Notre Dame Football Recruiting
Film Don't Lie: RB Jahmir Smith
July 23, 2017
8,036
The running back board for the 2018 recruiting has been shrinking for awhile with backs committing one after another. It was starting to look like Notre Dame would have to start sending out more offers if they really wanted to land a second running back commitment in the 2018 class.
They no longer have to worry about that, though, after Jahmir Smith (Sanford, North Carolina) pulled the trigger for Notre Dame on Sunday. He joins Markese Stepp as the second running back commit in the class and although he is smaller than Stepp, their games really aren't that much different.
He runs a lot bigger than his size would indicate and there are plenty of reasons to be excited about this pickup for the Irish (even ignoring that he had a USC offer). Here's a look at what Notre Dame fans can look forward to with Smith.
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 198
Projected position: Running back
ISD Grade: 88 (3 star)
National Average Grade: 87.1 (3 star)
A lot of prospects will have a lot of cheesy titles for their highlight tape. Things like #BeastMode are common and they are not often correct when describing what you're about to see. With Smith, the title of his is darn near perfect. "A Downhill Force" might as well be the title of his future autobiography. He is a north-south power runner that is bringing every ounce of effort on the play and if you're not ready, then he is going to run through your tackle attempt.
He breaks plenty of long runs, but this kind of run defines his game. It's blocked for about three, but he gets about seven or eight.
You can see his legs are still churning after contact and he is carrying tacklers to get to where he wants to be. He is a finisher.
This is more finish here as he doesn't simply settle for what is originally there. If he was a knight, his sword would be called "Tackle Breaker". He is constantly fighting for more yards and his effort in doing so is outstanding. He'll spin and battle for every inch.
I love the way he hits the hole. He is decisive and runs like he is shot out of a cannon when he touches the football. That's a big reason why he will get by initial tackles and you can see the balance to run through a swipe at his legs at the second level as well on this particular play.
There is a lot I see with his style that should project well as a short yardage runner. Some guys are just better at than others regardless of size and I can see that being the case with Smith. But in addition to short yardage, he shows the kind of speed to run away from defenders.
If it's blocked up right where he gets a crease, he can take it the distance. He showed he was capable of it multiple times on film.
He can hit the turbo button and go from 0 to 60 pretty darn quick. A lot of downhill runners don't always have that in their tool belt, but he does.
Think of wearing down a defense in the 4th quarter and getting a hole that may result in a 1st down run for someone else. With Smith, he could turn that into a nail in the coffin situation.
I'm sure there are some who see those plays or watch his highlight film and wonder why he is ranked as a 3 star prospect. There are a few reasons why I have him ranked that way.
The first is that he doesn't show great lateral agility. To me, that is an essential trait for a running back. His feet are above average, but not outstanding. I mentioned that I love how fast he hits the hole, but it's not always going to be a perfect hole to run through. When things get blown up, he is more likely to pinball off the back of a lineman than adjust on the fly to the new hole that is presented. That could work out fine, but it's not ideal.
He's also not someone who is going to make a lot of defenders miss. This kind of move he put on the defender here is rare for him.
Another thing he needs to work on is his receiving skills. He only caught the ball a few times from the film I've seen and those were on screens and swing passes. I watched some camp footage of him and he is just not a natural receiver or route runner. That is something he can work on and get a lot better at, but it's not a big part of his game right now.
There is probably an expectation that he would be more of receiving type of back to go with Stepp, but Stepp is probably the better pass catcher based on what I have seen. Smith offers more of a change of pace in terms of hitting the defense with a different kind of speed and acceleration, but he doesn't look like someone who could line up in the slot and burn a linebacker one on one.
I guess this all depends on the type of offense Notre Dame will run in the next few years. If they are transitioning to a running game that is going to feature more iso, power, counter trey, and be a downhill type of team, then I think Smith has a bright future in that kind of offense. It would cater to his strengths and he might even emerge as a number one back if that is the direction they are going.
But if they aren't going to run the ball like that as a base part of their run game, then I think his ceiling more than likely projects to be a good closer that can be the second back for the Irish after establishing himself. Think of him as a pinch hitter that can come in after the lead guy has been pounding out singles and doubles then Smith comes in to bang them with triples and home runs.
