The newest iteration of the XFL kicks off on Feb. 18, 2023, and more football means more opportunity for one former Ohio State player. The Vegas Vipers selected former Ohio State running back, Rod Smith, in the ninth round of the open phase of their positional draft.
Most players in the XFL look to use the league as an entryway into the NFL, but Smith actually had an incredibly successful NFL career given the expectation for undrafted players. Smith went undrafted in 2015 and had a cup of coffee with the Seattle Seahawks that season before spending the rest of 2015 through 2018 with the Dallas Cowboys. Smith had stints with the New York Giants, Tennessee Titans and Oakland Raiders. He returned to the New York Giants in 2020 and finished his NFL career with the Carolina Panthers in 2021.
Most Buckeye fans will remember Smith as a former star recruit from Indiana who struggled with off-field issues throughout his time in Columbus. He started to see significant playing time as a redshirt freshman, but was placed in the doghouse for missing the flight to the 2012 Gator Bowl. As a junior, Smith was suspended for the season opener — and as a senior — he dealt with academic issues in the spring and was dismissed from the team after a failed drug test.
Smith has the pedigree to be a star in this league.
Rod Smith ⭕️🌰 #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/JGvsWuZMSh
— ⭕️SU V!Ds (@OSUViDs) May 7, 2020
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