Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 56-3vs Ball State | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 1 tackles |
| Wk 2 | L 23-24@ Texas | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#53
Will Smith Jr.
Senior defensive tackle on Ohio State's 2026 roster.
6′3″ · 303 lb · Dublin, OH
CFB Index 29 · #260 of 330 interior linemenLow confidenceReturning to Ohio State for 2026
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.
The numbers
0
sacks · 2026
2 tackles
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 1 tackles, vs Ball State
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 defensive tackle on Ohio State's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 4-star recruit to Ohio State in 2023.
Will Smith Jr.
Wins his gap play after play. Third year in the Ohio State defensive front, same address the whole way. The receipt: 1 tackles against Texas — Week 2, 2026.
2 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- seasons on the roster
- game log
His career
2023
- Signed with Ohio State4-star out of Dublin Coffman
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★★
CFB
College
Ohio State
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
1 coach2024–2026
Ohio State
Played his entire career under Ryan Day.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
3 seasons under Ryan Day — 27-5 over that span.
2024Ohio State14-2HC: Ryan Day · Run-leaning, slow tempo
2025Ohio State12-2HC: Ryan Day · Run-leaning
2026Ohio State1-1HC: Ryan Day · Balanced
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Low confidence
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
Ryan Day
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
Rotational
Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Index Score
29 · #260 of 330 interior linemen
Former four-star. Now #260 at the position.
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-Big Ten
Based on 2025: #57 of 69 Big Ten DLs
How the All-Big Ten estimate is computed
15% estimated, 95% confidence interval 13–17%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Ohio State | 2 | -- | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Ohio State | 20 | 9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Ohio State | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 23 | 10 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 56–3
vs Ball State
Game log
How he plays
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
Ohio State
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive tackle · Ohio State
Returning around him
- 11 Ohio State players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -21 net (17 in / 38 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Ohio State · Last season: 12-2 (AP #3) · Talent rank #5 · 2026 recruiting class #4
DNA match
Player DNA
Two-Gap Base
Stout at the point of attack — steady tackle-for-loss production without a standout pass-rush number.
IDL
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Elijah Fuentes-Cundiff’s 2024 season.
92%match
Matches Elijah on
Sack rate
Hurry rate
Height
Differs from Elijah on
Class year (lower)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Daniel Lyons's sophomore season at Florida State (2023).
100%match
Matches Daniel on
Class year
Height
Hurry rate
Player DNA
Players who play like Will Smith Jr.
Background
Follow on Social Media Instagram: @iwillsmithjr Career Highs 3 Total Tackles (Two times – last vs. Rutgers on Nov. 22, 2025) Honors and Awards 2025: OSU Scholar-Athlete, Academic All-Big Ten Conference 2024: OSU Scholar-Athlete, Academic All-Big Ten Conference Junior (2025) Appeared in 13 games a...
The defensive line · Ohio State
- #2Kenyatta Jackson11 tackles for loss · 2025
- #3James Smith6.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #96Eddrick Houston4 tackles for loss · 2025
- #55John Walker2.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #53Will Smith Jr.0 tackles for loss · 2025
13 more on the roster · Ohio State team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology