With the opening of the spring transfer portal window for college football players on Wednesday, we expected there to be plenty of activity surrounding the Texas Tech football program. Unfortunately, one of the Red Raiders who jumped into the portal almost as soon as it was open was edge rusher Isaac Smith.
Set to be a senior in 2025, the Wagoner, Oklahoma, native has been a Red Raider throughout his college career. He was a member of the 2021 signing class, in which he was a 3-star recruit and the No. 84 edge rusher in the country.
During his time at Tech, he appeared in 23 games. In all, he registered 45 total tackles (24 solo) and 3.5 sacks.
At times, Smith was able to show flashes of talent that teased Red Raider fans. For instance, as a redshirt freshman in 2022, he got serious playing time at the end of the season when he stepped into a starting role after eventual first-round draft pick Tyree Wilson was lost for the season with a broken foot.
Nothing but love for this staff and Texas Tech University. I’ve gotten a degree from tech, met some of my best friends, and built great relationships here at tech. With that being said I’m excited for new opportunities to come. pic.twitter.com/QmqSXgoC1R
— Isaac Smith 🌵 (@isaacsmith1921) April 16, 2025
In the final three games of that season, he was credited with 11 tackles. What's more, in the 2022 Texas Bowl victory over Ole Miss, he had four tackles, a sack, and a fumble recovery.
Therefore, expectations were high for Smith heading into 2023. However, his Red Raider career would take an unfortunate turn before he got his chance to fully shine.
In fall camp of that year, it was discovered that Smith had three torn ligaments in his knee. Amazingly, though, doctors revealed that he had sustained those injuries a year or two earlier, and he had even played through them in 2022.
Still, he had to miss the 2023 season after surgery to repair his knee. That was a blow to the Red Raiders' defense and to Smith's college football career.
Though Smith would return to the field in 2024, he was unable to become a difference-maker. In 12 games played, he made only 31 tackles with just 2.5 sacks to his credit. That was despite an increased role on a Texas Tech team so desperate to find anyone capable of applying consistent pressure on the opposing quarterback that it resorted to giving backup tight end Johncarlos Miller some pass rush snaps late in the season.
Of course, this offseason, Tech has beefed up its pass rush by bringing in two senior transfers in outside linebackers David Bailey from Stanford and Romello Height from Georgia Tech. They are widely expected to be the starters off the edge this season, meaning that Smith would in all likelihood have to accept a reduced role. Given that he is heading into his senior season, that idea couldn't have been too appealing.
It is a shame that Smith had a major knee operation that impacted his Red Raider career because at the end of his redshirt freshman season, he looked like he was on the verge of becoming a breakout performer at Tech. Unfortunately, his path to stardom was interrupted, and there's no assurance that he will ever become the player that many hoped he would. Now, he's in the portal and looking for a place where he can compete for a starting job as his days in Lubbock appear to be over.