James Smith
James Smith
Disrupts the pocket from the interior. James Smith has been at Alabama through two head coaches in three seasons. 2020 brought the first one: All-AAC. The receipt: 7 tackles, 1 sacks against Tennessee — Week 8, 2025.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- recognition record
- game log
Career Arc
Trophy Case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-CONFERENCE
All-Conf mention (2020)
All-AAC
Coaching Lineage · 2023–2025
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Nick Saban → Kalen DeBoer. 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
Kalen DeBoer
Awards
Player Standing · 17 rungs
Tier 2 · StarterR05 · Part-time starter
Part-time starter. Tackle volume for the position in part-time-starter range.
Trophy Case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-CONFERENCE
All-Conf mention (2020)
All-AAC
Career stats
How he plays
Play style
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Alabama
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive line · Alabama
Returning around him
- 10 Alabama players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -7 net (17 in / 24 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Alabama · Last season: 11-4 (AP #11) · Talent rank #2 · 2026 recruiting class #2
DNA match
Player DNA
3-Tech Penetrator
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Tyler Onyedim’s 2022 season.
Matches Tyler on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Ansel Din-Mbuh's junior season at TCU (2025).
Matches Ansel on