16 NOV. 1, 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED
BY JACK SOBLE
W
ith North Carolina State run-
ning an all-out blitz on third
down in the third quarter,
Notre Dame wide receiver
KK Smith had only one man to beat.
That man was Wolfpack defensive back
Jackson Vick, and Smith might as well
have jogged past him.
Smith has easy speed, and he quickly
shook off Vick to pop wide open on a
seam route at the goal line. The throw
came in from redshirt freshman CJ Carr,
and the redshirt sophomore from Frisco,
Texas, had his first college touchdown.
Smith was a seldom-used wide receiver
to that point, with only 2 receptions on 32
offensive snaps in Notre Dame's previous
five games. But with redshirt freshman
wideout Micah Gilbert out with a hand
injury and junior Jaden Greathouse in-
active with a strained hamstring, Notre
Dame called his number.
His first catch was a sliding grab along
the sideline on a comeback route, which
requires timing with the signal-caller.
Once he had that down he was ready to go.
"After that, any doubt I might have
had before then went out the window,"
Smith said. "I was just, 'OK, let's do it,
let's ball.'"
Smith wasn't a high-profile recruit,
coming to Notre Dame as a three-star
prospect after flipping from Texas Tech.
NEED FOR
SPEED
A seldom-used wide receiver
until Week 7, KK Smith took
advantage of his opportunity
Smith hauled in 3 receptions for 59 yards with
an 18-yard touchdown — the first of his career
— that gave the Irish some separation against
North Carolina State in a 36-7 win Oct. 11.
PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER
