Standing on the precipice of a pro football career, Jaylen Smith understands that he could be the last of a dying breed.
The University of North Texas linebacker was one of the most productive Canadians in college football last season, but he took the long road to get there. Overlooked and under-recruited, he bet on himself by walking on with the Mean Green in 2021. Now, due to shifting NCAA regulations, that time-honoured path used by dreamers and grinders for decades is closing up behind him.
“I don’t think it’s fair. In my opinion, walk-ons are the pillars of the team,” Smith said in an interview with 3DownNation earlier this offseason. “Those are the guys that are gonna put in the work and go unnoticed, but they’re willing to sacrifice for the team. They just want to show that they’re a part of this team, that they can help.”
Immortalized by Hollywood films like ‘Rudy’ and ‘Greater,’ the walk-on is as much a part of the mythology of college football as the Heisman Trophy or the Rose Bowl. Every year, teams flesh out their roster with players, some invited and others discovered through open tryouts, who have to pay their own way through school without a scholarship.
Despite notable success stories like Baker Mayfield, Stetson Bennett, Hunter Renfrow, and J.J. Watt, most walk-ons exist in relative obscurity. They are the meat and potatoes of the roster, taking on unglamorous roles for the benefit of those around them.
“It’s rough. Coaches don’t really respect you. My first few months there, I was mostly used as a practice dummy,” Smith recalled of the experience. “I didn’t get the respect that I deserved, but that comes with being a walk-on. It definitely made me stronger. I took that as motivation, saying, ‘I don’t really care what these guys think. I know I can ball and show them that I’m a better player.'”
The average FBS team — the highest level of college football — has traditionally carried a roster of 128 players. Just 85 of those were allowed to be on scholarship at any given time, leaving dozens of spots available for players like Smith to prove their worth. However, that is set to change next season after a recent court ruling decreed that colleges can begin to compensate players directly.
A by-product of that decision is that rosters will be capped at 105 players, forcing teams to part ways with an average of 23 student-athletes. All of the remaining spots can now receive a scholarship, potentially easing the financial burden placed on some members of the teams, but the chaotic reality of the transfer portal and the recent reinstitution of junior college eligibility means almost none of those spots will go to high school recruits — let alone those who need a tryout just to be noticed.
That has led to speculation that the walk-on will soon go the way of the Dodo, something that Smith believes will fundamentally harm college football.
“A lot of them are scout team players, and that’s something we need. Practice versus scouts is the most important part of the season, so losing that just defeats the purpose,” he explained. “You’re going to have scholarship players playing on scout team, and then it’s just going to make those scholarship players jump into the portal and find another team. It’s just a rinse-and-repeat process. It’s just not gonna work out, in my opinion. I don’t see how they can do that.”
Smith is a textbook example of a player who may never have succeeded at the Division 1 level if not for a walk-on opportunity. The Hamilton, Ont. native never lost a high school game and won a pair of championships growing up, but seemed to face setbacks at every turn that limited his ability to create compelling recruiting tape.
It started in Grade 9, when the very first play of his high school career resulted in a season-ending broken ankle. The next year, he and his twin brother, Jawaun, elected to transfer schools and were forced to sit out the entire year. Jaylen was finally able to see the field in Grade 11 but was limited by a separated shoulder that entire season, an injury which would eventually cost him the first three games of his senior year as well.
A no-star recruit without any American interest, Smith reclassified and moved to the St. Thomas More School in Oakdale, Conn. for a prep school campaign. Again, his hopes of putting together a convincing highlight reel were dashed when the COVID pandemic limited the season to just five games. Still without a landing spot, he began training with IMG Academy’s post-graduate program, where a coach was able to pull some strings with North Texas defensive coordinator Phil Bennett to get him a walk-on opportunity.
That unlikely light at the end of the tunnel had particular significance due to other things happening in Smith’s life. After years of playing side by side, Jawaun would not be able to follow him into the NCAA after being forced to retire due to liver issues. While he briefly attempted a comeback with McMaster in 2022, the more highly touted of the twins would never get the chance to live up to his potential.
“It sucked not seeing him out there and being by his side,” Jaylen recalled. “I kind of took on the responsibility to live our dream together.”
Coaches were clear with Smith that he had only one avenue to become more than a glorified tackling dummy: special teams. He answered that call by establishing himself as one of the nation’s best players in the game’s third phase, dressing for all 13 games and making 12 special teams tackles as a true freshman — all without the benefit of financial aid.
Though he played just 23 total defensive snaps in his first year with the Mean Green, there was no debating that the five-foot-11, 225-pound linebacker was now an essential part of the team. That led to him experiencing one of the viral moments that have so endeared walk-ons to fans of the sport. After the final practice of training camp in his sophomore year, head coach Seth Littrell brought the team together and made a dream into reality for three players.
𝙀𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙙. 🦅
Coach @SethLittrell had a surprise for three of our student-athletes today at practice.#GMG pic.twitter.com/96gtARMCS2
— UNT Football (@MeanGreenFB) August 18, 2022
“Everyone’s exhausted, we’re all tired, and then he just starts calling out names. He called my name out and said, ‘Stand up, you guys are all on scholarship.’ Nobody on the team knew what was happening. Everyone was freaking out. It was all crazy,” Smith recalled.
“Honestly, I didn’t really take in the moment because it was so surreal. It was unexpected as hell. I called my dad, he was crying. My mom was crying. I was just happy to be making my family proud and be the first person in my family to be on scholarship anywhere.”
Since then, Smith’s role has only grown. Another strong special teams campaign in 2022 led to increased rotational defensive snaps as a junior, then a full-time starting role last season. Voted a team captain by his teammates, he racked up 106 defensive tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 12 QB hits, and an interception in 2024. He was a third-team All-AAC honouree and, alongside Dariel Djabome of Rutgers, broke a five-year drought of Canadians passing the century-mark for tackles in the FBS.
What makes Smith so uniquely intriguing for the pro level is the variety of ways he came by that production. Despite playing at a true linebacker weight, he took nearly as many snaps at slot cornerback as he did in the box. He’s got a proven track record of covering in space and at the recent College Gridiron Showcase took one-on-one reps as a backer, safety, and cornerback.
While most CFL teams view him as a weak-side linebacker, he believes he can play strong-side linebacker, safety, or even halfback if a team requests that he cut weight.
“I can do everything. That’s the main thing that I bring. I don’t know about other guys, but, personally, I bring versatility. That’s where I think I separate myself and my game. You put me in any position and I’ve played it,” he said.
“And I still have that love and passion for special teams. That’s where I started out. That was my stepping stone. I would never give up on special teams — that’s like my main thing.”
That’s music to the ears of CFL decision-makers, who can never have enough top-tier Canadian special teamers, and it’s a big reason why Smith came in at number six on the last Scouting Bureau rankings. He won’t be at the National Combine in Regina, opting to maximize NFL exposure at the North Texas pro day on March 21, but has a high floor for where he will be selected in the CFL Draft.
That wouldn’t have been possible without a walk-on opportunity that the next generation of players may not have available to them, something which struck Smith hard ahead of his final home game in November.
“It was definitely a surreal moment. I cried before the game,” he admitted. “It was very emotional, just being able to complete my four years and know that I didn’t give up when I was a walk-on, that I ended up becoming a pivotal player and a captain of my team.”
The 2025 CFL Draft is scheduled for Tuesday, April 29 at 8:00 p.m. EST.
