#17

Dalvin Smith

Former wide receiver at Western Kentucky. 2024: 30 catches, 397 receiving yards, 4 TD.

WR · Western Kentucky · Sr. · #17

6′2″ · 188 lb · Glasgow, KY

CFB Index 41 · #266 of 466 WRsHigh confidenceWestern Kentucky 2024 — college career complete

Recruiting

3★

WR recruit

No. 2053 nationally · Signed with Western Kentucky

Statement game9 rec · 77 yds · 3 TDvs Old Dominion (FBS) · W 38-35

Top 1% catches game since 2021.

His career numbers, season by season

The story

Former wide receiver at Western Kentucky. 2024: 30 catches, 397 receiving yards, 4 TD.

Signed as a 3-star recruit to Western Kentucky in 2019.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Five seasons at Western Kentucky, 1,562 receiving yards — his college career is complete.

His career

He barely played early on. Then he did not come off the field.

The week the volume broke through — put up 145 yds at South Alabama.South Alabama · W 44-232022

2019

Signed with Western Kentucky3-star out of Glasgow

Career arc

Recruit

★★★

#2053 national

CFB

College

Western Kentucky

2020–2024

NFL

NFL Draft

—

Not drafted

Coaching lineage · 2020–2024

1 coach

2020–2024

Tyson Helton

Western Kentucky

Played his entire career under Tyson Helton.

2024 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

5 seasons under Tyson Helton — 39-28 over that span.

2020Western Kentucky5-7HC: Tyson Helton · Balanced

2021Western Kentucky9-5HC: Tyson Helton · Pass-heavy, fast tempo

2022Western Kentucky9-5HC: Tyson Helton · Pass-leaning

2023Western Kentucky8-5HC: Tyson Helton · Pass-leaning

2024Western Kentucky8-6HC: Tyson Helton · Balanced

Where this profile ranks vs the WR cohort

Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles

41Rotational starter #266 of 466?

High confidence13 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: td rate (82nd percentile). Concern: catch rate (18th percentile).

Real play-by-play efficiency

TD rate#111 / 610 · 82nd pct

10.8%

Yards / catch#204 / 610 · 67th pct

13.2

EPA / target#286 / 610 · 53rd pct

0.90

Explosive rate#427 / 610 · 30th pct

10.8%

Catch rate#503 / 610 · 18th pct

81.1%

Box-score rates (8)

Long catch#117 / 541 · 78th pct

Rec TDs#140 / 541 · 69th pct

Yards / catch#258 / 541 · 52nd pct

13.2

Rec yards#271 / 541 · 50th pct

397

Receptions#268 / 541 · 50th pct

Rush TDs#55 / 299 · 41st pct

Fumbles lost#90 / 221 · 36th pct

Rush yards#298 / 299 · 1st pct

-11

Season trend

Last seasonThis season

EPA / target

39th → 53rd percentile

Explosive rate

18th → 30th percentile

Catch rate

29th → 18th percentile

TD rate

50th → 82nd percentile

Yards / catch

34th → 67th percentile

Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season. Most bars are box-score rates; EPA / success-rate bars are computed from real play-by-play (offense only — no defensive EPA model exists yet).

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2024 season · 13 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	REC/g	YDS/g	YPR	TD/g
Home6g	2.2	24.2	12.4	0.3
Road7g	2.4	36.0	17.0	0.3

First half vs Second half

	REC/g	YDS/g	YPR	TD/g
Weeks 1-77g	2.3	34.0	17.7	0.4
Weeks 8+6g	2.3	26.5	11.6	0.2

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Tyson Helton

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2024

Rotational

Earning real snaps in the rotation without a starting job.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

41 · #266 of 466 WRs

Three-star recruit. Now #266 at the position.

Career stats

Season	Team
2024	Western Kentucky	30	397	13.2	4	--
2023	Western Kentucky	50	513	10.3	6	--
2022	Western Kentucky	35	443	12.7	4	--
2021	Western Kentucky	11	151	13.7	5	--
2020	Western Kentucky	4	58	14.5	2	--
Career		130	1,562	12.0	21	--

Season	Team
2024	Western Kentucky	1	-11	--	--	--
2023	Western Kentucky	1	25	--	--	--
2022	Western Kentucky	--	--	--	--	--
2021	Western Kentucky	--	--	--	--	--
2020	Western Kentucky	--	--	--	--	--
Career		2	14	--	--	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2024

W 31–0

vs Eastern Kentucky

4 rec · 34 yds · 1 TD

Dominant 31-point win at home against Eastern Kentucky.

With T. Finley — 351 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · QBR 50.4 · 13 rush yds (3 car) · K. Johnson — 14 rush yds (2 car)

Signature plays

Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|

The plays that mattered most

fact

Week 1 · James Madison · 3&4 · Q3 · EPA +4.92Caden Veltkamp pass complete to Dalvin Smith for 65 yds to the JMU 4 for a 1ST down
Week 11 · New Mexico State · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA +3.92Dalvin Smith pass complete to Kisean Johnson for 51 yds for a TD (Lucas Carneiro KICK)
Week 7 · UTEP · 3&8 · Q1 · EPA +3.92Caden Veltkamp pass complete to Dalvin Smith for 30 yds for a TD (Lucas Carneiro KICK)
Week 1 · James Madison · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA -3.24Dalvin Smith run for a loss of 11 yards to the WKU 40 Dalvin Smith fumbled, recovered by JMU Gannon Weathersby
Week 2 · Eastern Kentucky · 3&10 · Q4 · EPA +3.14TJ Finley pass complete to Dalvin Smith for 12 yds for a TD (Lucas Carneiro KICK)
Week 1 · James Madison · 3&10 · Q2 · EPA +3.11Caden Veltkamp pass complete to Dalvin Smith for 11 yds for a TD (Lucas Carneiro KICK)
Week 3 · Middle Tennessee · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA +3.01Dalvin Smith pass complete to Kisean Johnson for 36 yds for a TD (Lucas Carneiro KICK)
Week 13 · Liberty · 2&7 · Q1 · EPA +2.90Caden Veltkamp pass complete to Dalvin Smith for 38 yds to the LIB 23 for a 1ST down
Week 13 · Liberty · 2&6 · Q2 · EPA +2.56Caden Veltkamp pass complete to Dalvin Smith for 9 yds for a TD (Lucas Carneiro KICK)
Week 3 · Middle Tennessee · 3&8 · Q2 · EPA +2.54Caden Veltkamp pass complete to Dalvin Smith for 37 yds to the WKU 40 for a 1ST down

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2024 season · 13 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	Note
Wk 1	L 0-63@ Alabama	2	4	2.0	0	2	Season-high 76 yds
Wk 2	W 31-0vs Eastern Kentucky	4	34	8.5	1	12
Wk 3	W 49-21@ Middle Tennessee	1	37	37.0	0	37
Wk 4	W 26-21vs Toledo	2	18	9.0	0	11
Wk 5	L 20-21@ Boston College	3	30	10.0	0	17
Wk 7	W 44-17vs UTEP	2	39	19.5	1	30
Wk 8	W 31-14@ Sam Houston	3	28	9.3	0	10
Wk 10	W 31-14vs Kennesaw State	3	25	8.3	0	10
Wk 11	W 41-28@ New Mexico State	2	14	7.0	0	7
Wk 12	L 7-12vs Louisiana Tech	1	14	14.0	0	14
Wk 13	L 21-38@ Liberty	4	63	15.8	1	38
Wk 14	W 19-17vs Jacksonville State	1	15	15.0	0	15
Bowl	L 17-27@ James Madison	2	76	38.0	1	65
Total		30	397	14.9	4	65

Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology