Gary Smith III

Gary Smith III grew up south of Nashville, Tenn., with his mother (Telisha Sparrow). He was part of four straight playoff appearances at Shelbyville Central High School, and he earned all-state honors as a senior (101 tackles). A three-star recruit, he considered several SEC offers (Ole Miss, South Carolina, Vanderbilt) before committing to Duke during his senior year. After two seasons, he entered the transfer portal (after former coach David Cutcliffe mutually parted ways with the program). He committed to UCLA, as did fellow Duke transfer Jake Bobo. After missing the 2024 season, Smith lost 20 pounds and set personal bests in the weight room (700-pound squat). He had his best season in 2025. Smith is a wide-framed nose with the body thickness and low pads to become a boulder in the trenches. But he doesn’t just take up room — he will use his aggressive hands and raw strength to deconstruct single blocks. Although his change-of-direction movements are stiff, his weight loss showed in the quickness he displayed pursuing ball carriers up and down the line (career-high 40 tackles in 2025). His pass-rush attempts stall out quickly, and he is much better at controlling the point of attack than generating movement. Overall, Smith doesn’t offer much beyond being a space-eater in the run game. That said, a girthy nose with heavy hands to neutralize at contact doesn’t go out of style for most schemes.