Rodney Smith (running back)

Rodney Smith
Minnesota Golden Gophers – No. 1
Position Running Back
Class Senior
Major Youth Studies
Career history
College
Bowl games
High school Mundy's Mill (GA)
Personal information
Born: (1996-02-28) February 28, 1996
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight 205 lb (93 kg)
Career highlights and awards
  • Third team All-Big Ten (2016)
  • 2016 Holiday Bowl Offensive MVP

Rodney Smith (born February 28, 1996) is an American football running back. He plays college football for the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers.

Early years

A 2014 graduate of Mundy's Mill High School, Smith played both football and baseball. As a senior, Smith helped lead Mundy's Mill to its best record to date, 8-5, while rushing for 261 times for 2,201 yards and earning first team all-state honors.[1] As a baseball player, Smith finished his career by being named the Region 4-AAAAA Player of the Year in Georgia.[2]

As a recruit, Smith was ranked a three-star prospect and the 71st best running back in the 2014 recruiting class by 247Sports.[3] Smith was also rated as a three-star prospect by ESPN[4] and Scout,[5] while Rivals listed him as a two-star prospect.[6] Smith committed to Minnesota over offers from East Carolina, Southern Miss, and others, citing the prestige of a Big Ten degree and Minnesota's physical rushing-based offense as key reasons for his decision.[7]

College career

Freshman season

After redshirting during the 2014 season, Smith played in 12 of Minnesota's 13 games as a redshirt freshman during the 2015 season, rushing 157 times for 670 yards and 2 touchdowns.[1]

Sophopmore season

During his sophomore campaign, Smith took the lead role in the Gophers' backfield, starting the majority of games while splitting the overall workload with fellow sophomore Shannon Brooks.[8] During the regular season, Smith rushed for 1,084 yards and 15 touchdowns, earning third-team all-Big Ten honors for his efforts. The 15 touchdowns would also rank, at the time, as the third most rushing touchdowns in a single season for a Gophers running back.[9] The Gophers would qualify for the Holiday Bowl, taking on Washingston State. Smith starred in the game, leading all rushers with 17 carries for 74 yards and added a touchdown, which earned him the offensive MVP award for the Holiday Bowl.[10][11]

Statistics

Smith's statistics are as follows:[12]

NCAA Collegiate Career statistics
Minnesota Golden Gophers
Season Rushing Receiving
AttYardsAvgYds/GTDRecYardsTD
2014 Redshirt
2015 1576704.355.82161240
2016 2401,1584.889.116231880
2017 2299774.381.43171070
NCAA Career Totals 6262,8054.575.821564190

References

  1. 1 2 "Rodney Smith". GopherSports. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  2. ↑ Mahone, Derek (22 May 2014). "Rodney Smith named top baseball player in Region 4-AAAAA". Clayton News-Daily. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  3. ↑ "Rodney Smith,Mundy's Mill,Running Back". 247Sports. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  4. ↑ "Rodney Smith - Football Recruiting - Player Profiles". ESPN. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  5. ↑ "Rodney Smith,Mundy's Mill HS RB". Scout. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  6. ↑ "Rodney Smith". Rivals. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  7. ↑ Goblirsch, Kyle (24 January 2014). "Smith "Excited" to be a Gopher". Gopher247. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  8. ↑ Ward, Austin (14 December 2016). "Season Review: Tracy Claeys, Minnesota show clear signs of progress". ESPN. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  9. ↑ "Four Gophers on Offense Honored by B1G". GopherSports. 30 November 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  10. ↑ "Minnesota emerges from turmoil to upset WSU in Holiday Bowl". Sports Illustrated. 27 December 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  11. ↑ "Holiday Bowl MVP's given to Blake Cashman and Rodney Smith". The Daily Gopher. 27 December 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  12. ↑ "Mitch Leidner". www.sports-reference.com. USA TODAY Sports Digital Properties. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
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