De’Vonta Smith ran for 2,193 yards and 19 touchdowns last season. Those numbers certainly are worthy of attention, yet he performed in relative anonymity throughout the 2015 campaign.
He ranked second in the state in rushing yards during the regular season, and still ended up fifth despite not having the opportunity to perform in the postseason.
So why didn’t the Central running back garner more headlines? It had to do with that one player in front of him in the stat rankings, who just happened to be from the same county.
In fact, Nature Coast’s DeShawn Smith didn’t just come from the same hometown; he comes from the same family. Though Smith may be a common last name, it’s no coincidence in this case. They’re cousins.
Unlike his cousin, though, De’Vonta Smith is back this season, ready to make his senior year another one for the record books.
“He was second in the state in rushing the whole year and nobody was talking about him,” Central head coach Chris Sands said. “It’s kind of a humbling thing, but he doesn’t care about yards and touchdowns. He wants to win. He’s just a competitor. He’d trade all those stats away to win.”
Winning would definitely be the next step for the Bears, who haven’t posted a winning record since 2007. They got off to a rocky start on Friday night, losing to Springstead, 42-21.
However, Smith ran for 168 yards and three touchdowns, and he’ll provide his team with a puncher’s chance on any given night.
“He’s a kid that he’s worked so hard to be where he’s at and no one ever gives him any credit for that. Everyone just sees him run and be good. But he puts in the hard work,” Sands said after the game. “We expect that out of him and he played hard. We’re going to score points on offense, but if we don’t make stops on defense we’re not going to be successful.”
Personal success hasn’t been a problem for Smith throughout his prep career. He rushed for 318 yards and four touchdowns as a freshman, then 833 yards and five scores as a sophomore.
“Obviously he’s fast and quick. But it’s his elusiveness in the open field,” Sands said. “He a different player than DeShawn was. DeShawn was obviously talented has heck. DeShawn was patient. De’Vonta isn’t that patient. He just makes people miss and runs really hard. He’s an all-around great back and I’m glad he’s on our side for sure.”
But what exactly attributed to his breakout junior season? He also caught nine passes for 228 yards and a touchdown, and even recorded 95 tackles, three sacks and two interceptions as a defensive back.
“Up front, they were blocking,” Smith said. “I had great running lanes, so I just took advantage.”
Currently at 3,512 career rushing yards, he needs another 2,486 to match DeShawn Smith’s county record of 5,998. While that may seem like an extraordinary number, his cousin rushed for 3,715 last year.
“It’s motivation. Now I want to get 3,000 yards,” De’Vonta Smith said. “It definitely makes me want to play better. I’m competing against him in my mind.
“In my mind, I believe I can do it. In my mind, I know can do it. With the (offensive) line I have this year, I know I can do it.”
Though he has 25 Division I offers, he doesn’t anticipate making a college announcement until National Signing Day in February.
In the meantime, every year he’s attempting to do better, he said, and that would include helping the Bears reach the postseason for the first time since 2006.
“As a senior, this year I’m trying to leave my mark,” Smith said. “I’m trying to leave my trademark. I don’t want to go out like our seniors before, regretting things, that we could have done this, could have done that. All of us seniors are trying to go out on as high a note as possible. We want to do something bigger than has ever been done at Central, ever.”
Follow Chris Bernhardt Jr. on Twitter @cpbernhardtjr.