Is Matthew Smith starting?
Matthew Smith is listed 2nd string at WLB for Northwestern Wildcats.
Redshirt sophomore · #32 · 6'2", 225 lbs
See full Northwestern Wildcats depth chart ›Depth at WLB · Northwestern Wildcats
- 13391Braydon BrusStarter
- 23279Matthew SmithYou
- 33469Payton Roth
Northwestern Starting Lineup
Top linebackers in the Big Ten
The Story
The Story
A 3-star recruit out of Hillside, ranked #2,364 nationally coming out of high school.
- Jersey
- #32
- Class
- RS SO
- Height
- 6'2"
- Weight
- 225 lbs
Matthew Smith is currently behind Braydon Brus at WLB on the Northwestern depth chart, a Big Ten team rated 86 overall this season.
Recruiting Profile
- Stars
- ★★★☆☆3-star
- Composite
- 0.8256
- National Rank
- #2364
- High School
- Hillside
- Hometown
- Durham, NC
Why this rating?
On a 88-rated defense; 50th-percentile recruit (no FBS production stats) → 79 after depth penalty.
2026 projection — based on SP+ (a respected team-efficiency metric; 2026 not published yet, using 2025), 2025 production, recruiting, and the 2026 transfer portal; capped to depth-chart order.
2026 Game Log
Oct 10WBALLTKL 1
- TKL
- 1
- SOLO
- 0
- SACK
- 0
- INT
- 0
- PD
- 0
Final W 45-14
Oct 3WPSUTKL 1
- TKL
- 1
- SOLO
- 0
- SACK
- 0
- INT
- 0
- PD
- 0
Final W 34-13
Sep 26LIUTKL 2
- TKL
- 2
- SOLO
- 1
- SACK
- 0
- INT
- 0
- PD
- 0
Final L 29-23
Sep 19WCOLOTKL 1
- TKL
- 1
- SOLO
- 1
- SACK
- 0
- INT
- 0
- PD
- 0
Final W 41-7
| OPP | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 10 | WBALL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 3 | WPSU | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 26 | LIU | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 19 | WCOLO | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Matthew Smith's 2026 game-by-game stat log.
The People's Ratings
Overall ratings blend team strength (SP+), on-field production, and recruiting. Higher = more impactful.