Senior safety on UTEP's 2026 roster.
6′0″ · 195 lb · Atlanta, GA
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
How he projects
Plays like an extra linebacker near the line.
Grades highest in play recognition and speed.
The full scouting readRecruiting
S recruit
No. 1373 nationally · Signed with Colorado
Last played in 2026.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior safety on UTEP's 2026 roster.
Xavier Smith
Plays like an extra linebacker near the line. He has spent three seasons in the UTEP secondary. One game to point at: 11 tackles against Michigan — Week 3, 2026.
21 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
His career
He was on the field for 4 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
Career arc
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
1 coachPlayed his entire career under Scotty Walden.
Game by game
Point color shows the opponent's defensive strength that week (red = weaker defense, blue = stronger) — dashed line is this player's own season average.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 0-51@ Oklahoma | 3 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 51-10vs Texas Southern | 7 | 2 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 17-52@ Michigan | 11 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 11 tackles |
| Total | 21 | 10 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 51–10
Since week 2: +11 tackles.
Season context · Team result + system
3 seasons under Scotty Walden — 6-21 over that span.
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Elite: tackles (86th percentile). Concern: passes defended (28th percentile).
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.
Defender profile · Production by role
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
PD rate
0%0 pass breakupsTackle volume
21tackles this seasonTFL rate
2%0 TFL21 tackles · 0 for loss.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home1g | 7.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road2g | 7.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 7.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Scotty Walden
Pass share
34.4%
54 pass / 103 run
Plays / game
52.3
3 games
Team sack rate
15.4%
65 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy, slow tempo.
Player standing · 2026
Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
Recognition
2026 outlook
In the mix for All-Mountain West
Based on 2025: #8 of 25 Conference USA Ss — his program moves to the Mountain West for 2026
35% estimated, 95% confidence interval 31–38%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player. The base rate was measured on players who stayed in the same conference; this estimate is not adjusted for the move to the Mountain West.
Play style
Lives near the line of scrimmage as a de facto extra linebacker.
CFB Index positional classification
Player DNA
Lives near the line of scrimmage as a de facto extra linebacker.
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Te'Rai Powell’s 2024 season.
Matches Te'Rai on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Darrius Bratton's senior season at Virginia (2022).
Matches Darrius on
Player DNA
16 more on the roster · UTEP team page