James Smith
Ohio State Buckeyes
85
Great

James Smith

Ohio State BuckeyesElite
DTDefenseGreatTRANSFER · Alabama
2nd String / Backup

Is James Smith starting?

James Smith is listed 2nd string at DT for Ohio State Buckeyes.

James Smith is listed DT #2 for Ohio State at 85 OVR.

See full Ohio State Buckeyes depth chart ›

Depth at DT · Ohio State Buckeyes

  1. 19697Eddrick HoustonStarter
  2. 2385James SmithYou

What's Next

Who do they play next?Thomas Aden — vs Kent State · Sat, Sep 19Who's the backup?See every Ohio State positionHow do they compare?Michigan — The Game

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 85 overall (Great 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 99-rated defense; 89th-percentile production at transfer origin (×0.98 for competition level) put them +5 vs unit starters → 85.

Team defense (SP+)
99
Rating basis
On-field stats
Production (prior school)
Outperforms 89% of peers
Recruiting pedigree
Top 8% recruit
Strength of schedule
Faces easier competition — rating adjusted down (×0.98)
Depth-chart adjustment
+5 for role; −6 depth penalty

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.

2026 Game Log

Sep 12LTEXTKL 1
TKL
1
SOLO
0
SACK
0
INT
0
PD
0

Final L 24-23

Sep 5WBALLTKL 2
TKL
2
SOLO
1
SACK
0
INT
0
PD
0

Final W 56-3

James Smith's 2026 game-by-game stat log.

The People's Ratings

Is our 85 OVR fair?
85
Great
Vote to see what thousands of fans think

Team Role

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