Ty’Anthony Smith is on his way toward an impactful sophomore season

During his Monday availability with the media, Steve Sarkisian was asked who some of the top tacklers on his team were. He rattled off some familiar names like Jelani McDonald, Anthony Hill, and Derek Williams. The last name he mentioned? Ty’Anthony Smith.

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A follow-up question about Smith allowed for Sarkisian to laud the Jasper (Texas) product, who is in his second season in Austin. A 6-foot-1, 216-pounder, Smith has earned a significant amount of trust from the Longhorn coaches and is safely in the category of the “15-16 starter types” Sarkisian spoke about on Saturday.

“He’s playing really good,” Sarkisian said. “I’m really proud of Ty’Anthony, not only on the field but off the field. You can see the level of maturity on the field and his intent every day in practice. He’s not the biggest guy but the physicality that he plays with and the speed he plays with definitely shows up.”

Last year, Smith played in all 16 games. He recorded 16 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 0.5 sacks, and an interception against Florida. According to Pro Football Focus, just 98 of his snaps came during standard down defensive play.

That meant he was a key part of the Longhorns’ special teams efforts. Smith tallied 184 snaps on special teams, seeing action on kick return, kick coverage, and punt return.

He’ll add more to his plate this year. Smith has played well at the Will linebacker spot, pushing incumbent starter Liona Lefau. Though Lefau has kept a firm hold on his starting spot, Smith’s work during the preseason has him in position to earn a considerable amount of snaps.

Not only that, he’s been a player that his teammates enjoy lining up by.

“He brings the energy every day,” Hill said Tuesday. “He’s been working on his striking and striking really well. He’s playing physical and fast. That’s all you can really ask for.”

Like Hill, Smith was a one-time Texas A&M commit who flipped to the Longhorns in the latter stages of his recruitment. Smith was listed at 215 pounds on signing day in 2023. He bulked up to 220 pounds on last year’s roster and is down to 216 on this year’s official listing. All in all, he weighs a little less than the typical Southeastern Conference linebacker. That doesn’t stop him from bringing hat.

“Since he is a little slender, he has to be a little bit more physical than everybody else,” Hill said. “He has to bring a little bit more on every pop. He’s been doing a good job of doing that and working at it.”

Because of his experience in the third phase, expect Smith to see a number of snaps once again on kick coverage, kick return, punt block, and possibly punt return.

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Even with those special teams chances, Smith will have opportunities to excel at Will this season alongside some of the best linebackers in a big step up in responsibilities.