2020 Texas A&M Football Position Breakdown: Kick Return
May 14, 2020 | Football
With fans counting down to the 2020 Texas A&M Football season, we continue our series to breakdown each position group for the highly anticipated season.
Returning Starter: Ainias Smith
Rising sophomore Ainias Smith handled the return duties for the Aggies in 2019. He finished his collegiate debut ranking fourth in the SEC in both kickoff and punt return yards. On kickoff, Smith averaged 13.5 yards per return and tallied 257 total yards on 19 attempts. He had a season-best 31-yard return in the win over Arkansas, and totaled a single-game high of 49 yards on three returns in the win over Mississippi State. On punt return, Smith averaged 11.9 yards per return and finished the season with 190 return yards on 16 attempts. The Sugar Land, Texas, native returned four punts for 65 total yards, including a 34-yard long in A&M's victory over Ole Miss.
Smith also contributed on offense, both in the air and on the ground. He was top five on the team in receiving yards as a freshman and finished the year fourth on the squad in all-purpose yards (749). For his contributions, Smith earned the Special Teams Newcomer, Special Teams Impact and Special Teams Strength Awards at the team's annual banquet.
