BYU COUGARS
BYU Football Lands Colorado Transfer Deion Smith
May 12, 2023, 1:06 PM | Updated: May 15, 2023, 1:58 pm
PROVO, Utah – BYU football landed another running back in Colorado transfer Deion Smith.
Smith announced his commitment to BYU on social media, writing, “Locked in.”
Locked in. pic.twitter.com/DZggB6imle
— 2Dee 🎬 (@DeionS20) May 12, 2023
A 6-foot, 190-pound ball carrier out of the backfield, Smith comes to BYU with one year of eligibility remaining. He was one of the many players that left Deion Sanders’ Colorado program after last month’s spring game.
The addition of Smith gives BYU a 1-2 punch in the backfield with UNLV transfer Aidan Robbins. Plus, the Cougars still have Hinckley Folau Ropati, Miles Davis, and incoming freshman LJ Martin.
It’s a deep backfield that gives BYU a bunch of options.
Smith is a native of Houston, Texas, so he has ties to the Lone Star State and Big 12 Country, BYU’s new home. He was a three-star recruit in the class of 2018 for the Colorado Buffaloes.
Last season, Smith suffered an injury that left him “strapped to a stretcher after a scary hit left him motionless,” according to Colorado insider Brian Howell. In his return to action, Smith posted a career-high performance against Arizona State, rushing for 111 yards on 24 carries. Throughout his college career, Smith has 159 carries for 653 yards and four touchdowns.
In 2022, he led the 1-11 Buffaloes in rushing yards with 393 for the season.
Smith has navigated multiple ACL injuries during his collegiate career. When healthy, he’s shown to be a solid option out of the backfield.
BYU will open the 2023 college football season on September 2 against Sam Houston in Provo.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU moving to the Big 12 Conference on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.
