While Arch Manning’s famous football family has led a lot of headlines for the University of Texas, the Texas Aggies have an NFL son of their own. E.J. Smith, son of NFL running back Emmitt Smith, is a running back for Texas A&M.
According to the 12th Man Roster, Smith has played in seven games this season. He had 24 yards on four carries in his debut against Notre Dame for Texas A&M. Against Florida, he rushed 24 yards and then ran six times for 26 yards against Missouri.
Prior to transferring to A&M, Smith spent four seasons at Stanford and appeared in 24 games, the 12th Man Roster noted. While in high school, ESPN ranked him a 4-star prospect.
E.J. has had his share of impressive moments. During Stanford’s first play of the 2022 season, he ran for an 87-yard touchdown.
Emmitt Smith Said He Was Proud of His Son for Being at A&M
Emmitt Smith, Dallas Cowboys Hall of Fame running back, said in a press conference that although Stanford was a great school, he was happy that his son was returning home, Lonestar Live reported.
Emmitt Smith played college football for the Florida Gators before joining the Cowboys in the 1990 NFL draft. He was with the Cowboys until 2002, and then played with the Arizona Cardinals from 2002 to 2004.
“It means a lot that he’s going to be playing here in Texas,” Emmitt Smith said, according to Lonestar Live. “…he’s taking that same experience (with Stanford) and he’s looking forward to coming back home. He wanted to come back home.”
E.J. Smith dealt with a number of injuries while playing for Stanford, and the hope is that A&M would be a fresh start. In fact, Emmitt Smith said that E.J. had originally considered A&M before switching to Stanford at the last minute.
“He has the opportunity to have the best of both worlds. He’s back to where he originally wanted to go,” Emmitt Smith said. “…I’m proud of him.”
Emmitt Smith has three children with wife Patricia Southall: Emmitt James (E.J.), Skylar, and Elijah. He also is father to Rheagan and stepdad to Jasmine, People reported. With all his children grown, he sold his Dallas mansion in 2021 for $2.2 million, reportedly ready to downsize a bit.
Emmitt Smith told People that from “day one” he started the process of building a post-football career, which included being “extremely frugal” while he was just starting out and looking into franchises he could own.
Smith Said the 12th Man Needs to be ‘Loud & Proud’
Prior to facing off against the Longhorns, E.J. Smith made a video telling Aggies fans that they need to be “loud and proud while we beat the hell out of tu.”
E.J. Smith’s dad has always supported his son. Back when E.J. first decided to commit to Stanford, Emmitt proudly said: “At the end of the day, my son has his own journey. And it is his journey, not my journey.”
The Aggies face off against the University of Texas for the first time in 13 years on Saturday, November 30, starting at 6:30 p.m. Central.
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