Kevin Smith - A name you should know

Compton, Calif. - The newest member of the Scout 300, is a player that was late to the gridiron. Kevin Smith has gone from basketball player to one of the most explosive football players in southern California.

Several years ago, Bob Lichtenfels, Scout's North Regional Manager, had a piece done on him and our business by the Washington Post, in which the writer says that "On average, he believes he can project a player's future in about 30 seconds. Sometimes less. (Link)."

Written with little context, Lichtenfels took some flack for that statement from fans who believe there is some sort of innate ability that college coaches exclusively wield to extensively and exhaustively evaluate a prospect before extending a scholarship offer.

But what was left out of the quote was what he meant about predicting the player's future. He wasn't saying necessarily how successful the player is going to be in college; he was saying it can take as little as one play to know how heavily a player is going to be recruited, a fact which college coaches are acutely aware of.

I tell you that story to set up my experience Friday night.

I went to see Crenshaw play on Friday afternoon, and then I made my way to Compton to see Centennial play on Friday evening. I had seen Centennial in a 7v7 earlier that summer and remembered seeing 6'6 Kurt Davis making acrobatic catch after acrobatic catch, but I knew there was another player at Centennial generating some buzz.

Admittedly I went to the game somewhat blind. I rushed out of the office, hit one game then went to Compton without knowing who it was exactly I was going to see. I actually like going to games that way though, without any pre-disposed information that could bias my evaluation. I couldn't find a roster anywhere online, but I figure if the kid is a player, he'll stand out (they usually do).

I immediately spotted Davis; at 6'6+, he's hard to miss. Then as I was scanning the rest of the team, I saw a player that was a little thicker than a typical high school athlete and thought, "that could be the guy, and he's wearing #1 (you'd better be the guy if you have #1 on your jersey)."

Centennial is set to receive and #1 is back deep. The kick is a liner in which he picks it up on one hop, surveys the oncoming coverage, makes one cut right, and then boom, he accelerates like a cannon shot. He cuts back once to avoid the kicker breaking that tackle and still outrunning the Lawndale coverage team.

I look up at the clock, and it said 11:48. 12 seconds had passed.

Lichtenfels was right, sometimes it doesn't take 30 seconds to predict a player's future; in this case it only took 12 to figure out this was a player that can play for anyone.

A quick text message to West Coast Regional Manager Brandon Huffman confirmed that #1 Kevin Smith (6-1/200) was indeed the player that had been generating scholarship offers in the Pac-10 as a senior.

Lawndale was forced to punt on its next possession. As the returner made a man miss and brought the ball back to the near sideline, Smith comes flashing from the left side of my view finder to blow up a would-be tackler, helping to secure the touchdown return.

Lawndale scored on its second possession and made the mistake of kicking the ball within the reach of Smith again. Smith jumped up to knock down the line drive kick, picked it up and took it back for another touchdown. It's 21-7, and Centennial has yet to run and offensive play.

Smith's explosiveness was evident from the opening kickoff, but there are a lot of players out there that can run. What makes Smith standout even more than the average fast player, is his aggression. His willingness to get dirty shows itself on his block of the punt return, but it's also evident in his run support play from his safety position. He absolutely attacks the ball carrier and the line of scrimmage.

At this point in his career, and I don't say this very often, he's actually a little too aggressive. Running the ball is instinctive; don't get tackled. But playing the safety position requires a little more discipline and technique. In his eagerness to make the play, Smith overran the ball carrier leaving himself susceptible to cutbacks several times through the night.

From a scouting standpoint though, if a player is going to miss a tackle, I certainly want it to be mistakes based on aggression rather than hesitancy. One of my favorite southern expressions: It's a lot easier to put a bit in his mouth than a boot in his butt.

Smith has the athletic ability to play on either side of the ball. My theory when looking at players is that it's a lot easier to find a guy that can run and catch than it is to find a player that can run and hit. So with a player with the mental make up and attitude that Smith brings to the field, I'd put him at safety.

Depending on the need of the team bringing him in, he can certainly upgrade a receiving corp. as well.

As the newest member of the Scout 300, Smith will offer his team of choice several options. Word on the field Friday night was that the Washington Huskies currently lead for Smith, and Smith is supposed to visit Washington the weekend of 11-28.

You can see him in action from Friday night and decide for yourself how long it might take you to offer him a scholarship.

#1 ATH Kevin Smith vs. Lawndale (11-13-09)