Shi Smith dazzles USC in fall camp: ‘He’s made some plays where you just go ‘Wow’

With an All-American in Deebo Samuel and a potential All-SEC player in Bryan Edwards, Shi Smith can often seem like the forgotten member of South Carolina’s heralded wide receiving corps.

But after a strong freshman season in which he racked up 409 yards on 29 receptions, Smith enters the 2018 season poised to be even better, according to his teammates.

“One guy that’s elevated his game even more over last year is Shi Smith,” quarterback Jake Bentley said. “He’s made some plays where you just go ‘Wow, that’s a big-time play.’”

Smith came to USC known for his explosiveness, and he’s already cemented a reputation for being one of, if not the fastest player on the team. Beyond raw talent, however, he has impressed people in preseason camp with his hustle.

“There was one play, there was a turnover on the goal line, and (Smith) was in the back of the end zone and (freshman cornerback Jaycee Horn) happened to get it, and Shi hawked him down 60 yards away,” Bentley said. “And you just look at it and go, ‘Wow, that’s a great effort play, that’s the one thing coach Muschamp talks about.’ So just the little things Shi’s been able to do, not so much receiver-wise, but just the little things.”

Edwards echoed Bentley’s praise and said Smith has been steadily improving.

“He’s a guy that comes out and works really hard. If you ask (offensive coordinator Bryan McClendon), he’d probably say he’s one of the most energy and effort guys in the receiver corps. He’s gonna be real good.

“He’s a ball of energy, he’s always upbeat, always ready to go.”

At USC’s media day earlier this month, Smith admitted he exceeded his own expectations last season by playing as much as he did and never dropping a pass, but Edwards remarked that his lack of drops was simply what’s expected for Gamecocks receivers.

“It’s something we don’t even talk about like that. We see it on social media and stuff like that, but he does what he’s supposed to do,” Edwards said.

This year, thanks to his speed, Smith likely will play a key role in South Carolina’s plan to take more risks downfield with deep balls, and while he is smaller than the 6-foot-3 Edwards and has fewer highlights to his name than Samuel, Bentley said he has the right mentality for the job.

“(Deebo and Shi) have that same mindset of, when they walk on the field, they think they’re the best player out there, and that’s a great mindset to have. I love it and I love that about them and that aggressive mindset to go make plays,” Bentley said.

This story was originally published August 20, 2018 at 4:33 PM.