That's what I see for Smith. He may not be a high volume guy, but we could see high efficiency in terms of yards per carry during his career.
They no longer have to worry about that, though, after Jahmir Smith (Sanford, North Carolina) pulled the trigger for Notre Dame on Sunday. He joins Markese Stepp as the second running back commit in the class and although he is smaller than Stepp, their games really aren't that much different.
He runs a lot bigger than his size would indicate and there are plenty of reasons to be excited about this pickup for the Irish (even ignoring that he had a USC offer). Here's a look at what Notre Dame fans can look forward to with Smith.
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 198
Projected position: Running back
ISD Grade: 88 (3 star)
National Average Grade: 87.1 (3 star)
What he does best:
A lot of prospects will have a lot of cheesy titles for their highlight tape. Things like #BeastMode are common and they are not often correct when describing what you're about to see. With Smith, the title of his is darn near perfect. "A Downhill Force" might as well be the title of his future autobiography. He is a north-south power runner that is bringing every ounce of effort on the play and if you're not ready, then he is going to run through your tackle attempt.
He breaks plenty of long runs, but this kind of run defines his game. It's blocked for about three, but he gets about seven or eight.
You can see his legs are still churning after contact and he is carrying tacklers to get to where he wants to be. He is a finisher.
This is more finish here as he doesn't simply settle for what is originally there. If he was a knight, his sword would be called "Tackle Breaker". He is constantly fighting for more yards and his effort in doing so is outstanding. He'll spin and battle for every inch.
I love the way he hits the hole. He is decisive and runs like he is shot out of a cannon when he touches the football. That's a big reason why he will get by initial tackles and you can see the balance to run through a swipe at his legs at the second level as well on this particular play.
There is a lot I see with his style that should project well as a short yardage runner. Some guys are just better at than others regardless of size and I can see that being the case with Smith. But in addition to short yardage, he shows the kind of speed to run away from defenders.
If it's blocked up right where he gets a crease, he can take it the distance. He showed he was capable of it multiple times on film.
He can hit the turbo button and go from 0 to 60 pretty darn quick. A lot of downhill runners don't always have that in their tool belt, but he does.
Think of wearing down a defense in the 4th quarter and getting a hole that may result in a 1st down run for someone else. With Smith, he could turn that into a nail in the coffin situation.
What he needs to work on:
I'm sure there are some who see those plays or watch his highlight film and wonder why he is ranked as a 3 star prospect. There are a few reasons why I have him ranked that way.
The first is that he doesn't show great lateral agility. To me, that is an essential trait for a running back. His feet are above average, but not outstanding. I mentioned that I love how fast he hits the hole, but it's not always going to be a perfect hole to run through. When things get blown up, he is more likely to pinball off the back of a lineman than adjust on the fly to the new hole that is presented. That could work out fine, but it's not ideal.
He's also not someone who is going to make a lot of defenders miss. This kind of move he put on the defender here is rare for him.
Another thing he needs to work on is his receiving skills. He only caught the ball a few times from the film I've seen and those were on screens and swing passes. I watched some camp footage of him and he is just not a natural receiver or route runner. That is something he can work on and get a lot better at, but it's not a big part of his game right now.
There is probably an expectation that he would be more of receiving type of back to go with Stepp, but Stepp is probably the better pass catcher based on what I have seen. Smith offers more of a change of pace in terms of hitting the defense with a different kind of speed and acceleration, but he doesn't look like someone who could line up in the slot and burn a linebacker one on one.
What's his ceiling?
I guess this all depends on the type of offense Notre Dame will run in the next few years. If they are transitioning to a running game that is going to feature more iso, power, counter trey, and be a downhill type of team, then I think Smith has a bright future in that kind of offense. It would cater to his strengths and he might even emerge as a number one back if that is the direction they are going.
But if they aren't going to run the ball like that as a base part of their run game, then I think his ceiling more than likely projects to be a good closer that can be the second back for the Irish after establishing himself. Think of him as a pinch hitter that can come in after the lead guy has been pounding out singles and doubles then Smith comes in to bang them with triples and home runs.
That's what I see for Smith. He may not be a high volume guy, but we could see high efficiency in terms of yards per carry during his career.
Never miss the latest news from Irish Sports Daily!
Join our free email list