Christian Smith enters his third season coaching the defensive line at Northwestern in 2025. One of the brightest young stars in coaching, Smith was selected to the 2025 AFCA (American Football Coaches Association) 35 Under 35, which is aimed at identifying and developing premier, future leaders in the football coaching profession.
Smith has coached a defensive line unit that proved to be one of the Wildcats deepest on the defensive side of the ball. Aidan Hubbard has been named All-Big Ten in each of the last two seasons, and totaled 12.0 sacks combined over that span, which ranks fourth in the Big Ten among defensive linemen.
In 2023, Smith helped Northwestern to an 8-5 overall record, which tied for a second-place finish in the Big Ten West with a 5-4 mark in conference games. The Wildcats ended the season on a four-game winning streak, including a 14-7 victory over Utah in the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl, the program's fifth consecutive bowl win. According to SP+, a tempo and opponent-adjusted metric that measures efficiency, Northwestern recorded a defensive rating of 18.6, the 18th-best mark nationally.
Smith joined the Wildcats after six seasons at South Dakota State, where he helped lead the Jackrabbits to the 2022 FCS National Championship, their first in program history. In 2022, Smith's defensive line anchored an SDSU defense which ranked first in FCS with 88.1 rushing yards allowed per game, second with 274.1 total yards per game, third in scoring defense at 15.8 points per game, and tied for fourth with 39.0 sacks. Under his tutelage, senior defensive tackle Caleb Sanders was named a 2022 FCS First Team All-American by both AP and AFCA after tallying 6.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss. Along with Sanders, defensive end Reece Winkelman was named First Team All-MVFC after leading the team with 15.5 tackles for loss and 8.0 sacks. In Smith's six years with the program, three Jackrabbit defensive linemen were named First Team All-MVFC and five were named Second Team.
In the 2020-21 season, Smith helped the Jackrabbits reach their first FCS National Championship in school history, falling 23-21 to Sam Houston State. Behind Smith's defensive line, the Jackrabbits allowed just 15.0 points per game and tallied 66 tackles for loss in 10 games. Sanders was named First Team All-MVFC after tallying 7.0 tackles for loss and led the team with 5.0 sacks.
In 2021, Smith and the Jackrabbits reached the 2021 FCS Playoffs semifinals, after Sanders and Winkelman combined for 26.5 tackles for loss and 12.0 sacks. Both were named Second Team All-MVFC. The Jackrabbits tallied 99.0 tackles for loss, 37.0 sacks, and 11 forced fumbles on the season while allowing just 109.9 rushing yards and 19.7 points per game.
All five FCS Playoffs semifinal appearances in South Dakota State program history came during Smith's tenure. In his four years as the defensive line coach, the Jackrabbits held opponents to 16.58 points per game, 106.4 rushing yards per game, 295.5 total yards per game, and a 36.6% 3rd down conversion rate. He spent his first two seasons at SDSU exclusively coaching the defensive tackles.
An Oklahoma City native, Smith was a standout defensive end for Toledo from 2010-13. He totaled 80 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks, and four forced fumbles in his career and was named team captain as a senior. Smith was never part of a losing season at Toledo and helped lead the Rockets to three bowl games.
After earning his bachelor's degree from Toledo, Smith interned as a strength and conditioning coach at Ohio State before returning to Toledo as a graduate assistant from 2014-15. Smith was hired as a graduate assistant at Iowa State by first-year head coach Matt Campbell in 2016, where he worked with the defensive line and outside linebackers.
Smith has coached a defensive line unit that proved to be one of the Wildcats deepest on the defensive side of the ball. Aidan Hubbard has been named All-Big Ten in each of the last two seasons, and totaled 12.0 sacks combined over that span, which ranks fourth in the Big Ten among defensive linemen.
In 2023, Smith helped Northwestern to an 8-5 overall record, which tied for a second-place finish in the Big Ten West with a 5-4 mark in conference games. The Wildcats ended the season on a four-game winning streak, including a 14-7 victory over Utah in the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl, the program's fifth consecutive bowl win. According to SP+, a tempo and opponent-adjusted metric that measures efficiency, Northwestern recorded a defensive rating of 18.6, the 18th-best mark nationally.
Smith joined the Wildcats after six seasons at South Dakota State, where he helped lead the Jackrabbits to the 2022 FCS National Championship, their first in program history. In 2022, Smith's defensive line anchored an SDSU defense which ranked first in FCS with 88.1 rushing yards allowed per game, second with 274.1 total yards per game, third in scoring defense at 15.8 points per game, and tied for fourth with 39.0 sacks. Under his tutelage, senior defensive tackle Caleb Sanders was named a 2022 FCS First Team All-American by both AP and AFCA after tallying 6.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss. Along with Sanders, defensive end Reece Winkelman was named First Team All-MVFC after leading the team with 15.5 tackles for loss and 8.0 sacks. In Smith's six years with the program, three Jackrabbit defensive linemen were named First Team All-MVFC and five were named Second Team.
In the 2020-21 season, Smith helped the Jackrabbits reach their first FCS National Championship in school history, falling 23-21 to Sam Houston State. Behind Smith's defensive line, the Jackrabbits allowed just 15.0 points per game and tallied 66 tackles for loss in 10 games. Sanders was named First Team All-MVFC after tallying 7.0 tackles for loss and led the team with 5.0 sacks.
In 2021, Smith and the Jackrabbits reached the 2021 FCS Playoffs semifinals, after Sanders and Winkelman combined for 26.5 tackles for loss and 12.0 sacks. Both were named Second Team All-MVFC. The Jackrabbits tallied 99.0 tackles for loss, 37.0 sacks, and 11 forced fumbles on the season while allowing just 109.9 rushing yards and 19.7 points per game.
All five FCS Playoffs semifinal appearances in South Dakota State program history came during Smith's tenure. In his four years as the defensive line coach, the Jackrabbits held opponents to 16.58 points per game, 106.4 rushing yards per game, 295.5 total yards per game, and a 36.6% 3rd down conversion rate. He spent his first two seasons at SDSU exclusively coaching the defensive tackles.
An Oklahoma City native, Smith was a standout defensive end for Toledo from 2010-13. He totaled 80 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks, and four forced fumbles in his career and was named team captain as a senior. Smith was never part of a losing season at Toledo and helped lead the Rockets to three bowl games.
After earning his bachelor's degree from Toledo, Smith interned as a strength and conditioning coach at Ohio State before returning to Toledo as a graduate assistant from 2014-15. Smith was hired as a graduate assistant at Iowa State by first-year head coach Matt Campbell in 2016, where he worked with the defensive line and outside linebackers.