Player profileBall State Football
Ball State · Football
Sterling Smith
DB · Junior · #1 · 6' 0" · 201 lbs
From Indianapolis, IN
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Estimated NIL value
$19.3K
Ball State · Football
Sterling Smith
DB · Junior · #1 · 6' 0" · 201 lbs
From Indianapolis, IN
Loading live player file…
Estimated NIL value
$19.3K
Ball State · Football
DB · Junior · #1 · 6' 0" · 201 lbs
From Indianapolis, IN
Estimated NIL value
$19.3K
Modeled from role, roster, recruiting, current market evidence, and school-pool reconciliation.
Pool-accounting allocation: $16.8K
Confidence meter
Watchlist confidenceWe have enough context to frame the range, but not enough sourced detail to call it tight.
Sterling Smith is a 6' 0" 201 lbs Junior Defensive Back for Ball State and is listed by ESPN from Indianapolis, IN. Sterling Smith ranks 40th within the current Ball State football roster. The modeled value is $19.3K, with $16.8K allocated to reconcile the sport pool.
Pool share by sport
0.4%
Football pool: $4.2M
Pool share of school
0.2%
Ball State roster market: $7.5M
Roster dollars tracked
$4.2M
Ball State Football pool-accounting sum
Recent game logs
3
Latest verified ESPN appearances
Live player file
Last updated Sep 2, 2026
Position
Defensive Back
Class
Junior
Jersey
#1
Height
6' 0"
Weight
201 lbs
Hometown
Indianapolis, IN
Roster status
Active
Current listing
Ball State Cardinals
Transfer history
Purdue to Undecided
2026 portal cycle / Dec 3, 2025 / Immediate
Holy Cross to Purdue
2024 portal cycle / Nov 27, 2023 / Immediate
2025 season production
ESPN player feedDefense
3
Total tackles
1
Solo tackles
0
Sacks
0
Interceptions
0
Passes defended
0
Forced fumbles
Career history
| Season | Team | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | PD | FF | AST | YDS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Purdue Boilermakers | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Career | All teams | 39 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
Latest games
Sideline Data Desk
Defensive-back value reflects coverage scarcity, starting role, recruiting demand, and exposure in high-leverage matchups. For Sterling Smith, the current roster role, class, recruiting signal, program market, and available market evidence produce a $19.3K headline case.
The visible base estimate is $19.3K. The pool-accounting allocation is $16.8K, equal to about 0.4% of the Ball State football market. The player ranks 40th on that roster.
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Other Ball State DB estimates.
Recent player-specific reporting from school and national college-sports sources, newest first. NIL and endorsement stories are marked when relevant.
