Evan Smith is ready to get to work
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Evan Smith signed his letter of intent with Northwestern this morning. Now, the work begins.
Smith was the star quarterback for Birmingham (Ala.) Oak Mountain this fall. He was named both the Shelby County and Over the Mountain Player of the Year.
But once he gets to Evanston he will be making the switch to defense and playing cornerback. Everything he's experienced about playing football will be reversed: instead of leading an offense, he will be trying to stop one.
And he got to be pretty good at leading an offense.
This past season, Smith completed 54% of his passes for 1,184 yards and 11 touchdowns. He added 1,110 more yards (11.3 yards per carry) and 17 touchdowns using his legs, despite missing two and a half games due to a hip injury.
Smith led his team to the second round of the playoffs, which was the highlight of his high school career.
"Our school, we don't make the playoffs every single year, so making the playoffs is a pretty big deal," Smith said.
Smith describing Oak Mountain as "our school" was no accident. He grew up watching OMHS play. In the era of players jumping to specialized athletic prep schools like IMG Academy, Smith stayed put. He played for the high school he grew up rooting for, and it paid off.
"I grew up with the guys I played with instead of transferring to another school," Smith said. "We just worked really hard as a team. We all just bought in, all four years.
"Overall, Oak Mountain has meant everything."
While Smith was leading the Eagles to wins down in Alabama, things weren't going as smoothly up in Evanston. Northwestern stumbled its way through 2021, finishing with a 3-9 record just one year after winning the Big Ten West.
Smith's commitment to the Wildcats never wavered, though. He has faith in Wildcat head coach Pat Fitzgerald to right the ship and get the program back to their winning ways.
Once he gets on campus in June, Smith will begin the process of transitioning from a quarterback to a cornerback. He knows the change won't be easy, but he's up for the challenge.
He does have one advantage on the defensive side of the ball: he knows how quarterbacks think from all his experience playing the position. He believes that will help him on the other side of the ball.
You might think that it would be difficult to go from a position where he touches the ball on every play to one where he might not ever see it, but Smith chose to play defense over offense. He went up to a camp last June and earned an offer, then committed to the Wildcats on July 3.
"I had offers to be a slot (receiver), but corner really fits what I do well," Smith said. "The coaches believe in me so I feel like I have everything; just got to work on it.
"By the time the season comes I'll be ready to roll."