James Smith
Ohio State Buckeyes
91
Elite

James Smith

Ohio State BuckeyesElite
DTDefenseEliteTRANSFER · Alabama
Projected Starter

Is James Smith starting?

James Smith is the projected starter at DT for Ohio State Buckeyes.

See full Ohio State Buckeyes depth chart ›

The Story

A Five-Star Talent

A 5-star recruit out of Carver Montgomery, ranked #27 nationally coming out of high school. This season: 26 tackles, 6.5 TFL, 2.5 sacks. That's 5% of the team's production at his spot and 89th-percentile production nationally — good for a 91 overall (Elite tier).

Recruit5★ · #27 NatlTeam Share5%Percentile89th
Montgomery, AL
Jersey
#3
Class
SR/TR
Height
6'3"
Weight
310 lbs
Transfer
Alabama

Stats

SeasonTklTFLSacks
—266.52.5

Regular-season totals from public sources. Derived splits (completion %, yards per carry, catch rate) aren't available in our current dataset.

Recruiting Profile

Stars
★★★★★5-star
Composite
0.9877
National Rank
#27
High School
Carver Montgomery
Hometown
Montgomery, AL

Why this rating?

On a 96-rated defense; 89th-percentile production at transfer origin (×0.96 for competition level) put them +4 vs unit starters → 91.

Team defense (SP+)
96
Rating basis
On-field stats
Production (prior school)
Outperforms 89% of peers
Recruiting pedigree
Top 10% recruit
Strength of schedule
Faces easier competition — rating adjusted down (×0.96)
Depth-chart adjustment
+4 for role

2026 projection — based on SP+ (a respected team-efficiency metric; 2026 not published yet, using 2025), 2025 production, recruiting, and the 2026 transfer portal; capped to depth-chart order.

The People's Ratings

Is our 91 OVR fair?
91
Elite
Vote to see what thousands of fans think

Team Role

26 tkl · 6.5 TFL · 2.5 sacks
Usage / Involvement63%

Depth at DT · Ohio State Buckeyes

  1. 1391James SmithStarter
  2. 29685Eddrick Houston
Coach Ohio StateTake them from week one to the natty. You call every play.

Overall ratings blend team strength (SP+), on-field production, and recruiting. Higher = more impactful.