Naeem Smith

Senior safety for Rice. 2021: 4 interceptions, 5 pass breakups, 64 tackles.

S · Rice · Sr. · #3

5′11″ · 197 lb · Swisher, IA

CFB Index 48 · #273 of 509 safetiesMedium confidenceAll-ConferenceRice 2021 alumnus

Recruiting

2★

S recruit

No. 343 nationally · Joined Rice

No college snaps yet.

His career numbers, season by season

The story

4 safety for Rice. 2021: 4 interceptions, 5 pass breakups, 64 tackles.

Signed as a 2-star recruit to Rice in 2019.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Three seasons at Rice, 118 tackles — his college career is complete.

His career

Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.

201912 games

Signed with Rice2-star out of Ellsworth C.C.

202112 games

All-Conference USAhonorable_mention

Career arc

Recruit

★★

#343 national

CFB

College

Rice

2019–2021

NFL

NFL Draft

—

Not drafted

Trophy case · Confirmed honors

What the selectors said

1 honor

🎖

ALL-CONFERENCE USA

All-Conference USA mention (2021)

Coaching lineage · 2019–2021

1 coach

2019–2021

Mike Bloomgren

Rice

Played his entire career under Mike Bloomgren.

2021 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

3 seasons under Mike Bloomgren — 9-20 over that span.

2019Rice3-9HC: Mike Bloomgren · Run-leaning

2020Rice2-3HC: Mike Bloomgren · Run-heavy

2021Rice4-8HC: Mike Bloomgren · Run-leaning

Where this defender ranks vs the field

Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort

48Rotational starter #273 of 509?

Medium confidence7 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: interceptions (97th percentile). Strength: passes defended (91st percentile).

Box-score production (7)

Interceptions#14 / 824 · 97th pct

Passes defended#207 / 2743 · 91st pct

Tackles#339 / 2743 · 87th pct

Solo tackles#521 / 2743 · 80th pct

Sacks#829 / 2743 · 61st pct

1.0

QB hurries#827 / 2743 · 59th pct

Tackles for loss#1640 / 2743 · 37th pct

1.5

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

2021 season · 12 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Home6g	5.2	0.0	0.0	0.3
Road6g	5.5	0.2	0.2	0.5

First half vs Second half

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Weeks 1-76g	6.0	0.0	0.0	0.7
Weeks 8+6g	4.7	0.2	0.2	0.2

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Scott Abell

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2021

All-Conference

Picked for an all-conference team by at least one selector.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

48 · #273 of 509 safeties

Two-star recruit. Now #273 at the position.

Career stats

Season	Team
2021	Rice	64	32	1.5	1.0	5	4	--
2020	Rice	4	--	0.0	0.0	--	1	--
2019	Rice	50	29	3.5	1.0	3	2	--
Career		118	61	5.0	2.0	8	7	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 4 · 2021

W 48–34

vs Texas Southern

1 PD · 5 SOLO · 5 TOT

Edged out Texas Southern at home in a shootout.

With J. Constantine — 271 yds · 1 TD · 1 INT · QBR 54.9 · 1 rush yds (3 car) · J. Myers — 160 rush yds (26 car) · 4 TD

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2021 season · 12 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	TKL	SOLO	TFL	SACK	INT	PD	Note
Wk 1	L 17-38@ Arkansas	6	2	0.0	0.0	—	1
Wk 2	L 7-44vs Houston	6	3	0.0	0.0	—	1
Wk 3	L 0-58@ Texas	8	5	0.0	0.0	—	0	Season-high 8 tackles
Wk 4	W 48-34vs Texas Southern	5	5	0.0	0.0	—	1
Wk 5	W 24-19vs Southern Miss	5	2	0.0	0.0	1	0
Wk 7	L 0-45@ UTSA	6	3	0.0	0.0	—	1
Wk 8	W 30-24@ UAB	4	2	1.0	1.0	1	0
Wk 9	L 24-30vs North Texas	3	2	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 10	L 24-31@ Charlotte	4	1	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 11	L 21-42vs Western Kentucky	4	3	0.0	0.0	1	0
Wk 12	L 28-38@ UTEP	5	3	0.5	0.0	—	1
Wk 13	W 35-31vs Louisiana Tech	8	1	0.0	0.0	1	0
Total		64	32	1.5	1.0	4	5

Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology