Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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IN THE TRENCHES ANDREW OWENS open to the possibility when asked about it Aug. 4 at Culver Academies. "I think a sophomore could be a leader," he said. "I wouldn't rule it out of being a possibility. He's a leader on our football team right now. Whether he gets a 'C' on the jersey, we'll see how that plays out. That's not out of the realm of possibility." Captaincy or not, Smith has already emerged as a leader on the unit. "It's just who I am," he said. "It's not something that I force or anything. It's what I desire. I feel like the team needs leaders. If we are all on the same page, we can be very successful." In 2013, Smith became the first Irish freshman in 18 years to start the sea‑ son opener at linebacker. He finished third on the squad with 67 tackles and second with 6.5 tackles for loss, while also registering one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble re‑ covery. By midseason, it was hard to imagine that a player not even on the roster during the 12‑1 season the year prior had become such an integral part of the action. What Smith brings with talent he matches with intelligence and leader‑ ship. He commands the respect of any room in which he speaks and would be a natural fit with a "C" on his jersey. What he might lack in experience he more than makes up for in those areas. Notre Dame isn't without viable captain candidates on defense. Junior Sheldon Day and senior Joe Schmidt are both likely possibilities. Smith, however, presents the best combina‑ tion of on‑field performance and lead‑ ership traits. For a team embroiled in an ongoing academic fraud investigation with the season about to begin, there is plenty of uncertainty inside the Guglielmino Athletics Complex right now. Even with his youth, Smith is a sure thing. He's constantly directing his teammates into the right places on the field and, for a defense depending on almost nonstop substitutions, the Irish can't afford to take him off the field. Opposition to the idea is under‑ standable. It's rare for a player that has yet to begin year two to be both mature and talented enough to be of‑ ficially recognized. Even Manti Te'o, who earned the most postseason awards in college football history his senior year, had not yet become the heart and soul of the defense by his second season in South Bend. "I'm fortunate enough that I'll be taking on [a leadership] role," Smith said, though not specifically referring to the captaincy. "I'm ready. I'm look‑ ing forward to it and it's going to be a long process. "My leadership style is a combina‑ tion of the whole overview of Notre Dame. They need leaders. With older guys leaving like Prince [Shembo] and Carlo [Calabrese]and Dan [Fox], all those guys leaving, it's really just a change." Change presents opportunity, which is exactly what Smith has earned de‑ spite being just a sophomore. ✦ Andrew Owens has been a writer for Blue & Gold Illustrated since August 2013. He can be reached at aowens@blueandgold.com