Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 13-62@ Mississippi State | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 20-26@ UAB | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 4 tackles |
| Total | 5 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#92
James Smith
Senior defensive lineman on UL Monroe's 2026 roster.
6′3″ · 275 lb · Virginia Beach, VA
Returning to UL Monroe for 2026
The numbers
0
sacks · 2026
5 tackles
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 4 tackles, at UAB
His career numbers, season by seasonJames Smith
Wins his gap play after play. James Smith has been at UL Monroe through two head coaches in five seasons. One game to point at: 4 tackles against UAB — Week 2, 2026.
5 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
Career arc
HS
Recruit
—
CFB
College
UL Monroe
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2022–2026
2 coaches2022–2023
UL Monroe
Coaching transition mid-career: Terry Bowden → Bryant Vincent. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2022UL Monroe4-8HC: Terry Bowden · Run-leaning, slow tempo
2023UL Monroe2-10HC: Terry Bowden · Run-leaning
2024UL Monroe5-7HC: Bryant Vincent · Run-heavy, slow tempo
2025UL Monroe3-9HC: Bryant Vincent · Run-leaning, slow tempo
2026UL Monroe0-2HC: Bryant Vincent · Run-heavy
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 2 games: 2.5 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
Bryant Vincent
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
Rotational
Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Stout at the point of attack — steady tackle-for-loss production without a standout pass-rush number.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
UL Monroe
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive line · UL Monroe
Returning around him
- Transfer portal: +3 net (20 in / 17 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
UL Monroe · Last season: 3-9 · Talent rank #132 · 2026 recruiting class #127
DNA match
Player DNA
Two-Gap Base
Stout at the point of attack — steady tackle-for-loss production without a standout pass-rush number.
IDL
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Isaiah Johnson’s 2025 season.
85%match
Matches Isaiah on
Class year
TFL rate
Sack rate
Differs from Isaiah on
Height (higher)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Zy Brockington's senior season at Akron (2024).
70%match
Matches Zy on
Class year
TFL rate
Sack rate
Differs from Zy on
Height (higher)
Player DNA
Players who play like James Smith
The defensive line · UL Monroe
- #1Kevontay Wells4 tackles for loss · 2025
- #92James Smith1 tackle for loss · 2025
- #44CJ Wilson Jr.2 games · 2026
- #4Derek Omoregie1 game · 2026
- #95Levontae Jacobsno box-score line yet
10 more on the roster · UL Monroe team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology