Smith, the first-overall pick in the November 2022 XFL Draft, led the XFL during the 2023 season in rushing yardage by a mile with 791 yards on 158 attempts. For reference, Jacques Patrick, who finished second in rushing yardage and carries, only had 443 yards on 115 attempts. Smith also finished the regular season with seven rushing touchdowns, tied for first in the category with Arlington Renegades running back De’Veon Smith.
Smith started in all ten games for the Defenders during the regular season, plus two playoff games where he notched 36 carries for 138 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
Smith’s most notable performance of the season came during week five on the road against the St. Louis Battlehawks, where he ran for a significant 218 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries. The Defenders won that game 28-20, signifying their season sweep over the Battlehawks.
Smith, the Abilene, Texas native, also ran for an impressive 127 yards and one touchdown on 18 carries in the Defenders’ only regular-season loss against the Orlando Guardians during week seven.
Before the XFL, Smith spent five years at Baylor from 2017-2021. He redshirted his first year due to injury and saw action mainly through special teams during the 2018 and 2019 seasons. He played linebacker during the 2020 season and recorded 48 tackles, including five for a loss and one sack, before transitioning back to running back for the 2021 season, where he rewrote Baylor record books – setting the Bears’ single-season rushing record (1,621 yards) and single-season record for 100-yard rushing games (nine).
Smith signed with the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent shortly following the 2022 NFL Draft but was released on August 28, 2022, as part of final-roster cuts.
Now with the Vikings, Smith reunites with fellow all-XFL receiver Lucky Jackson, who had 36 catches for the Defenders for 573 yards and five touchdowns during the 2023 season.
With this signing, Smith represents the seventh Defenders player to make the jump to the NFL. Overall, he’s the 43rd XFL player to sign with an NFL team since the season concluded in the May.
