Rashad Smith (born April 20, 1997) is an

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

for the

Birmingham Stallions The Birmingham Stallions were a franchise in the United States Football League, an attempt to establish a second professional league of American football in the United States in competition with the National Football League. They played their ...

of the United Football League (UFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

at Florida Atlantic.

Early years

Smith attended Homestead High School. As a junior, he had 6 fumble recoveries. As a senior, he appeared in 10 games, tallying 102 tackles, 8 sacks and 3 forced fumbles.

College career

Smith accepted a football scholarship from the

Florida Atlantic University Florida Atlantic University (Florida Atlantic or FAU) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Boca Raton, Florida, United States. The university is a member of the State University System of Florida and has s ...

. As a true freshman, he appeared in 11 games, compiling 22 tackles (2 for loss) and one sack. He had 5 solo tackles against

Kansas State University Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant coll ...

. He started against the

University of North Carolina at Charlotte The University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte, or simply Charlotte) is a public research university in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. UNC Charlotte offers 24 doctoral, 66 master's, and 79 bachelor's degree programs thr ...

and made 3 tackles. As a sophomore, he appeared in 14 games, registering 99 tackles (12 for loss), 6 sacks, 4 quarterback hurries, 5 pass breakups and one forced fumble. He had 10 tackles (one for loss) against Navy. He started against the

University at Buffalo The State University of New York at Buffalo (commonly referred to as UB, University at Buffalo, and sometimes SUNY Buffalo) is a public university, public research university in Buffalo, New York, Buffalo and Amherst, New York, United States. ...

, making 12 tackles and 2 passes defensed. He had 6 tackles, one sack, one quarterback hurry and 2 pass breakups against

Old Dominion University Old Dominion University (ODU) is a Public university, public research university in Norfolk, Virginia, United States. Established in 1930 as the two-year Norfolk Division of the College of William & Mary, it began by educating people with fewer ...

. He made 10 tackles (one for loss) against

Louisiana Tech University Louisiana Tech University (Louisiana Tech, La. Tech, or simply Tech) is a public university, public research university in Ruston, Louisiana, United States. It is part of the University of Louisiana System and Carnegie Classification of Institu ...

. He had 8 tackles, 3 sacks and one forced fumble against

Florida International University Florida International University (FIU) is a public research university with its main campus in Westchester, Florida, United States. Founded in 1965 by the Florida Legislature, the school opened to students in 1972. FIU is the third-largest univ ...

. As a junior, he appeared in 12 games, collecting 86 tackles (5.5 for loss), one sack, 4 interceptions, 2 quarterback hurries, one pass breakup and one fumble recovery. He had 9 tackles against

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...

. He made 16 (one for loss) and one interception against Air Force. He had 9 tackles, one sack and one quarterback hurry against No. 16 ranked

University of Central Florida The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public university, public research university with its main campus in unincorporated area, unincorporated Orange County, Florida, United States. It is part of the State University System of Florida. ...

. He made 12 tackles (0.5 for loss) and one quarterback hurry against

Marshall University Marshall University is a public university, public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1837 and is named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States, chief justice of the Uni ...

. As a senior, he appeared in 14 games, posting 109 tackles (11.5 for loss), 3.5 sacks, 4 quarterback hurries, 3 interceptions, 2 pass breakups, one forced fumble and 5 fumble recoveries (led the nation). He had 11 tackles and one fumble recovery against

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

. He made 11 tackles, one fumble recovery (returned for a touchdown) and one interception against

Southern Methodist University Southern Methodist University (SMU) is a Private university, private research university in Dallas, Texas, United States, with a satellite campus in Taos County, New Mexico. SMU was founded on April 17, 1911, by the Methodist Episcopal Church, ...

. He finished his college career with 51 games, 316 tackles (31 for loss), 11.5 sacks, 7 interceptions, 8 pass breakups and 2 forced fumbles.

Professional career

Chicago Bears

Smith was signed as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

by the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

after the

2020 NFL draft The 2020 NFL draft was the 85th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2020 NFL season. The first round was held on April 23, followed by the second and third rounds on April 24. The ...

on April 27. He was waived during final roster cuts on September 5, 2020, and signed to the practice squad the next day.

Dallas Cowboys

On September 15, 2020, the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

signed Smith off the Bears'

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

. He was declared inactive in the 6 games he spent on the active roster. He was waived on October 26.

Philadelphia Eagles

On November 2, 2020, Smith was signed to the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

' practice squad. He was elevated to the active roster on December 12 for the team's week 14 game against the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

, and reverted to the practice squad after the game. He was promoted to the active roster on January 1, 2021. He was waived on August 29, 2021.

San Francisco 49ers

On September 3, 2021, Smith was signed to the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

practice squad. He was released on September 10, 2021.

Chicago Bears (second stint)

On September 23, 2021, Smith was signed to the

practice squad. He was released on October 5. He was re-signed to the practice squad on October 13. He was released again on December 7.

Atlanta Falcons

On December 14, 2021, Smith was signed to the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Falcons on January 10, 2022. He was released on August 16, 2022.

Birmingham Stallions

Smith signed with the

of the USFL on November 3, 2022. He was not part of the roster after the

2024 UFL dispersal draft The 2024 UFL dispersal draft was the player selection process to fill the rosters of the eight teams for the 2024 UFL season and disperse the rosters from the eight teams from its component conferences, the XFL and USFL, that were not retained i ...

on January 15, 2024.

References

External links

Florida Atlantic Owls bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Rashad Living people 1997 births Players of American football from Miami-Dade County, Florida American football linebackers Florida Atlantic Owls football players Chicago Bears players Dallas Cowboys players Philadelphia Eagles players San Francisco 49ers players Atlanta Falcons players 21st-century African-American sportsmen Birmingham Stallions (2022) players