Nevada · L 13-30
No tackles.
North Dakota State · L 7-31
No tackles.
Smith has tackles in 6 of UTEP’s 8 games: none against Nevada and North Dakota State.
4 stories in the last 60 days, from 2 outlets.
Franklin alum Shay Smith turns position change into UTEP breakthrough
El Paso Times Sep 17
Shay Smith
Three seasons in the UTEP linebacker corps to date. One game to point at: 8 tackles against New Mexico — Week 5, 2026.
21 tackles · 0 sacks
Play style
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
from 2 outlets
Franklin alum Shay Smith turns position change into UTEP breakthrough
El Paso Times Sep 17 · 1 outlet
from 2 outlets
UTEP linebacker Shay Smith works out during UTEP spring football practice Monday at the Sun Bowl
The Lufkin Daily News Sep 17 · 1 outlet
Each week: the team’s game, the stories about this player that week, and the week’s biggest news headline.
Stories are headlines grouped by what they are about, counted through Nov 5.
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Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 6 games
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| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 0-51@ No. 10 Oklahoma | 4 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 51-10vs Texas Southern | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 17-52@ No. 19 Michigan | 4 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | L 7-33vs Oregon State | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | L 7-61@ New Mexico | 8 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 8 tackles |
| Wk 7 | L 11-24vs San José State | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Total | 21 | 6 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 |
Ratings of the games shown run from -11 to +12 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where the impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
21tackles this seasonTFL rate
5%1 TFLSack rate
0%0 sacksPD rate
5%1 pass breakups21 tackles · 1 for loss.
3 seasons under Scotty Walden — 6-26 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 6 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home3g | 1.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
| Road3g | 5.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 3.5 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Scotty Walden
Pass share
38.7%
179 pass / 283 run
Plays / game
57.8
8 games
Team sack rate
18.0%
228 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy, slow tempo.
Player standing · 2026
Fewer tackles a game than most FBS linebackers who play every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #481 at the position.
The No. 1,682 recruit in the country is starting at linebacker in the Mountain West.
2026 is in progress.
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
1 coachPlayed every college season under Scotty Walden.
