EJ

Smith

Smith spent five seasons in college, including three at Stanford and two at Texas A&M. Smith (6'/208) rushed 44 times for 205 yards and four touchdowns in his final college season, and caught 4-of-5 targets for 18 yards. Former Cowboys star RB Emmitt Smith is EJ’s father.

EJ’s father, Emmitt, played for the Cowboys from 1990 to 2002. He is a Hall of Famer and the NFL’s all-time leading rusher. Across his five college seasons, three at Stanford and two at Texas A&M, EJ rushed 202 times for 934 yards and nine touchdowns and caught 67-of-77 targets for 417 yards and one touchdown. His ticket to the NFL is likely as an undrafted free agent. Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer called him “an incredible short-yardage runner, powerful.” To Smith’s credit, he forced 66 missed tackles on 269 regular season touches in his college career and averaged 0.27 missed tackles forced per carry in 2025. He might have a chance to secure an NFL roster spot as a backup bruiser back somewhere. The Cowboys’ backfield is fairly crowded at this point, though.

Stanford struggled to get anything going in this one, as Smith (5'11/198) finished with the most yards of any offensive player in this one. His 53-yard performance was boosted by a 32-yard run, as Smith also hauled in one pass for nine yards. Smith has seen spotty play on the season, as he now has 24 carries on the season for 155 yards and one touchdown. He and the Cardinal travel to Oregon State next weekend.

Smith (5'11/198), the son of NFL Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith, saw his most extensive action to date, and the touchdown was the first of his collegiate career. He also had a pair of reception for eight yards, and he has two or more catches in all three of his games this season. Smith is trying to carve a role out for himself in this offense, which also includes fellow RBs Austin Jones, Casey Filkins and Nathaniel Peat. Next up is a date with UCLA.

Smith (5'11/198) lives in Dallas, with Farrell writing that Texas A&M was “optimistic” that they would be able to lure in Son of Emmitt. Instead, EJ signed with a program across the country in Stanford. Farrell notes that Texas A&M’s efforts with uncommitted five-star RB Zachary Evans are going to take on even more of an added weight moving forward, now that Smith has slipped through their grasp.

Smith (5'11/198) is the son of NFL Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith. In addition to the Cardinal, the Dallas native was additionally considering Texas A&M and Ohio State, as well as Florida. The all-purpose back ranks as the No. 144 overall prospect in the 2020 class. Given that Stanford struggled in all phases of the offensive game this past season, it would not surprise if Smith was able to push for early playing time in Palo Alto.

Smith (5'11/198), who’s considered to be one of the top athletes in the Class of 2020, has three more official visits scheduled at this point. The four-star recruit also plans to visit Texas A&M (next weekend), Ohio State (November 23) and Stanford (January) before making his college choice. But it’s clear that Florida has made a positive impression on Smith, with the recruit saying that he could be used at both running back and wide receiver in Dan Mullen’s offense. “They like my versatility and they see me being able to be a running back and receiver if I came here,” Smith said according to Gator Territory. “Other than that, they just really love my versatility. Coach Mullen was good with the offense and coach Knox is a good recruiter and he had nothing but good things to say about me.”

In addition to Stanford, which has made the son of Pro Football Hall of Fame member Emmitt Smith a priority recruit, Florida, Texas A&M, Georgia and Ohio State are also involved in EJ Smith’s recruitment. “I can see Smith at many places and Stanford is probably the one I see right now, but this could and likely will change a lot,” Farrell wrote. “The Aggies can’t be counted out and Florida is always an option, but I’d pick Stanford today.” Smith took an unofficial visit to Texas A&M this weekend, and he has an official visit to Florida scheduled for October 4.

Smith (5'11/198) said that he has no particular order to his five schools, and it’s also important to note that he labeled the programs as his “top five” as opposed to his “final five.” The son of Pro Football Hall of Fame RB Emmitt Smith, the Dallas native (Jesuit HS) is considered to be one of the top all-purpose backs in the 2020 class. EJ Smith is viewed as a priority recruit for Stanford, with the Cardinal pegged as the early favorite in 247Sports’ Crystal Ball tool.