E. J. Smith

Emmitt James Smith IV (born May 15, 2002) is an American professional football running back for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Stanford Cardinal and Texas A&M Aggies. He is the son of former NFL running back Emmitt Smith.

Early life Smith was born on May 15, 2002. He is the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith, the leading rusher in NFL history. E. J. attended Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas. He tallied 902 rushing yards in 2019 and 872 rushing yards in 2018. He was rated by ESPN as the No. 48 prospect in the Class of 2020.

College career Smith enrolled at Stanford in 2020. He appeared in two games as a freshman but had no rushing carries and caught three passes for seven yards. He scored his first collegiate touchdown against Vanderbilt on September 18, 2021.

2022 season After the 2021 season, Austin Jones transferred to USC, and Nathaniel Peat transferred to Missouri. Smith was slated to take over in 2022 as Stanford's top running back.

Pro Football Focus rated Smith as one its 31 breakout candidates, only two of whom are running backs, for the 2022 college football season. Pro Football Focus cited Smith's 14 broken tackles in 2021 along with five explosive runs and "excellent vision, patience and elusiveness as a runner." He finished that game with 118 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries. He totaled 206 rushing yards with three touchdowns in the first two games. However, his season ended prematurely due to an injury.

2023 season On November 28, 2023, Smith announced that he would be entering the transfer portal. On January 7, 2024, Smith announced that he would be transferring to Texas A&M.

Professional career

Smith signed with the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent on May 1, 2026. He was waived/injured on August 30.