North Carolina · W 38-35
9 tackles
The other 7 games average 4 tackles. This one was 5 above.
Chase Smith
Played for two head coaches in six seasons at Miami. A game that shows it: 9 tackles against North Carolina — Week 9, 2026.
35 tackles · 0 sacks
Play style
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
35 tackles. 0 passes defended. 0 interceptions. 1 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Last game (Wk 9): 9 tackles.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 8 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 45-6@ Stanford | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 77-7vs Florida A&M | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 33-20@ Wake Forest | 4 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | W 52-3vs Central Michigan | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 41-13@ Clemson | 6 | 5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | W 43-35vs Florida State | 6 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | W 52-23vs Pittsburgh | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | W 38-35@ North Carolina | 9 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 9 tackles |
| Total | 35 | 18 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
Oct. 31 · W 38-35 at North Carolina, play by play
9 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
How Miami’s defense played that day
3 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
6 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
6 tackles, including 1 more for loss.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
3 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 4 for him; the box score credits 3.
4 tackles.
1 tackle.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
3 tackles. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Week 5 · 2026
W 41-13
at Clemson
1 tackle for loss · 6 tackles · 5 solo tackles
Dominant 28-point win on the road against Clemson.
Ratings of the games shown run from -17 to +12 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
35tackles this seasonTFL rate
3%1 TFLSack rate
0%0 sacksPD rate
0%0 pass breakups35 tackles · 1 for loss.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 3.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road4g | 5.5 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 3.8 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 6.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Mario Cristobal
Pass share
47.3%
259 pass / 289 run
Plays / game
68.5
8 games
Team sack rate
3.5%
285 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Player standing · 2026
About as many tackles a game as a typical FBS linebacker who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Former four-star. Now #444 at the position.
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-ACC
Based on 2025: #68 of 74 ACC LBs
A base rate for the rank, not a forecast of this player: 15% of returning players who ranked #21 or lower at their position in their conference made an all-conference team the next season (95% confidence interval 13–17%).
2026 is in progress.
A stat line in 39 games over six seasons.
Coaching lineage · 2021–2026
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Manny Diaz → Mario Cristobal. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
