Texas A&M Football Breakout Candidate: RB/WR Ainias Smith
It’s important to preface this slide by saying that I’m calling Ainias Smith a bonus breakout candidate for a reason. He has already “broken out,” but this year, he’ll break out as a wideout for the Aggies.
Ainias Smith is one of the most versatile players in the SEC. So versatile, in fact, that he hasn’t been assigned a specific position yet on this team. Last year, he bounced back and forth between runningback and wideout.
And there’s no denying it — he was extremely effective in both positions. He accounted for nearly 1,000 yards through pass-catching and rushing, and most notably, he finished the play with a touchdown on about a tenth of his touches. He can do it all and that won’t be denied.
But at some point, that becomes confusing and unnecessary. If you can find a player to fill his role in each respective position, what’s the point of having him bounce back and forth?
It seems like that’s what Jimbo Fisher has realized during this off-season. Per 247Sports, Smith was quoted saying the following about his position and where he’s receiving reps in a press conference:
"“Right now I feel like I’m I’m taking a lot of reps at receiver at the moment…” “…I’m pretty sure things are going to get a lot different as the spring continues. Right now, we’re just making sure that everybody’s getting some work in. We’re all just working on numbers right now and we’re all getting better.”"
If Smith continues to receive most of his reps at the receiver spot, he could easily be this team’s top receiver.