Going into this season, Smith – who has never had more than three sacks in a season at Ohio State – had his sights set on emerging as the premier pass-rusher he’s been expected to be since he arrived in Columbus as a high four-star recruit. He incurred another setback in Ohio State’s third game of the season against Tulsa, however, when he suffered another injury that kept him out for the next three games.
After an offseason in which Smith felt faster and stronger than ever before, that was a tough pill to swallow for the senior defensive end.
“It sucked,” Smith said of being out. “But health is most important. You gotta make sure you’re all the way healthy before you step on the field. A lot of the coaches always tell me, you don’t want to put out bad film, so that’s a big thing. If I’m not 100%, I’m not gonna be helping the team the way I want to.”
Through it all, though, Smith says he’s stayed faithful that his career will ultimately play out the way it’s supposed to.
“My mom’s always just telling me to be humble but stay hungry and always remain faithful and just lean on God, because God always has a plan,” Smith said. “Whether I like it or not, I always just trust in his plan, and every time I step on the field, I’m going to use my God-given abilities and I’m gonna go as hard as I can within the scheme, within what I’m supposed to do.”
Smith was able to get back on the field last weekend against Indiana, and while he only had one tackle in 20 snaps of action, he made it count as he took down Indiana quarterback Donaven McCulley for his first sack of the year.
That said, he wants to make more big plays on a more consistent basis.
“It meant a lot, but it’s just the beginning,” Smith said of getting his first sack of the year. “We can get way better than we are. We’re just scratching the surface. So I just keep that mentality in the front of my head and always just try to look for something better. I did get a sack, but there was a lot more rushes that I could have did better on and I could have made more of an impact.”
