Carlton Smith
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait. Second year in the Maryland linebacker corps. A game that shows it: 9 tackles and 1 tackle for loss against UCLA — Week 4, 2026.
47 tackles · 1 sack
Play style
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
47 tackles. 1 pass defended. 0 interceptions. 3 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Last game (Wk 9): 3 tackles.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 8 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 62-0vs Hampton | 4 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 38-14@ UConn | 6 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 26-35vs Virginia Tech | 7 | 3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | L 3-54vs UCLA | 9 | 5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 9 tackles |
| Wk 5 | L 23-48@ Nebraska | 8 | 5 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 6 | L 16-45@ No. 5 Ohio State | 7 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | L 30-37vs Rutgers | 3 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | L 17-20vs Illinois | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 47 | 26 | 3.0 | 1.0 | — | 1 |
Oct. 31 · L 17-20 vs Illinois, play by play
3 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
His game this year: disruption in the backfield — 3 tackles for loss, 1 of them a sack, in the 8 games with play by play.
How Maryland’s defense played that day
Illinois’s 11 drives: 7 stopped (1 takeaway) · 4 scored. While the game was within a score they held 7 of 11.
3 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
7 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
8 tackles, including 1 sack, 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 9 for him; the box score credits 8.
Sacked the quarterback for a 11-yard loss. First quarter, up 16-7.
9 tackles, including 1 more for loss.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 8 of his 9, sacks included.
7 tackles, including 1 more for loss.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 8 for him; the box score credits 7.
6 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
4 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 3 of his 4, sacks included.
Ratings of the games shown run from -5 to +29 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
47tackles this seasonTFL rate
6%3 TFLSack rate
2%1 sackPD rate
2%1 pass breakups47 tackles · 3 for loss · 1 sack.
2 seasons under Mike Locksley, all pass-leaning offenses — 6-14 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home5g | 5.2 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road3g | 7.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 6.3 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Weeks 8+1g | 3.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Mike Locksley
Pass share
56.1%
298 pass / 233 run
Plays / game
66.4
8 games
Team sack rate
2.8%
320 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Pass-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
About as many tackles a game as a typical FBS linebacker who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #263 at the position.
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-Big Ten
Based on 2025: #49 of 72 Big Ten LBs
A base rate for the rank, not a forecast of this player: 15% of returning players who ranked #21 or lower at their position in their conference made an all-conference team the next season (95% confidence interval 13–17%).
2026 is in progress.
