Star Texas running back Hollywood Smothers in doubt against Tennessee
· Yahoo Sports
Hollywood Smothers popped up on the initial injury report with a questionable tag, and things didn’t improve on Thursday’s edition. The NC State transfer missed practice on Thursday, and now could be in legitimate jeopardy of missing Saturday’s matchup against Tennessee in Knoxville.
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Per Matt Zenitz, Smothers’ lower leg injury could force him out of the lineup.
There’s legitimate concern that Texas standout running back Hollywood Smothers could end up missing the Longhorns’ game against No. 14 Tennessee, sources tell @CBSSports.
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) September 25, 2026
No final determination made at this point but the status of Smothers (lower leg) is very much in question. pic.twitter.com/esxerYgtqE
No. 1 Texas featured Smothers in their lone test so far, giving him 21 carries against Ohio State in the dramatic comeback win. Smothers has 41 carries for 198 yards and two scores so far, adding seven catches for 54 yards and a touchdown as a receiver.
Smothers had well over 1,000 all-purpose yards for NC State last season, scoring seven times.
Texas is hardly without another option, however. Raleek Brown ran for over 1,100 yards and caught 34 passes for 239 yards in 2025 for Arizona State. The 5-9, 193 pound back has 31 carries for 129 yards and two touchdowns so far this season. He’s also caught seven passes out of the backfield.
What gets interesting is what Texas has behind Brown. Texas has former 4-star prospect Derrek Cooper, redshirt freshman Michael Terry and junior Ryan Niblett. The pecking order there isn’t totally clear, with none of the three seeing any action against Ohio State.
The Smothers situation is one to monitor on Saturday morning heading into this one. Even if he does go, no practice on Thursday sounds like he may not be 100 percent for this matchup.