Former defensive back at Washington State. Career stats, games and honors on CFB Zeitgeist.
5′11″ · 176 lb · Denver, CO
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.
Recruiting
CB recruit
No. 1301 nationally · Signed with Washington State
No college snaps yet.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Former defensive back at Washington State. Career stats, games and honors on CFB Zeitgeist.
Chau Smith-Wade
Erases the deep middle of the field. Chau Smith-Wade has played for two head coaches in four seasons at Washington State. One game to point at: 7 tackles, 1 TFL against Oregon State — Week 4, 2023.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
How it ended
Four seasons at Washington State, 103 tackles — drafted at #157 overall by Carolina.
His career
He was on the field for 4 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
Career arc
Coaching lineage · 2020–2023
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Nick Rolovich → Jake Dickert. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Where He Ended Up · NFL
CarolinaEntering 3rd NFL season
Season context · Team result + system
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Elite: passes defended (93rd percentile). Concern: sacks (24th 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
2023 season · 7 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 4.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.8 |
| Road3g | 5.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 5.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.8 |
| Weeks 8+1g | 5.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Kirby Moore
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Player standing · 2023
Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Washington State | 35 | 22 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 6 | -- | -- |
| 2022 | Washington State | 43 | 31 | 2.5 | 0.0 | 8 | 2 | -- |
| 2021 | Washington State | 17 | 10 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 2 | 1 | -- |
| 2020 | Washington State | 8 | 7 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| Career | 103 | 70 | 6.0 | 0.0 | 17 | 3 | -- |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 4 · 2023
W 38–35
vs Oregon State
7 TOT · 3 SOLO · 1 TFL
Edged out Oregon State at home in a shootout.
With C. Ward — 404 yds · 4 TD · 0 INT · QBR 93.0 · 14 rush yds (9 car) · 1 TD · K. Williams — 7 rec · 174 yds · 1 TD
Game log · Week-by-week
2023 season · 7 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 50-24@ Colorado State | 7 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 7 tackles |
| Wk 2 | W 31-22vs Wisconsin | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 3 | W 64-21vs Northern Colorado | 2 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 4 | W 38-35vs Oregon State | 7 | 3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | L 17-25@ UCLA | 5 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 2 | |
| Wk 7 | L 6-44vs Arizona | 6 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 8 | L 24-38@ Oregon | 5 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Total | 35 | 22 | 2.0 | 0.0 | — | 6 |
Play style
Single-high range who erases the deep middle of the field.
CFB Index positional classification
Player DNA
Single-high range who erases the deep middle of the field.
His 2023 production profile sits closest to Chau Smith-Wade’s 2022 season.
Matches Chau on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Javan Robinson's senior season at Arizona State (2025).
Matches Javan on
Player DNA