CFB Zeitgeist Score
22
Below cohort in the position cohort. Carried by rush tds at the 50th percentile.
E.J. Smith
Below the discourse floor — the honest stats-only state.
205 RUSH YDS · 4 RUSH TD · 44 CARRIES
2026 Outlook
Returning to Texas A&M for 2026
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Running back · Texas A&M
Returning around him
- 75% of 2024 offensive production back (Strong continuity)
- 10 Texas A&M players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -2 net (19 in / 21 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Texas A&M · Last season: 11-2 (AP #7) · Talent rank #8 · 2026 recruiting class #9
RB · TEXAS A&M · SEC
E.J. Smith
- 4
- #22
- 5-11 | 211 lb
- Dallas, TX
Heisman Heat
#1539
<1% win probability
Fan Belief
Awaiting
Player-specific FI not yet ingested. Falls back to team mood below.
Respect Gap
Awaiting
Coming online with player-level FI.
Reality Gap
Awaiting
Coming online with player-level FI.
ACCOLADE PROBABILITY
Heisman
<1%
TOP RB AWARD
Doak Walker
—
CONSENSUS
All-American
—
Player Standing · 17 rungs
Tier 1 · 2-deepR04 · Rotational
Rotational. Earning real snaps in the rotation.
Not on team2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Development Trajectory · rushing yards
2021–2025+54%
Up 54% from first season to most-recent.
Career Arc
HS
Recruit
★★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Heisman futures · live sportsbook odds
#8 in market ▼ from #6 · 4 books
Identity & Role
The durable bio layer: position, size, hometown, and roster role.
Recruiting Pedigree
How big the prospect was before college, and whether the later career arc beat that expectation.
| Class | Profile | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 4-star | 0.9515 | No. 109 recruit | HighSchool | Stanford |
Transfer Arc
Portal movement changes role, context, and perception. This keeps that path in one place.
| Season | Move | Context |
|---|---|---|
| No transfer portal moves on file for this player. | ||
Heisman Lens · 2024 Season · Final
Where the player landed at the end of the listed season — final nowcast rank, win/finalist/ballot probabilities, and the cleanest official Heisman placement on file.
HIGH CONFIDENCE· through week 16Heisman Futures
Not yet listed on major futures markets.
No achievements unlocked yet this season.
Selector Grid · 2025
AP—
FWAA—
AFCA—
WCFF—
SN—
SI—
Selector recognition fills in once the major honors lists (AP, FWAA, AFCA, Walter Camp, Sporting News, SI) are scraped and ingested.
NIL · Recruiting · NFL Draft
Market value, pedigree & pro outcome
Recruit stars
★★★★☆
to Stanford
Composite
0.9515
#109 national
Today’s Hot-Take
The Hot-Take engine fires when this player’s percentile profile crosses a defensible threshold (top 10% in a cohort, 100+ snap sample). When it’s quiet, the model is honoring its “must be defensible” rule.
Anti-Take
PENDINGThe contrarian read fires when the rules-engine detects a stat that complicates the Hot-Take. Quiet here means the model hasn’t found a defensible counter yet — not that one doesn’t exist.
The Room on E.J. Smith
Fan sentiment · Awaiting signal
The Room reads fan conversation around a player — who’s talking, what they believe, and how that shifts. It publishes once weekly volume rebuilds; for most players that’s in-season, when game-week chatter spikes.
Cohort divergence map
Cohort divergence reads how different fanbases talk about this player. Returns once weekly mentions clear the publish floor.
Rival Radar
How rival fanbases talk about E.J. Smith
No rival-bucket mentions in the current season.
Signature Story
Awaiting candidate metric
He hasn't written his page yet — we'll start filling it in when there are enough snaps to rank against his peers.
Signature Moment
No signature moment on the ledger yet.
Returns once this player puts together a multi-game body of work — single-game flashes alone don't clear the bar.
Season Pace · Projection
Where the rushing totals stand
Through 9g
205Rush yards
44Carries
4Rush TDs
Per game
22.8Rush yards
5Carries
0Rush TDs
Projected (13g)
296.1Rush yards
64Carries
6Rush TDs
To hit 750-yard season (currently 205): needs 136.2/game over remaining 4.
To hit 1,000-yard season (currently 205): needs 198.8/game over remaining 4.
To hit 1,500-yard season (currently 205): needs 323.8/game over remaining 4.
To hit 10 rushing TDs (currently 4): needs 1.5/game over remaining 4.
To hit 15 rushing TDs (currently 4): needs 2.8/game over remaining 4.
To hit 20 rushing TDs (currently 4): needs 4/game over remaining 4.
What made this player interesting
The fast read on the thing that makes this player more than a generic stat line.
E.J. Smith's story is about how role and output meet each other. For Texas A&M, the card already shows enough current-season production to explain why he is on the serious-player board, and the next layer is determining whether the profile is just very good or actually distinctive.
2025 Season · Final
Traditional stats first. Advanced context underneath.
