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04 / Players

EVERY PLAYERHAS A STORY.

One player's season, told in order: game by game, against his position, where he does his damage, and who he plays like.

Shay Smith, UTEP LB: the 2026 season story

Shay Smith is a sophomore linebacker for UTEP (Mountain West). He ranks 664th of 930 linebackers in Division I by the Player Index, which judges every linebacker on the measures that matter at the position, adjusted for the opponents he faced.

01

Scouting report

Why it matters. Every measure is set against every ranked linebacker, so a strength here is a strength against the whole position, not just his own team. Shay Smith's strongest measure is passes defended per game at 0.14, 162nd of 459 (the average is 0.13). His weakest is interceptions per game at 0.00, 106th of 459 (the average is 0.03).

02

Season production

Why it matters. Volume is the first sign of how much a coaching staff trusts a player. His tackles per game, 3.4, ranks 357th among 459 ranked linebackers.

03

Against every linebacker

Why it matters. Volume, efficiency and impact plays can tell different stories: a player can be busy without being effective, or rarely used but dangerous every time. Among ranked linebackers he sits, on average, in the 22nd percentile for volume and 22nd for impact.

04

The season, game by game

Why it matters. Consistency matters to a team: one huge game and five quiet ones is a different season from six solid ones. Over 6 games, Shay Smith's best came in week 5 at New Mexico and his quietest in week 4 against Oregon State.

05

Where he does his damage

Why it matters. The shape of a player's production, not just its size, is what opponents scout.

06

National and conference

Why it matters. The Player Index puts every linebacker on one scale, adjusted for the defenses or offenses he faced, so a rank here is comparable across conferences. Shay Smith is 374th of 459 FBS linebackers and 28th of 30 in the Mountain West. Next up nationally is Percy Courtney Jr. of Florida International, 0.00 ahead on the index.

07

Linebackers like him

Why it matters. Players with similar profiles tend to be used the same way, which makes them a quick way to picture his game. His closest match this season is Cael Brezina of Penn State.

UTEP

UTEP season storyNo. 156 · 1-8

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Top linebackers in the Mountain West

Dylan LeeSan José StateEJ SmithNevadaBlake FletcherAir ForceGavin SellNorth Dakota StateEthan StuhlsatzWyomingJashawn NelsonNorthern IllinoisJeremy Naborne-OwensNevadaRay James Jr.North Dakota StateAizik MahukaSan José StateCam SanteeUNLV

About this page

A season, told as a story

Every player page tells one player's season in order. It shows where he ranks at his position in the Player Index, what he has done game by game, and how each game measured up against the defense or offense he faced.

What each part shows

The story covers his production against every qualified player at his position, where on the field he does his damage, how his usage has changed over the season, his best and quietest games, and the players whose seasons look most like his. Transfers show the school he came from. Any chart can be switched from the whole season to a single game.

Where the numbers come from

Everything is built from public play-by-play data for this season, with every game adjusted for the strength of the opponent. Past seasons back to 2015 are available from the season menu, so a player's career can be read year by year.