Auburn has good catch in walk-on Dreek Smith

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http://www.al.com/auburnfootball/huntsvill....xml&coll=1

Auburn has good catch in walk-on

Sunday, August 20, 2006

By PHILLIP MARSHALL

Times Sports Staff pmarsh9485@msn.com

Smith lacks scholarship but not spot on first team

AUBURN - As a high school senior, wide receiver Roderiqus Smith waited for scholarship offers that never came.

Georgia Southern was interested. So was Bethel College. But Smith, who had been slowed by a knee injury as a senior at South Gwinnett (Ga.) High School, yearned for a shot at college football's big-time. That's why he followed James Swinton, his former high school teammate and closest friend, to Auburn. Swinton had a scholarship. Smith didn't even have an invitation to walk on.

"I thought I was better than that," Smith said.

And he proved it. After a standout performance in Friday night's scrimmage, Smith was a starter when Auburn went to practice Saturday morning. He still doesn't have a scholarship, but he is ahead of no fewer than six wide receivers who do, including his roommate Swinton.

"I was basically a nobody coming in," Smith said Saturday. "I didn't have any stars. But if you keep working hard, everything is going to pay off in the end."

Smith, a 6-foot, 185-pound third-year sophomore, showed up on the first day of school in 2004 and had to survive a tryout. By last season, he'd done enough to earn playing time in seven games and catch six passes for 109 yards. He made a big move in spring practice and has continued it in preseason camp.

He got the word Saturday morning that he was moving from "Z" wide receiver position, where he'd been running second team behind Courtney Taylor, to the "X," where he displaced junior Prechae Rodriguez, the former first-teamer.

Offensive coordinator Al Borges said it didn't happen by accident.

"He's a heck of an athlete," Borges said Saturday. "Yesterday, he put on a show."

Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville said Smith has demanded attention by his actions on the field, going back to last season.

"When the ball is thrown to him, he catches it," Tuberville said. "When he needs to block somebody, he does it. The quarterbacks have confidence in him. The team has confidence in him. This hasn't been just a weekly deal. This guy has practiced well since last year."

The decision to promote Smith to first team, Borges said, was not a hard one.

"He just earned the position," Borges said. "I told the players from Day 1 that there is no seniority system. Everything is based on performance. Perform in practice, gain the trust of your teammates and your coaches, and we'll put you in the game. That's what Rod has done."

His status as a walk-on, Borges said, was no factor and will be no factor.

"If you are a scholarship guy or a non-scholarship guy, if you perform you are going to play," Borges said. "The best players are going to play without anything else entering into it. I believe, if the best players don't play and the coach knows that, they ought to fire the coach."

Smith said it will take some studying to adapt to the position change, but he doesn't expect that to be a problem.

"Opportunities like this only come once in a lifetime," Smith said. "I'm going to try to take it and run with it and keep that first-team spot."

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"If you are a scholarship guy or a non-scholarship guy, if you perform you are going to play," Borges said. "The best players are going to play without anything else entering into it. I believe, if the best players don't play and the coach knows that, they ought to fire the coach."

Its nice to have an established coach who isn't tied down with politics. In the past I would see scholly guys get all the chances when everyone could clearly see that a walk-on was better. This does not usually happen at the first string level but at 2 and below. And as we see, with inuries, a guy can go from 3 to 1 just like that. Kudos to having a coaching staff that is not afraid to say we missed one. Most of you guys would not believe the amount of walk-on talent that exists at the DIV 1 level.