Three things I like about Notre Dame CB #0 Devonta Smith

Kind of familiar

The Notre Dame football roster is full of great players — known and unknown. No matter the place on the depth chart or the recruiting ranking a player had attached to him before his arrival at Notre Dame — there are probably some things I really like about him. So over the course of the next few months, let’s take a positive approach to running down the roster.

Almost daily (just being honest) I’ll list three things I like about a single player on the roster, and as an additional bonus, I’ll post some extra pics over on the OFD Instagram account (be sure to follow RIGHT HERE).

Next up…

#0 Devonta Smith — Cornerback

The 5’11” 192 pound senior from LaSalle High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, was one of the best players in the Buckeye State but chose to commit to the Alabama Crimson Tide as part of the 2021 recruiting class. He played here and there over the next three seasons, but became a much bigger contributor last season in Tuscaloosa before hitting the transfer portal.

Here are three things I like about Devonta Smith:

1. He is from Ohio.

It’s funny how LaSalle is one of the few schools in Cincinnati that Notre Dame doesn’t recruit regularly — and now there are a couple of former LaSalle teammates on the Irish roster (Gi’Bran Payne is the other). Marcus Freeman already had familiarity with Smith and his family, and that Ohioan blood is always welcome at this table.

2. He is part of the reloading process.

In today’s game, it seems as if you can’t have enough quality defensive backs on the roster. While Christian Gray and Leonard Moore almost certainly are the starters at cornerback for the Irish in 2025, the Nickel spot is definitely open with both Jordan Clark and Rod Heard moving on to the NFL Draft. What’s even better, is that Smith has two years of eligibility remaining, so the phrase, “Devonta Smith from Alabama” has a good chance of being said in a positive light around South Bend.

3. Staying old.

There’s a phrase that’s often used with schools like Notre Dame, and that phrase is “get old and stay old”. It means that a football team is almost always better off with a depth chart filled with veterans (despite what recruiting fanatics believe). This helps on the field and off the field with leadership as well. It’s a luxury to fill spots left by players heading to the league with experienced seniors. At least it’s a great starting point for a season.