Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 1 game
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 45-13vs Youngstown State | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 1 tackles |
| Total | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#24
Jaden Smith
Sophomore defensive back on Kentucky's 2026 roster.
6′3″ · 205 lb · Charlotte, NC
Returning to Kentucky for 2026
Recruiting
4★
ATH recruit
No. 285 nationally · Signed with Kentucky
No college snaps yet.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
2 defensive back on Kentucky's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 4-star recruit to Kentucky in 2024.
Jaden Smith
Two seasons at Kentucky, two different head coaches: Mark Stoops and Will Stein. One game to point at: 1 tackles against Youngstown State — Week 1, 2026.
1 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
2024
- Signed with Kentucky4-star out of West Charlotte
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★★
CFB
College
Kentucky
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2025–2026
2 coaches2025
Kentucky
2026era →
Will Stein
Kentucky
Coaching transition mid-career: Mark Stoops → Will Stein. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2025Kentucky5-7HC: Mark Stoops · Run-leaning
2026Kentucky1-1HC: Will Stein · Balanced, slow tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Concern: tackles (0th percentile).
Box-score production (6)
Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 1 game: 1.0 TKL/g, 0.0 TFL/g, 0.0 SACK/g, 0.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Will Stein
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 45–13
1 TOT
Dominant 32-point win at home against Youngstown State.
With K. Minchey — 301 yds · 4 TD · 0 INT · 17 rush yds (1 car) · T. O'Hara — 42 AVG · 1 IN 20 · 45 LONG
Game log
How he plays
2026 Outlook
Kentucky
2026 Depth chart
Returning starter
Wide receiver · Kentucky
Returning around him
- 4 Kentucky players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: +4 net (31 in / 27 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Kentucky · Last season: 5-7 · Talent rank #23 · 2026 recruiting class #60
The secondary · Kentucky
- #14Ty Bryant76 tackles · 2025
- #5Jordan Castell54 tackles · 2025
- #20Terhyon Nichols18 tackles · 2025
- #30Grant Grayton16 tackles · 2025
- #24Jaden Smith9 tackles · 2025
17 more on the roster · Kentucky team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology