With UTSA looking to expand its lead, the Roadrunners turned to Trelon Smith.
UTSA was leading 17-14 early in the second quarter of a Conference USA game against Middle Tennessee. On second and goal, the Roadrunners called a play for Smith to finish the drive off.
Immediately after the snap, Smith took a handoff and recognized his offensive line provided a path to the end zone on his left. He cut upfield, but right before he crossed the goal line, a defender laid a hit on him hoping to stop him short of the end zone.
It didn’t matter. Smith scored anyway.
Smith, a running back who transferred from Arkansas, knows how to gain yardage in pivotal moments.
Trelon Smith Stats And Highlights
Smith played at three different colleges. He showed the most potential at the Power Five level.
First, Smith played at Arizona State for two seasons. There, he ran for 60 yards on 12 attempts in 13 games over the course of two seasons.
Then he transferred to Arkansas where he made 11 starts and played in 23 games. In 2020, he ran for 710 yards and five touchdowns on 134 carries. The following season, he ran 119 times for 598 yards and five touchdowns. He averaged 57 yards per game during his time as a Razorback.
He played at UTSA in 2022, but his last collegiate season was hampered by an ankle injury. He played in seven games and totaled 190 yards and two touchdowns on 54 rushing attempts.
Trelon Smith Draft Projection
Smith could be drafted in the seventh round because of what he’s shown he can do throughout his collegiate career. Others believe he’ll go undrafted.
Trelon Smith Draft Profile
It’s unclear how much Smith’s ankle injury will affect him moving forward. Still, he showed he had great awareness as a running back in college.
Smith was often thinking one step ahead of almost everyone on the field. He would set defenders up to pursue him one way only to cut back in an instant.
Smith mostly played in zone blocking schemes, and he was a north-south type of runner. After he decided to make a cut, he didn’t worry about anything else except moving upfield.
At 5-foot-9, 185 pounds while at UTSA, Smith was not a large running back. However, he was still effective in goal-line and short-yardage situations. He was also a capable pass catcher.
Smith often was tackled after initial contact at Arkansas. But he seemed to work on that after going to UTSA, as 101 of his 190 yards there were after contact.
Overall, Smith’s quickness and instincts make it worthwhile for an NFL team to take a chance on him.
