The Recruiting Guy

Q&A with junior T.J. Smith

T.J. Smith (52), Arkansas defensive end, blocks Yasir Durant (70), Missouri left tackle, in the second quarter Friday, Nov. 24, 2017, at Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville.
T.J. Smith (52), Arkansas defensive end, blocks Yasir Durant (70), Missouri left tackle, in the second quarter Friday, Nov. 24, 2017, at Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville.

Arkansas defensive lineman T.J. Smith looks to be in line to be a second-year starter for the Razorbacks this season.

Postion: Defensive tackle

High school: Moultrie (Ga.) Colquitt County

Class: Junior

Rundown: Started 12 games as a redshirt sophomore, finishing with 26 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 3 quarterback hurries and a forced fumble.

Coach Chad Morris is:

“A nice guy and good coach.”

Favorite Coach John Scott Jr. saying:

“He had this funny thing … when our legs are dead and getting off the ball, he’ll be like, ‘I’m tired of you guys oozing off the ball.' It’s funny. He does this voice thing.”

Strength and conditioning Coach Trumain Carroll:

“Man, very dedicated. A dude that really enjoys showing up for work everyday and really enjoys his job and loves us to death. He’s a great father figure to us and somebody you look up to.”

My mom still gets on to me for:

“Not calling her enough. Every now and then she’ll send me this long text message that will say, 'For nine months I carried you and you were 10 pounds, 11 ounces and my own son won't even call me,’ and I’ll say, ‘Mom I’m busy. College football is tough’.”

How have you grown as a person while at Arkansas?

“I’ll definitely say through my college experience I’ve done a great job of finding out who I am. As an 18-year-old, you get here and you’ve been living under your parents’ roof for a long time and you’re by yourself and you definitely find yourself while you’re here. Things you like to do and who you really are.”

What surprised you about college football?

“How mental it is. I always thought it was all about talented and how gifted you are, but I started playing and started realizing how mental this game really is. It’s so much more mental than it is physical. The guys that make the least metal mistakes and least mental busts are the guys that win games.”

Which teammate inspires you and why?

“Can I go past teammate? I definitely have to say my roommate Rawleigh Williams. The dude has been though a lot and seeing his work ethic and seeing the things he would do and how he carried himself. I think that kind of ... I redshirted his true freshman year, so I was kind of behind him along the way. That kind of showed me how to do things and what type of teammate to be.”

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