D.J. Is NFL Bound!

Ranked 12th in Division 1A in receiving yards-per-game (2005) and Idaho's all-time single-game record holder for receiving yards (269), Second Team All-WAC wide receiver D.J. Smith will forego his senior season and declare for the NFL draft.

The dude stood out from the get go.

Enormous hands. Sure hands. Quick feet. And a knack for getting open.

D.J. Smith asserted himself early at Idaho. Having just joined the program last spring out of L.A. Pierce Junior College (CA), he claimed the starting Slot receiver role in the season opener against Washington State and never looked back. He missed all of one game, and most of a second, because of a concussion suffered at home in the WAC opener against Hawaii. Despite the missed playing time, D.J. still put up a stunning list of impressive stats:

- Ranked 12th in America in Yards/Game (101.10)
- Ranked 18th in America in receptions/Game (6.70)
- Ranked 27th in America in Total Yards (1,001)

He also made his mark on the Idaho record books in his lone season at Idaho, when his 269-yards receiving at New Mexico State broke a UI single-game record and ended up being the best single-game performance in both the NCAA and Western Athletic Conference in 2005.

The effort gained him Second Team All-WAC honors this year, and etched him as a player to watch in 2006.

This afternoon the University of Idaho released news that D.J. would forego his senior season and declare himself for the 2006 NFL draft. Although Idaho has sent it's share of players to the league (the most recent being Jake Scott, the Indianapolis Colts' starting right guard for the AFC's #2 rated offense, and a 5th round draft pick in 2004), he may be the first Vandal football player EVER to forego his senior season and declare for the NFL draft.

A decision that most likely was not taken lightly by D.J. and his family, the staff of VandalVenue.com and Idaho fans everywhere wish D.J. the best of luck at the next level.