Opportunity leads dt demarcus smith to uab
By Steve Irvine
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - June 19, 2024
Opportunity was a big part of the reason Demarcus Smith changed his college football home.
In this case, though, opportunity came dressed in different ways. Opportunity to play a bigger role. Opportunity to make it easier for his family to see him play. Opportunity to come home to Birmingham. Opportunity to be more than “just the name or number on the back of your jersey.”
Add that all together and Smith, who grew up near Legion Field and graduated from Parker High, chose UAB after entering the transfer portal following spring practice at Ole Miss.
Smith, a 6-foot-3, 295-pound defensive tackle played in just two games during three seasons at Ole Miss. Both of those appearances came this past season and he was credited with one tackle. Despite the limited game time action, his experience as a member of a SEC roster was a considerable selling point in his UAB recruitment.
The Blazers needed to get older on the defensive line. That process began in December with the addition of LeDarrius Cox, a 6-foot-4, 310-pound defensive tackle from Indiana University, who was one of the spring practice standouts on the defensive side. Smith and Derrick Shepard Jr. from the University of Cincinnati were added in the spring.
Talent wasn’t the only thing that UAB added to its defensive line room.
“They've already been great leaders in our room,” said UAB defensive line coach Miguel Patrick. “The main thing is they're sharing their experiences with these guys (after playing) in those different conferences. They've kind of taken that mentality that they've had from different places, where they've been in the SEC or the Big 12 or the Big 10, and they brought that same mentality here and that work ethic here.”
Recruiting Smith brought an extra element.
“We want as many Birmingham guys back home as we possibly could get,” Patrick said. “And then when I turned on the tape, he flashed pass rush ability and he showed that he could be physical in the run game. And so those things combined with him being from Birmingham, made it a no brainer for me to recruit him here.”
Smith is one of five former Parker High players on the roster, joining a quartet of true freshmen non-scholarship players. Linebackers Phillip Davison Jr. and Jacoby Bridges, quarterback Cam Jennings and running back Amari Brundige. Wide receiver Malik Muhammad was with the team during the spring but is no longer on the roster.
Adding more Birmingham metro area players will continue to be a big part of the recruiting strategy.
“I coached many years in the state of Georgia in the Atlanta metro area,” Patrick said. “I feel like Birmingham is becoming that type of talent pool to where you can get a lot of good players at every position just right here in our metro area. And the biggest thing for us is keep as many of those guys at home as you possibly can. It's automatically gonna make your football team better and it's gonna pack your stadium.”
While Smith grew up nearby, he didn’t grow up attending UAB football games. When he reached high school, he also didn’t think football was part of his future.
“I thought I was a basketball player in 9th and 10th grade,” said Smith, who began playing football at the age of 5 but quit when he entered high school. “I could shoot. That's about it. The coach wanted me to play big man. I wasn't really into being in the paint and boxing people out or all that.”
Smith went back to football the summer before his junior year and played on both sides of the line that season. He played well as a junior and was an All-State selection as a senior for a team that advanced to the second round of the Class 5A playoffs. He was a three-star recruit with offers that included Ole Miss, Tennessee, South Carolina, Mississippi State, Memphis, UAB and Kansas.
His first two choices, Tennessee and South Carolina, were out after coaching changes. It became a tussle between Ole Miss and Mississippi State. His ‘welcome-to-college moment came quickly at Ole Miss.
“First time getting pads on,” Smith said. “I think I was going against one of the older old linemen. That was a wakeup call when I got hit dead in the chest. It's a bigger guy too. I mean, you're so used to playing against guys shorter than me or smaller than me, where I'm just able to, you know, just use my strength or just run around them.”
This time, though, he will know what to expect as he starts a new football chapter.
“I can come in and be a difference maker right off the bat,” Smith said. “Coach (Patrick) broke it down (during recruiting). He was like, we need some older guys here, you to help lead, take some snaps for us, make some plays, and we think you could be one of those guys.”