Last season
RB season snapshot
2025 season snapshot | final
2025 season snapshot | finalData: CFBD player stats + local Heisman modelPeer context: same position + same level
Player identity What kind of player is this?
30-second read
What kind of player is this?
Backfield contributor against FBS RB peers.
2025 Season · Final
2025 season snapshot | final
Rushing
CAR
44 55th
YDS
205 55th
YPC
4.7 53rd
TD
4 79th
Receiving
REC
4 38th
YDS
18 28th
YPR
4.5 20th
TD
0 70th
Game Log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 9 games
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 42-24vs UTSA | 2 | 6 | 3.0 | 1 | 3 | |
| Wk 2 | W 44-22vs Utah State | 3 | 25 | 8.3 | 0 | 11 | |
| Wk 7 | W 34-17vs Florida | 6 | 27 | 4.5 | 0 | 16 | |
| Wk 8 | W 45-42@ Arkansas | 7 | 52 | 7.4 | 0 | 15 | Season-high 52 yds |
| Wk 9 | W 49-25@ LSU | 5 | 5 | 1.0 | 0 | 5 | |
| Wk 11 | W 38-17@ Missouri | 6 | 24 | 4.0 | 1 | 17 | |
| Wk 12 | W 31-30vs South Carolina | 7 | 25 | 3.6 | 1 | 15 | |
| Wk 14 | L 17-27@ Texas | 4 | 27 | 6.8 | 1 | 13 | |
| Bowl | L 3-10vs Miami | 4 | 14 | 3.5 | 0 | 6 | |
| Total | 44 | 205 | 4.7 | 4 | 17 |
Season-by-season tables Career rows + per-season box score
Traditional history
Traditional Stats
Season rows up top, career context at the bottom.
Season context · Team result + system
2021Stanford3-9HC: David Shaw · Balanced, slow tempo
2022Stanford3-9HC: David Shaw · Balanced
2023Stanford3-9HC: Troy Taylor · Balanced
2025Texas A&M11-2HC: Mike Elko · Run-leaning
Advanced layer Usage, value, and context
Advanced metrics second
Advanced Metrics
Usage, value, and opponent-adjusted context.
Opponent-adjusted rushing value. It helps separate empty volume from carries that actually move the scoreboard.
How much of the team's offense flows through this back once rushing work and receiving work are combined.
Every percentile is compared against players at the same position and level, so an FBS quarterback is judged against FBS quarterbacks, not the whole sport.
The top tables stick to the stats fans already know from broadcasts and box scores. Advanced context is pushed underneath instead of replacing the basics.
Open full stat explorer
| Group | Metric | Value | Rank | Pct | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rushing | Rushing yards | 205 | #333/735 | 55th pct | Volumevs FBS RB |
| Rushing | Rush TD | 4 | #154/739 | 79th pct | Scoringvs FBS RB |
| Rushing | Yards / carry | 4.7 | #343/735 | 53rd pct | Efficiencyvs FBS RB |
| Receiving | Receptions | 4 | #343/552 | 38th pct | Volumevs FBS RB |
| Receiving | Receiving yards | 18 | #394/548 | 28th pct | Volumevs FBS RB |
| Value | Rushing WEPA | +0.16 | #111/362 | 70th pct | Opponent-adjusted rushing value | 41 weighted playsvs FBS RB |
| Usage | Role share | 7.4% | #410/738 | 45th pct | Share of team offensevs FBS RB |
| Rushing | Carries | 44 | #330/739 | 55th pct | Volumevs FBS RB |
| Rushing | Rushing LONG | 17 | #434/733 | 41st pct | Metricvs FBS RB |
| Receiving | Receiving LONG | 7 | #455/540 | 16th pct | Metricvs FBS RB |
| Receiving | Yards / catch | 4.5 | #438/548 | 20th pct | Efficiencyvs FBS RB |
| Receiving | Receiving TD | 0 | #169/552 | 70th pct | Scoringvs FBS RB |
| Usage | Rush share | 13.0% | #400/738 | 46th pct | Ground-game usagevs FBS RB |
| Usage | 3rd-down usage | 11.0% | #170/738 | 77th pct | Money-down loadvs FBS RB |
| Usage | Standard-down usage | 8.3% | #415/738 | 44th pct | Base-situation sharevs FBS RB |
| Usage | 1st-down usage | 7.2% | #452/738 | 39th pct | Early-down loadvs FBS RB |
| Usage | 2nd-down usage | 5.6% | #531/738 | 28th pct | Middle-down loadvs FBS RB |
| Usage | Passing-down usage | 5.2% | #446/738 | 40th pct | Known-passing sharevs FBS RB |
| Usage | Pass share | 1.7% | #433/738 | 41st pct | Air-game usagevs FBS RB |
Player Standing
Universal 17-step ladder. Tier pills below; accolade streams nested.
AWAITING CLASSIFICATION
On-team2-deepStartingRecognizedEliteApex
AWAITING CLASSIFICATION · Rung None of 16
Why he’s here
Standing classification populates when honors, Heisman, and roster signals all align.
