Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 0-51@ Oklahoma | 3 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 51-10vs Texas Southern | 7 | 2 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 7 tackles |
| Total | 10 | 5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#2
Xavier Smith
Senior safety on UTEP's 2026 roster.
6′0″ · 195 lb · Atlanta, GA
CFB Index 65 · #142 of 544 safetiesMedium confidenceReturning to UTEP 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.
Recruiting
3★
S recruit
No. 1373 nationally · Signed with Colorado
No college snaps yet.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 safety on UTEP's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Colorado in 2022.
Xavier Smith
Moves between deep coverage and the slot. He has spent three seasons in the UTEP secondary. One game to point at: 7 tackles, 0.5 TFL against Texas Southern — Week 2, 2026.
10 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- seasons on the roster
- game log
His career
He was on the field for 4 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
2022
- Signed with Colorado3-star out of Langston Hughes
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
UTEP
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
1 coach2024–2026
UTEP
Played his entire career under Scotty Walden.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
3 seasons under Scotty Walden — 6-20 over that span.
2024UTEP3-9HC: Scotty Walden · Run-leaning
2025UTEP2-10HC: Scotty Walden · Balanced
2026UTEP1-1HC: Scotty Walden · Run-heavy, slow tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Medium confidence
Concern: tackles (10th 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: 5.0 TKL/g, 0.2 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
Scotty Walden
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
Starter
Tackle volume for the position at a full-time starter's level.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Index Score
65 · #142 of 544 safeties
Three-star recruit. Now #142 at the position.
2026 outlook
In the mix for All-Mountain West
Based on 2025: #8 of 25 Conference USA Ss — his program moves to the Mountain West for 2026
How the All-Mountain West estimate is computed
35% estimated, 95% confidence interval 31–38%. 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. The base rate was measured on players who stayed in the same conference; this estimate is not adjusted for the move to the Mountain West.
Career stats
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 51–10
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
UTEP
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Safety · UTEP
Returning around him
- Transfer portal: +1 net (21 in / 20 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
UTEP · Last season: 2-10 · Talent rank #102 · 2026 recruiting class #92
DNA match
Player DNA
Hybrid Nickel
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
S
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Joseph Charleston’s 2023 season.
Matches Joseph on
Tackle volume
PD rate
TFL rate
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Ethan Slade's junior season at BYU (2023).
92%match
Matches Ethan on
Class year
Height
Interceptions
Player DNA
Players who play like Xavier Smith
The secondary · UTEP
- #2Xavier Smith60 tackles · 2025
- Justin Content58 tackles · 2025
- #7Kode Lowe34 tackles · 2025
- #5TJ Tillman12 tackles · 2025
- #17Darnell Williams5 tackles · 2025
16 more on the roster · UTEP team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology