Penn State football snapshot profile: No. 38 Tank Smith
Going into the 2022 football season, Nittany Lions Wire will be looking at each scholarship player listed on the Penn State roster.
Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for James Franklin this season.
As Penn State looks to improve its running game in 2022, it will do so with some good talent returning at the position and joining the program in the Class of 2022. Tank Smith is perhaps the option that is most overlooked on the depth chart for the 2022 season as he has been a deep reserve option during his first couple of seasons in Happy Valley.
Here is a snapshot profile of one of Penn State’s hard-working running backs on the roster for the 2022 season.
Preseason Player Profile
Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Ht: 5′-7″
Wt: 226 lb
247Sports Composite Ranking
Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Tank Smith had no 247Sports recruiting rankings available.
Class in 2021: Redshirt sophomore
Career Stats
Dec 19, 2020; Tank Smith (38) celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown on a punt return during the first quarter against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Beaver Stadium. Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports
Year | G | Att | Yards | YPA | Rec | Yards | Total TDs |
2020 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2021 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 1.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Depth Chart Overview
AP Photo/Barry Reeger
Penn State’s running back situation appears to be pretty much settled on. [autotag]Keyvone Lee[/autotag] (pictured above) returns and is likely to be the top running back to start the season. The addition of [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] likely gives Penn State its top running back duo for the 202 season.
The depth at running back is bolstered with [autotag]Caziah Holmes[/autotag] and [autotag]Devyn Ford[/autotag] as returning players, and the addition of [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] in the Class of 2022 alongside Singleton.
But is there a role that could utilize Tank Smith’s size and power? Short-yardage situations could be a good spot to use Smith, who can run lower to the ground than others on the roster due to his size. But ultimately, it appears as though Smith will be a deep depth chart option for the Nittany Lions this season, at least at the start of the year.
