Antonio Smith Walking On and Stepping Up – Ohio State Buckeyes
9/16/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 16, 2006
By Jeff Symonds
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In high school Antiono Smith was a star. He was second to no one his final season with Beechcroft High School where he was named the team’s most valuable player. He also earned All-City League and all-district honors. When he was a kid he watched just one team: the Buckeyes. Smith was recruited by a few colleges but he already knew which school he would attend – The Ohio State University – even though he had not been offered a scholarship.
“There was no other place I wanted to go,” Smith said. “My high school coach said I should tryout for holder just so I could get on the field. All I wanted was a chance to play. I didn’t care if it was offense, defense or special teams. I just wanted to be a part of this team.”
Smith did not tryout to be a holder. Instead, he was a preferred walk-on at Ohio State. While this did not guarantee him a spot on the roster or a scholarship, he wanted a shot to play for the team he loved as a kid. Smith reported to camp in the summer of 2002 and was redshirted during the Buckeyes’ national championship run. During that season he worked on the practice squad. Smith’s real dream was to play; he wanted to run out the tunnel and come out on play for the Buckeyes.
“I knew I had to get to work,” Smith said. “I wanted to work my way up and earn a spot. The coaches told me the best way I could make the team was on special teams.”
In 2003, his second season with the Buckeyes, Smith recommitted himself to the team. He saw action in three games and was named the scout team player of the week twice, after the Wisconsin and Indiana games.
“It proved to me that if I did things one step at a time, it would pay off,” Smith said. “As I got to play more and more I knew things were working out.”
In 2004, Smith became an everyday player and was on the field for every game that year. Smith also had one of his favorite memories, recording a solo tackle while covering a punt in the Michigan game.
“That is one of the things that I’m going to look back on,” Smith said. “I’m never going to forget that.”
Smith admits he could not have done it on his own. He had a great deal of help from his family and his coaches.
“I talk to my high school coach a lot,” Smith said. “I have to say most of the time I have to motivate myself. When you’re out there on the field it is just you.”
Smith earned his way on to special teams and earned the respect of his coaches and his teammates by always giving total effort.
“My goal has always been to get better every play,” Smith said. “I never make the same mistake twice. It is one of the things I pride myself on.”
In 2005, Smith became a special teams standout and even logged time on defense in two games. He saw action in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl victory over Notre Dame. After the 2005 season several members of the Ohio State secondary left for the National Football League. Many spots where up for grabs.
“I knew if I gave it all I had then I would get a chance to play,” Smith said. “I was the guy that everyday people were expecting to slow down or give less because I’m a walkon but I feel that being a walkon gives me an adavantage. I know I’m as good as anyone else and if someone hears “walk-on” and then thinks less of me, I’ll show them why they should respect me.”
Smith continues to prove the doubters wrong and has even got some believers among his teammates. The people who see him play everyday know better than to doubt Smith.
“People keep waiting for Antonio to lose his spot at the top of the depth chart,” Malcolm Jenkins, starting defensive back, said. “But he is not going anywhere. He picks things up just as fast as anyone and never makes the same mistake twice.”
Smith has been getting better everyday and in the spring following the 2005 season Smith earned a scholarship. Smith turned some heads in the spring and was moved to the top of the depth chart. He had become one of the starting defensive back for the preseason No. 1 team in the nation.
“I never thought this could happen,” Smith said. “I just had a lot of faith and put things in the hands of God because through Him anything is possible.”
When Smith came to Ohio State he just wanted to play for the team he had watched as a kid and he was willing to make sacrifices. He gave up scholarship offers to other universities and earned his spot as an Ohio State Buckeye. Smith would not have had it any other way.
“Sometimes I think about what it would have been like to play for another school,” Smith said. “But I just can’t see it. Ohio State just feels right.”
Smith has earned his spot with the team he always wanted to play for. This is the year for Smith to be a star again and to prove the doubters wrong.
