Rodney Smith (American football, born 1996)
| Minnesota Golden Gophers No. 1 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Running Back |
| Class |
 Junior
|
| Major | Youth Studies |
| Career history | |
| College |
|
| Bowl games | |
| High school | Mundy's Mill (GA) |
| Personal information | |
| Date of birth | February 28, 1996 |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Weight | 205 lb (93 kg) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
|
|
|
Rodney Smith (born February 28, 1996) is an American football running back. He plays college football for the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers.
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. As a baseball player, Smith finished his career by being named the Region 4-AAAAA Player of the Year in Georgia.
As a recruit, Smith was ranked a three-star prospect and the 71st best running back in the 2014 recruiting class by 247Sports. Smith was also rated as a three-star prospect by ESPN and Scout, while Rivals listed him as a two-star prospect. 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.
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.
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. 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. 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.
Smith's statistics are as follows:
...
Wikipedia