During this prolonged offseason, I found myself asking a somewhat specific question, so I tweeted it to gauge responses.

“Which non-starting running back in the SEC will have the biggest year?”

I had a few candidates in mind. Trey Sanders and James Cook were probably the obvious names, while Chris Rodriguez and Snoop Conner were the guys I thought would be the answer by season’s end.

My co-worker, SDS News Editor Michael Bratton, went in a different direction.

“Ainias Smith.”

I’ll be honest. Smith was totally off my radar. In my defense, he had 7 carries as a true freshman in 2019, all of which came in the Texas Bowl when the Aggies were down to just 1 scholarship running back and he switched to that position. Smith did have 22 catches as a true freshman, and he played special teams, but he didn’t have a post-September touchdown.

That’s why I responded to Michael’s suggestion by saying that if Smith went off, I’d make sure to give him credit every time.

Well, 2 months later, here’s me giving my co-worker the credit he deserves. Smith has indeed gone off, much to my surprise.

But instead of spending the rest of this giving Michael the credit, it probably makes more sense to shift it to Smith and how he’s helped suddenly made the Playoff question the one worth asking in College Station.

If you haven’t seen Smith tip-toe a sideline en route to pay dirt or make a devastating cut in the middle of the field, you’re missing out. If that’s the case, it’s probably because you haven’t watched A&M play this year. That’s essentially what Smith has done every game. In A&M’s first 5 games, Smith has a total of 56 scrimmage touches for 476 yards and 6 touchdowns. He has at least 70 scrimmage yards in all 5 games, and he had a touchdown in 4 of those games.

That included Saturday against Arkansas when Smith scored on his first 2 scrimmage touches. You tell me which one was more impressive:

Man, that cut on the second score …

A&M can line him up all over the field. Slot? Outside? Backfield? Special teams? It doesn’t matter. Smith makes plays, and not just with the ball in his hands. Even at 190 pounds, he blocks like he’s got something to prove.

It’s easy to see why that’s how he plays. Smith was the No. 22 recruit in his 2019 class.

Check that.

Smith was the No. 22 recruit among A&M signees in his 2019 class.

It’s hard to believe that Smith was barely rated as a top-100 recruit in the state of Texas. After all, he did everything then, too. As a senior, he had 718 receiving yards (10 receiving scores) and 481 rushing yards, not to mention a pair of passing touchdowns. As a cornerback, he also had 3 interceptions and a defensive touchdown, and just for good measure, he returned a kick for a touchdown.

Yet still, Smith was listed as the No. 48 athlete in the 2019 class. Size was a concern for the Missouri City, Texas native. At 5-10, 187 pounds, the big-time offers didn’t come in bunches. But Jimbo Fisher’s staff liked the versatility that Smith offered, especially as someone who could return kicks. After he committed to A&M on Signing Day, Smith was asked what position he could play. He responded “all of them.”

It’s hard to argue with that so far. It’s clear that Smith is a unique weapon for the Fisher era. It didn’t take long for Fisher to recognize that. He had 3 consecutive games with a touchdown catch in September of his true freshman season. After the Texas Bowl when he made the switch to tailback, Fisher said in February that Smith was going to stay at tailback. He then proceeded to heap praise onto the dynamic playmaker.

“We’re gonna leave him back there and let him play. He is natural back there as the day is long,” Fisher said in February. “He can run that football. He’s 192 pounds right now, he’s gonna be 195, 196-pound guy that can carry it but also go out there and not just catch the ball as a back, but can run routes. There’s a big difference in that and how you can match him up and the things he can do. His skill set really allows you to do a lot of things.”

Yep. Fisher knew he had a special one.

A&M hasn’t had a player like Smith. Sure, Trayveon Williams and Isaiah Spiller are both excellent featured backs who catch passes out of the backfield. But Smith is unique. He’s a true hybrid. It seems unfair to even call him a running back, though as Fisher said, “he’s natural back there as the day is long.” Where Smith’s emergence feels more vital for A&M was catching passes.

That was A&M’s obvious weakness heading into the spring with both Kendrick Rogers and Quartney Davis leaving early for the NFL Draft. Then veteran receiver Camron Buckley went down with a season-ending knee injury. Then Smith’s 2019 classmate, No. 1 tight end Baylor Cupp, suffered a season-ending injury 2 weeks later. And just in case that was enough, top A&M returning receiver Jhamon Ausbon opted out days later.

To say that the Aggies were desperate for pass-catchers to step up would be like saying Fisher talks fast.

In stepped Smith, who is 7th in the SEC in touchdown catches and 14th in receptions. He’s a game-changer on an A&M offense that has the No. 7 Aggies at their highest Associated Press Top 25 ranking of the Fisher era. On the minds of many is what lies ahead. Four of A&M’s 5 remaining opponents have losing records and the team who doesn’t, Auburn, could easily be sitting at 2-4 if not for 2 game-changing missed calls. In other words, there’s a good chance that the 4-1 Aggies will be favored in each of their remaining games. Hence, the Playoff discussion.

What’s in store for Smith and the Aggies? That’s a good question.

For Smith, perhaps he’ll emerge as the favorite to win the Paul Hornung Award as the nation’s most versatile player. He’s certainly on his way to being part of that conversation.

As for the Aggies, I wouldn’t bank on another prototypical A&M collapse. The Aggies have an identity on offense, and it’s not one that’s been padded by nonconference cupcakes or favorable schedule draws. Kellen Mond is playing the best ball of his well-documented career, and the Maroon Goons keeping him upright certainly has a lot to do with that. Mond has only been sacked twice all year after taking 65 sacks in his first 2 years of the system.

And certainly Smith’s backfield mate, Spiller, deserves plenty of credit, as well. The job he’s done behind that vastly improved offensive line has helped A&M have balance against quality teams, which it didn’t have the last 2 years.

But there’s a pressing question that’s starting to surface — what’s at the heart of why A&M is different and suddenly in the Playoff conversation? To answer that, I’ll refer back to the answer that Michael gave me a couple months ago when I posed my SEC running backs question on Twitter.

“Ainias Smith.”