STANFORD, Calif. - Junior tight end and political science major Kaden Smith was named the John Mackey Award Player of the Week on Wednesday.
The 2018 John Mackey recipient will be announced on Dec. 5 and presented live on Dec. 6 at The Home Depot College Football Awards Red Carpet Show on ESPNU. Other key dates include the semifinalists announced on Nov. 15 and the finalists announced on Nov. 22.
Smith led the Cardinal with eight receptions and 107 receiving yards, which included a 14-yard touchdown, at Washington on Saturday. It marked his third game with 8+ receptions and 100+ yards this season (Utah, Washington State and Washington). The rest of the tight ends in the country have combined for five such games. Smith is the only tight end to accomplish that feat more than once and has now done it in back-to-back games. He's also the first tight end to do it three times in a season since Texas Tech's Jace Amaro in 2013 (Baker Mayfield and Davis Webb were the Red Raiders' quarterbacks).
Smith, a native of Flower Mound, Texas, is also the first Stanford tight end with back-to-back 100-yard receiving games since Alex Smith did it in three straight games in 2004. He is the first Cardinal tight end since Zach Ertz with three 100-yard receiving games in a season.
Over 100 again. @TheKadenSmith became just the second Stanford tight end with three 100-yard receiving games in a season in the last decade. (@ZERTZ_86, 2012). #GoStanford pic.twitter.com/hmpK8vlT7N
— Stanford Football (@StanfordFball) November 7, 2018
Smith and the Cardinal are set to take on Oregon State at Stanford Stadium on Saturday. It will be Senior Day for Stanford, and there will be a free Christian McCaffrey bobblehead giveaway to the first 10,000 fans. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. on Pac-12 Networks.