Air Force | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 13 | W 48-45@ Florida Atlantic | 3 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 21 | 7 | 2.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
Play style
Stout at the point of attack — steady tackle-for-loss production without a standout pass-rush number.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
UConn
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive line · UConn
Returning around him
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
UConn · Last season: 9-4 · Talent rank #73 · 2026 recruiting class #110
Player DNA
Stout at the point of attack — steady tackle-for-loss production without a standout pass-rush number.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Toby Ndukwe’s 2020 season.
Matches Toby on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
Player DNA