ESPN Lists NC State RB Hollywood Smothers as 1 of Their 2025 ‘Sleeper’ to ‘Breakout’ Candidates

ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg released a list of 43 ‘sleeper’ college football players who ‘could breakout’ this year, and NC State Redshirt Sophomore Running Back Hollywood Smothers was featured.

Here’s what they had to say about Smothers:

Hollywood Smothers, RB, NC State Wolfpack

Class: Sophomore

Height/weight: 5-foot-11, 195 pounds

2024 stats: 11 games (6 starts), 89 carries, 571 rushing yards, 6 touchdowns, 19 receptions, 263 receiving yards, 2 receiving touchdowns

ESPN recruiting snapshot: Four starts, No. 230 national, No. 12 running back, No. 9 in North Carolina (signed with Oklahoma)

Smothers came on strong during ACC play last season, emerging as NC State’s primary running back during the second half of the season. A former ESPN 300 recruit at Oklahoma, Smothers averaged 6.3 yards per carry or better in four of his final five games, and had five rushing touchdowns and a receiving touchdown. He had more than 100 all-purpose yards in four of the last six games, and had the sixth-best yards-per-carry mark (6.4) in team history. Smothers had two runs of longer than 50 yards and finished with 139 rushing yards and 42 receiving yards against East Carolina in the Military Bowl.

Coach’s take: “He’s going to get the ball a lot more so he’s a playmaker, he’ll make a lot of things happen,” NC State coach Dave Doeren told ESPN. “He’ll make a lot of things happen. Yeah, he can turn a little play into a big play pretty fast. He’s explosive. He is really fast, he’s tough, he’s a smart football player. He sees things really well.” (ESPN)

Smothers was 1 of 7 ACC players to make Rittenberg’s list.

In 2024, he ranked 2nd in the ACC in yards per attempt, and ranked first in yards after contact (4.49).

Athlon put Smothers on their 2025 Preseason All-ACC 2nd Team, and Phil Steele put him on the 3rd Team.