What moves him up
What moves him down
Accolade streams
Status—Awaiting tracker
Heisman model tracks the top FBS contenders weekly; this player hasn't entered the watch list yet.
Splits · Per-game
2025 season · 9 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home5g | 19.4 | 4.6 | 0.4 |
| Road4g | 27.0 | 4.8 | 0.5 |
Win vs Loss
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wins7g | 23.4 | 4.5 | 0.4 |
| Losses2g | 20.5 | 5.2 | 0.5 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-74g | 18.0 | 4.8 | 0.2 |
| Weeks 8+5g | 26.6 | 4.6 | 0.6 |
Pocket and defense-quality (clean vs. pressure) splits are coming soon.
Savant · Box-rate percentiles
Where this profile ranks vs the RB cohort
22Below cohort
Concern: carries (5th).
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Advanced Savant · RB · 2024
Percentile Card
Advanced opponent-adjusted percentile bars are coming soon for this player.
P4G5All FBS
Advanced Savant
Opponent-adjusted advanced metrics with a cohort filter.
wepa_rushing0.16Mid (p50–p75) (n=178)
Peer Comparator · Fingerprint match
Three closest profiles by box-rate percentile
E.J. SmithTexas A&MTae MeadowsTroy· 53% simChavon WrightNorthern Illinois· 53% simJordan BrunsonMiami (OH)· 52% sim
Rush TDs
Yards / carry
Receptions
Rec yards
Long run
Rush yards
Carries
Closest peers by overall box-score percentile profile at the same position.
Player DNA
The Balanced Back
Plays within the scheme — consistent production without a dominant dimension.
RB
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Ethan Payne’s 2024 season.
Ethan Payne
74%match
#2
Jabari Small
All-SEC
74%
#3
Roydell Williams
73%
#4
Ryan Montgomery
71%
#5
Kedrick Reescano
70%
Matches Ethan on
Yards / carry
Total rush EPA (college ability)
Receiving share
Through 5 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Demetric Felton’s path through UCLA.
Demetric Felton
99%match
NFL Rd 6
#2
Joshua Samuel
94%
#3
Owen Allen
91%
#4
Kaelon Black
NFL Rd 3 · Pk 26
89%
#5
Khalan Laborn
All-Sun Belt
89%
Matches Demetric on
Yards per carry
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Mike Elko
Pass share
45.8%
407 pass / 482 run
Plays / game
68.4
13 games
OL sack rate (allowed)
3.8%
286 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Coaching Lineage · 2021–2025
3 coaches2021
Jimbo Fisher
Texas A&M
2022
Jimbo Fisher
Texas A&M
2023era →
Elijah Robinson
Texas A&M
2025era →
Mike Elko
Texas A&M
Played under 3 different head coaches: Jimbo Fisher, Elijah Robinson, and Mike Elko. Multi-era developmental context.
Bio · Recruiting · Transfer · Roster
Off-field context — switch tabs to drill into recruit profile, transfer arc, or roster timeline.
HometownDallas, TX
Height5'11"
Weight211 lb
Class4
PositionRB
Jersey22
No fields populated yet.
No fields populated yet.
Current teamTexas A&M
ConferenceSEC
Joined2025
Career arc5 season(s)
Trophy Case · Detail
Every honor on the ledger, broken out by stream and selector.
No formal honors on the ledger yet
All-America, all-conference, player-of-the-week, watch-list, and postseason awards land here when they're earned. The absence is the signal: most players never collect formal honors, and that's its own kind of context.
Honors Timeline
Season-end distinction and week-by-week recognition on one timeline.
| Season | Honor | Scope | Team / Selector | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No formal honors on the ledger yet. All-America, all-conference, weekly awards, watch lists, and postseason trophies land here when they’re earned. | ||||
Heisman By Year
Modeled rank and official finish by season.
| Season | Team | Role | Latest Model | Forecast | Win | Finalist | Official Finish | Points | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Texas A&M | RB4 | #1539 | #1455 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W16 snapshot | SEC |
| 2023 | Stanford | RB4 | #1555 | #2137 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W19 snapshot | Pac-12 |
| 2022 | Stanford | RB4 | #1267 | #1861 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W20 snapshot | Pac-12 |
| 2021 | Stanford | RB4 | #1004 | #1090 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W20 snapshot | Pac-12 |
Roster Timeline
Team, conference, and class by season.
| Season | Team | Conference | Pos | Class | Bio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Texas A&M | SEC | RB | 4 | No. 22 | 5-11 | 211 lb | Dallas, TX |
| 2024 | Texas A&M | SEC | RB | 4 | No. 22 | 5-11 | 211 lb | Dallas, TX |
| 2023 | Stanford | Pac-12 | RB | 4 | No. 22 | 5-11 | 211 lb | Dallas, TX |
| 2022 | Stanford | Pac-12 | RB | 4 | No. 22 | 5-11 | 211 lb | Dallas, TX |
| 2021 | Stanford | Pac-12 | RB | 4 | No. 22 | 5-11 | 211 lb | Dallas, TX |