Hollywood Smothers
Texas#170 overallDraft Movement
Down 28 spots since Jun 8
Scouting Report
The skill package is the modern blueprint, minus exactly one skill. Hollywood Smothers rushed for more than 2,700 yards and 40 touchdowns across his sophomore and junior seasons at Charlotte Chambers and earned North Carolina Mr. Football as a sophomore in 2020. He committed to Oklahoma over Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State, appeared in four games as a true freshman for 42 yards, and entered the portal. At NC State he started the final six games as a redshirt freshman despite missing two with injury, posting 571 rushing yards and six touchdowns at 6.4 a carry, the sixth-best mark in school history, plus 263 receiving yards and two scores. In 2025 The Athletic named him a Midseason All-American and he took ACC Running Back of the Week after 123 yards on four carries against Campbell, including a 59-yard touchdown. He led the ACC in rushing yards per game with first-team all-conference honors, finished with 907 rushing yards, and opened the year with 140 yards and two scores against Virginia. He caught 37 passes without a single drop and did not fumble once on 197 touches. Breakaway yardage accounted for more than half his ground production. The gap is protection, where his tape ranks among the position's worst, and at 195 pounds the league will ask whether that is technique or physics. Two missed games feed the durability question, and Texas makes his third program in four seasons.
Strengths
- Led the ACC in rushing yards per game with first-team all-conference honors
- 37 catches without a single drop, real third-down receiving chops
- zero fumbles on 197 touches, elite ball security for a featured role
- breakaway yardage made up more than half his rushing production
- opened the year with 140 yards and two scores against Virginia
- 123 yards on four carries against Campbell including a 59-yard score
- 6.4 yards per carry as a redshirt freshman, sixth best in NC State history
- 1,478 rushing yards and 439 receiving yards over two seasons at NC State
Weaknesses
- Pass protection tape ranks among the worst at the position
- light at 195 pounds with the durability questions that followed him through two missed games
- Texas makes a third program in four seasons after the Alabama flip
- underlying rushing tape sits a tier below the raw production, crediting a line that consistently won first contact
- has never carried a truly featured workload
- production leaned on breakaway runs rather than consistent gains
- has to prove the frame holds up in the SEC
NFL Comparison
De'Von Achane breakaway speed on a light frame; Kenneth Gainwell third-down receiving profile; Tyrone Tracy Jr. satellite back with protection questions
College Stats
2023 (Fr, Oklahoma): 4 G, 42 rush yds; 2024 (RS Fr, NC State): 6 starts, 571 rush yds (6.4 ypc), 6 TD, 263 rec yds, 2 TD; 2025 (So, NC State): 12 G, 907 rush yds, 7 total TD, 37 rec with 0 drops, 0 fumbles on 197 touches, ACC leader in rushing yards per game; transferred to Texas
College Market Value
Our model prices him at $348K on the open college market, built from production, pedigree, role and Texas's program money. No credible deal has been reported for him this season.
The college fantasy model projects 7.8 PPG (RB76), after 11.0 PPG across 11 games last year.
Portal: transferred from NC State to Texas for 2026.
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Measurables
Awards & Honors
2025 first-team All-ACC and ACC rushing yards per game leader; The Athletic Midseason All-American; ACC Running Back of the Week; 2020 North Carolina Mr. Football as a sophomore