In the Film Room: Notre Dame Commit Chaston Smith

Max Uretsky
May 22
5 min read

Former defensive coordinator Al Golden helped lead Notre Dame to back-to-back first place rankings in pass efficiency defense in 2023 and 2024. If his successor, Chris Ash, hopes to keep that streak alive in the coming years, strong recruiting in the secondary is a great place to start.

Photo via Chaston Smith, Instagram (@chaz4our), Photo by Colin Cummings (@cmeshoot)

2026 4-star Ayden Pouncey, who committed in April of 2025, has gotten a lot of the attention in terms of new pieces added to the back end of the defense, and rightfully so, but there is another player who committed even earlier that I want to focus on today. Cornerback Chaston Smith, out of McCallie High School in Tennessee, is a prospect I am higher on than most of the recruiting services. Smith was limited to four games in his Junior season due to an injury, which may contribute to his 3-star rating on 247 Sports, but there is enough film on him for me to be confident in my current grade of 94 for him, which would firmly cement him as a 4-star blue chip caliber player. There is a lot to like about his game, and I will break down every facet to give you a better understanding of why I have a loftier projection for him than others. Each trait will be graded on a scale of 1 (Poor) to 7 (Elite). Let's get into it!

Mental Processing: Elite (7)

One of the most impressive things about Smith's game is his ability to vary his eye discipline for when he is in Man Coverage vs Zone Coverage, which is rare for a young corner. A lot of times, cornerbacks will play with eyes on the quarterback no matter what in hopes of jumping routes and making plays, which is great for Zone, but watching the QB in Man is an easy way to lose your assignment and become susceptible to double moves. When Smith is lined up one-on-one in coverage, his vision is locked on the WR, and only turns back when it is time to locate the ball in the air. He also has an excellent feel for when offenses are going to the quick game, planting his back foot and driving on WR screens, blowing them up behind the line of scrimmage. Smith occasionally gets burned as a two-deep safety, where he shows an understanding of playing with proper depth and has a good feel for when to break and drive on routes in his area. Smith will come in as a very intelligent player, which will give him a leg up, as that is not an easy trait to develop.

Man Coverage: Very Good (6)

For me, this trait is at the top end of very good and borders on elite, I just need to see more reps of pure Man Coverage from him on film. He has good patience and mirroring ability at the line of scrimmage, and his length gives him the ability to disrupt and jam WRs coming off the ball. He has a good feel for using outside/inside leverage based off the defensive call. Smith does not have any issue with being left on an island, and has very good timing of when to bail on vertical routes, making it difficult for WRs to get over the top and stack him. He has a special ability when it comes to sinking his hips and breaking in phase with the WR to stay in their hip pocket. He also does a good job of getting underneath post patterns and giving himself a chance to make a play on the ball. One aspect of his game that really ties his Man Coverage efficiency and his mental processing together is when the QB breaks the pocket on scramble drills, he stays physical with the WR downfield, making it hard for him to uncover and limiting where the QB can go with the ball. At the college level, unlike the NFL, there is no illegal contact penalty past five yards, so maintaining that physicality is sure to force some throwaways.

Zone Coverage/Range: Very Good (6)

When playing from an off coverage Zone look, Smith excels at reading the QB's eyes and timing his break on routes. He has a good shuffle technique when in Cover 3, and doesn't allow himself to bail too early, which would affect his ability to change direction and be in the area to defend Comebacks and out-breaking patterns. When moved to more of a traditional two-high safety, he displays good play speed and the range to be able to get from the hash to the sideline with no issue. As a deep zone player, he understands he is the last line of defense and does not break on underneath routes until everything else is taken away. Overall, Smith is very balanced in terms of his ability to play Zone and Man, and will be able to be used in a variety of ways.

Run Support: Very Good (6)

Smith's ability to come down and play the run definitely leaves the door open for him moving to safety at some point in his career, but even as a perimeter defender, his skill in beating blocks and cleaning up runs to the outside is pretty special. He plays physical, even at 175 pounds, and is more of a solid tackler than most would expect of a corner. He understands how to fill lanes and is rarely out of position when the ball flows to his side of the field. Smith shows no trepidation about taking on ball carriers one-on-one in the open field, and has not allowed much YAC on tape. It's rare that a player who is so sound in coverage is also ultra reliable in run support, but Smith fits that bill.

Ball Skills: Good (5)

Smith can track the ball whether in Zone or with his back to the QB in Man. He does a good job of playing through the WR's hands at the catch point. When covering slants and in-breaking routes, he is adept at reaching across with the proper hand to bat down passes to avoid any interference calls. He shows some good awareness on tip drills, locating the ball in the air, which has resulted in some interceptions for him. I don't know if his hands are top-notch, and he may end up with a lot more knockdowns than he does turnovers based on what I have seen, but as long as he is stopping the WR from ending up with the ball in his hands, the coaching staff is not going to complain.

With Smith's Zone Coverage ability, range, and run support skills, part of me thinks he projects out as an excellent safety at the next level, who can be relied upon to come down and cover the slot one-on-one in sub packages. If the coaching staff decides to let him stick at cornerback, he has all the tools to be successful on the outside as well. One of the most glaring things about the 2026 class is the versatility each commit brings, and I do not think that is just a coincidence. The more you can do, the more ways a coach like Chris Ash can scheme unique ways for you to be involved in the game, and Chaston Smith is a shining example of that.