He’s naturally quiet, but Gamecocks need Shi Smith to make noise on the field in 2020
Social distancing shouldn’t be an issue for South Carolina wide receiver Shi Smith.
True to his first name, Smith’s personality skews toward the shier side.
“With me, I stay in my room,” Smith told reporters Thursday over Zoom while discussing COVID-19 safety protocols. “I don’t like people anyway, so I just stay to myself.”
Smith is content with playing “Call of Duty: Warzone” or “Madden,” or watching episodes of “Criminal Minds.” He’s a homebody. An introvert. He’s always been that way. He remembers his first few days on campus as a freshman, how homesick he was.
“I think I moved in like on a Wednesday or Thursday, and I think I was like back home on that Friday for the weekend,” Smith said, cracking a smile.
The Gamecocks coaches know all about Smith’s more reserved demeanor, and they’re not trying to change him. However, the team expects Smith to be a louder presence on the field this season. With stud wide receivers Bryan Edwards and Deebo Samuel off playing in the NFL, the senior Smith is suddenly the most experienced wideout in the room.
And he’ll be expected to play like it.
“I had a conversation with Shi the other day,” offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said. “I said, ‘I’m not gonna ask you to stand in front of the room and talk to the team about what we’re gonna do and how we’re going to get there. I’m not gonna ask you to give some motivation speech the night before the game.’
“‘What I’m gonna ask you to do is be a good teammate, and that means you go out every single day and bust your butt in practice. You’re a leader by how you go out and work at your craft. Being a good teammate, I expect you to learn every position on offense that’s a skill position because you’re going to be a guy that we’re going to move around.’ That’s what I’ve asked of him.”
After posting 45 receptions for a career-high 673 receiving yards and four touchdowns in 2018, Smith’s production dipped in his junior season to 43 catches, 489 receiving yards and two touchdowns. He missed two games due to a hamstring injury.
First-year wide receiver coach Joe Cox has worked with Smith to learn every receiver position with the intention of moving him around the formation. Bobo said precocious freshman Rico Powers has been lining up as the X receiver in practice, and the addition of speedy junior transfer Jalen Brooks could add a jolt to the new-look receiving room.
With a brand new offense in place, Bobo and the Gamecocks plan to lean on Smith’s experience and versatility, and Smith said he’s up to that challenge. The receiver’s quiet disposition shouldn’t be mistaken for a lack of confidence. The 5-foot-10, 190-pound Smith said he’s still the fastest receiver on the team, although he acknowledged he and Brooks hadn’t raced yet.
And, though he might not be vocal, Smith said he isn’t daunted by the expectations that come with being a veteran.
“It’s not really any pressure,” Smith said. “I really don’t think of it like that. I mean, I can’t go out and win by myself. I got to have guys in the room with me that’s going to make plays and in other rooms that’s gonna help me make plays
“I’m not one of the loud leaders. I lead by example, like by making plays and stuff like that. So like, it’s no pressure.”
In planning for Smith’s role in his offensive scheme, Bobo said he looks at a receiver like LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase, noting that Chase runs go route after go route without tiring or missing snaps.
“He don’t come off the field,” Bobo said. “And to get what we need to get out of Shi Smith. He needs to be in the best possible shape of his life where he can play a lot of snaps because he is one of our more experienced guys on offense. He has played in the big moment, and he has produced in the big moment, and I want his production to be at a level where he’s one of the better receivers in this conference.
“But he’s got to get to that point and embrace what we’re doing on offense, and I feel like we’re heading in that direction.”
