Texas RB Hollywood Smothers signs six-figure NIL deal
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NIL didn’t play a major role in running back Hollywood Smothers flipping from the Alabama Crimson Tide to the Texas Longhorns during the winter transfer portal window, but there are still plenty of NIL opportunities for athletes on the Forty Acres, as evidenced by Smothers signing a multi-year, six-figure deal with Fiterman Sports, according to a Wednesday report from On3.
The Houston-based sports memorabilia and marketing company specializes in “crafting personalized, in-person experiences between fans and the legendary athletes we exclusively represent,” according to the company’s website. Like Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed, Smothers will reportedly be involved with meet and greets and memorabilia activations.
The 5’11, 195-pounder has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
The Charlotte product originally signed with the Sooners as a member of the 2023 recruiting class, choosing Oklahoma after taking official visits to NC State and Florida State. Other offers for Smothers included Alabama, Arkansas, Miami, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Penn State, South Carolina, and Tennessee. When Smother signed, he was a consensus four-star prospect ranked as No. 379 player nationally and the No. 26 running back, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.
In 2023, Smothers redshirted in Norman, appearing in four games and receiving 11 carries for 42 yards. After entering the NCAA transfer portal and landing with the Wolfpack, Smothers broke into the starting role for the final six games of the season, finishing with 571 yards and six touchdowns on 89 carries, an average of 6.4 yards per carry that led the team and ranked sixth in school history.
Against Stanford, Smoothers notched his first 100-yard performance, reaching that plateau exactly on 16 carries with two touchdowns before rushing for 139 yards on 15 carries in the bowl loss to East Carolina.
As a redshirt sophomore in 2025, Smothers had a standout season, rushing for 939 yards and six touchdowns on 160 carries while adding 189 yards and touchdown through the air. Early in the season, Smothers went over 100 yards in four of five games before seeing his production tail off late in the year due to injury.
Slightly bigger in statue than Arizona State transfer running back Raleek Brown, Smothers is also an explosive back with four carries for 42 yards or longer in 2025 — both backs will add an element that Texas was desperately missing last season.
247Sports ranked Smothers as the No. 42 overall prospect and the No. 3 running back in the portal.
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