It has got to be tough to fill the shoes of a legend, but perhaps EJ Smith isn't trying to out-shine his old man. No, EJ, Emmitt Smith's son, is simply doing his own thing on the football field.
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And his own thing is quite impressive, especially when looking at the numbers he recently put up for Dallas Jesuit High School as a sophomore.
Maxpreps is reporting that Smith rushed for 166 yards and five touchdowns for his high school in a Friday night win over Richardson. Checking in at 5-foot-11, 190 pounds, he flashed incredible speed, vision and looked very smooth coming out of the backfield for the Rangers.
Here's Aaron Williams of Maxpreps with more analysis.
Not only does EJ resemble dad in running style — a nice blend of power, shifty feet and a burst of speed — but after each score he just flips the ball the referee. Even as a 10th grader, he's seen the end zone plenty and plans to get there plenty more.
Smith already has one college scholarship offer — from Jackson State — and he projects to get plenty more, especially as he grows into his frame. For reference, his dad checked in at 5-foot-9, 216 pounds, so the younger Smith already has a height advantage on the Hall of Famer and he'll almost certainly get bigger over the next few years of high school ball.
Where EJ doesn't have an advantage yet is in production, where his father goes down as one of the greatest of all-time.
In 15 NFL seasons, Emmitt rushed 4,409 times for 18,355 yards and 164 touchdowns. He was an eight-time Pro Bowler, a four-time All-Pro, an NFL MVP, and a three-time Super Bowl champion.
