Blue White Illustrated

P E N N S TAT E FO O T BA L L >> 2 0 1 7 K I C KO F F S P E C I A L gained his teammates' respect for his steadfast improvement and unselfish approach. In addition, Smith has been selected a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar, earned All-Academic honors, and this past spring posted a grade-point average of 4.0. That wasn't the first time he accom- plished such a feat, either. With his kine- siology degree already in hand, an argument can be made that Smith has ac- complished even more in the classroom than he has on the football field. So far. Having graduated last December, Smith briefly considered forgoing his final sea- son of eligibility in order to focus on his academics and maybe get a jump start on medical school. He soon decided that could wait one more year. And if he was going to come back, he wanted to make it worthwhile. All signs up until this point suggest that's what he's been doing, and the coaches have rewarded the effort. Defen- sive coordinator Brent Pry said Smith is in the best shape of his career. At a solid 6-foot-0 and 227 pounds, yet as soft-spoken as ever, Smith quietly agrees. "Probably am," he says, before adding a caveat. "I wrestled in high school and we ran before very practice, so I could run miles and miles then. I prob- ably can't do that anymore, but I can def- initely push more around and [am more explosive] in that sort of physical condi- tioning, for sure." He's also paying even more attention than before to the schematic aspects of the game. Not only has he been spending additional time breaking down film, he's also been watching past Nittany Lion greats, many of whom served as role models for him as a kid living just over an hour away from State College. He's been dissecting their style of play as collegians in the hope of emulating it. "Growing up I was watching guys like Dan Connor, Paul Posluszny, NaVorro Bowman and then a few years later, Glenn Carson, Michael Mauti and Gerald Hodges," Smith said. "I got to play with Glenn with one season and Mike Hull for two." Hull is the one from whom Smith draws the most inspiration. "Mike was just an incredible worker in practice," Smith recalled. "Seeing how every rep he took was like a game rep, how he was always getting to the ball even all the way across the field – obviously that work ethic has paid off for him, being in the NFL, going into his third year. There were lot of great guys who came before me and even on the team now. Manny Bowen, Jason Cabinda, Koa Farmer, I could keep going on and on – just guys who are really fun to work with." Smith is a worker, too. He draws on the energy from his teammates, but he's also self-motivated, no matter what kind of endeavor he is tackling. When it comes to football, he's a metic- ulous game planner who dives into the minutia of the game and the tendencies of his opponent, thus helping him to read and react quicker. In the classroom, he is just as resolute, if not more. This off-season, while bulking up and preparing for his final games in Beaver Stadium, Smith spent a lot of time by himself, face down in the books, studying for his MCATs. Now he's in the process of applying to medical school – to institutions "pretty much across the board in Pennsylvania," he said. He's not sure what specific field he'll pursue, although he is interested in bariatrics, pediatrics and orthopedics. He's already shadowed doctors, sat in on operations, and now is working to- ward a second undergraduate degree in health policy and administration. He'll be prepared for whichever route he chooses. "Since I'm trying to go to med- ical school, I thought seeing the admin- istrative end of [hospitals] wouldn't hurt me in the future, if I do become a doctor," he said. Work toward that degree occupies most of his study hours now, and he sure is glad to have the MCATs out of the way. But for him, the paper test wasn't terri- bly difficult compared to the opponents he has to conquer each week in the fall. "At least with the MCATs I learned it all in school," he said, "so it's just kind of re- freshing and going over it again. As far as looking at film from other teams, it's dif- ferent each week. You've got to study the tight ends, the quarterback and running back to see what they do differently, so that's new stuff every week, which makes it fun." And he's glad to be doing it again, even if it's for one last year. When he joined the team as a walk-on in 2013 – and made Dean's List with his first 4.0 – the possibility of eventually playing for a Big Ten championship and in the Rose Bowl seemed like only a dream. Now he's been there, and with that expe- rience – amid a swell of outside expecta- tions – Smith is ready to accomplish more. His goals go well beyond the classroom. "The standard, whether we've reached it or not has always been the same here," he said. "Same thing this year. We're just going to focus on ourselves right now, being the best Penn State we can be, and see where that takes us." ■

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