Isaac Smith
Isaac Smith
Holds up snap after snap without a weakness to attack. Two head coaches in three seasons, at two different programs. One game to point at: 4 tackles against Penn State — Week 12, 2025.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
Career Arc
Coaching Lineage · 2022–2025
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Mel Tucker → Jonathan Smith. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
2025 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
Splits & context
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Pat Fitzgerald
Awards
Player Standing · 17 rungs
Tier 1 · 2-deepR04 · Rotational
Rotational. Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Michigan State | 25 | 15 | 1.0 | 1.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Texas Tech | 32 | 15 | 3.5 | 2.5 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2022 | Texas Tech | 9 | 5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 66 | 35 | 5.5 | 3.5 | -- | -- | -- |
How he plays
Play style
No single standout number, but nothing missing either — competent across the board.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Michigan State
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Edge · Michigan State
Returning around him
- 2 Michigan State players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -18 net (28 in / 46 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Michigan State · Last season: 4-8 · Talent rank #38 · 2026 recruiting class #45
DNA match
Player DNA
Versatile End
No single standout number, but nothing missing either — competent across the board.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Cam Williams’s 2023 season.
Matches Cam on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Tyreem Powell's junior season at Rutgers (2023).
Matches Tyreem on
Background
Sixth-year graduate edge defender enters his second season at Michigan State in 2026 . . . received an additional year of eligibility from the NCAA for the 2026 season . . . transferred to Michigan State in the summer of 2025 after spending four years at Texas Tech (2021-24) . . . has played in 3...