SR Year Film Notes: RB Jahmir Smith
When Markese Stepp and Notre Dame parted ways, it’s easy to forget that he was not the only running back in the 2018 recruiting class for the Irish. Jahmir Smith was the second and less-heralded commit.
Their running styles really aren’t that much different, though. Smith is not the biggest back, but he runs with authority and is constantly falling forward or running through contact. Downhill is a great way to describe his game, although I was a bit worried that he may have been a bit one dimensional in that sense. He reinforced with his senior film that he is a tackle breaker and runs with power, but I would have liked to see more of him as a receiver and what he is capable of in that part of his game.
What I thought he improved on the most as a senior was his lateral agility. I can’t say enough how quick lateral movement is critical to being an effective runner at the college level. When the blocking isn’t perfect, backs need to be able to get something out of nothing. The backs with exceptional lateral agility can turn routine runs into big chunk plays. That’s why I loved seeing this jump cut from Smith where he was able to cut back against the grain to score.
He made more tacklers miss like he did on this run here to multiple defenders. This is the kind of thing that shows he has the potential to be more than just a one-cut runner.
Smith has good speed, but I still don’t see that elite burst. That’s why I bumped him up to an 89 with his ranking, but didn’t make him a 4 star prospect. I think he has a chance to be a valuable contributor for the Irish, though, and his skill set reminds me of former Mississippi State running back Josh Robinson. I’m sure Notre Dame fans would be very happy if Smith ended up having a similar type of college career as Robinson.