After a successful spring camp in which Smith earned the Joe Arnold Most Improved Offensive Back award and earned the starting job early in fall camp, Smith is poised to start WKU's first 12 games as a bowl-eligible member of the Sun Belt Conference.
Smith's story, though has taken many twists and turns on his way to becoming WKU's quarterback.
After redshirting his first season in 2005, Smith broke his leg in 2007 before returning last year to the back-up role.
Head Coach David Elson said it was Smith's consistency dating back to January of this year that earned him the starting quarterback job for this season.
"His work ethic on and off the field, his leadership, those intangibles. He's played well," Elson said. "He's been the most consistent on accuracy and those things and good decision making. We just expect him to do more of that. Run the offense, don't try to be the hero and force something that's not there and just put the ball where his reads tell him to put the ball and deliver it down the field."
Some outside the program have been quick to label the six-foot, 200-pound senior from Danville a traditional, drop-back quarterback.
"I hope a lot of people look at him that way, and then when they see him run they'll see that that's not the case," Elson said.
Smith has rushed for just 55 yards on 30 carries in his career but showed a glimmer of his potential in this year's spring game, breaking off a 73-yard run.
"As far as traditional or dual threat I don't look into it too much, Smith said. "Just whatever the play calls for me to do I'm going to do it to the best of my ability. If I need to run the ball, then I think I'm a good runner. If I need to pass the ball and stay in the pocket then that's what I'm going to do."
Quarterbacks coach Bob Cole agrees that Smith can do it all.
"He can throw the ball, he can run the ball," Cole said. "Whatever system you want to put him in, he can play."
Smith said he has found the adjustment to being the starting quarterback not as difficult as the adjustment to being a senior and leader on the team.
"When you're a senior you have to take on a bigger role all around the team," Smith said. "For the 14 seniors we've got, our job is leadership and leadership is a hard job and it's a big responsibility."
Cole said it's been apparent that Smith has earned the respect of his teammates.
"He'll speak up if he needs to but more than likely he'll just walk by a guy and just tell him without embarrassing him, 'hey we need to do this or that better.'" He's handled it the right way," Cole said.
Smith said his main approach to the season will be to take it a week at a time.
"You can't look ahead," Smith said. "You hear people say that all the time but it's the truth. You have to put your full concentration in to that week and that game. A goal I've always had throughout all my playing years is every single game I want to be a positive factor in the game."
Smith said that obviously you never want to be a negative factor and that often times players wind up being non-factors.
Smith will have the opportunity to be a positive factor in WKU's first season as a full-fledged member of the Football Bowl Subdivision. Something Smith said he will look back on as an honor.
"But right now, I'm just looking at it from a season point-of-view," Smith said. "We have an opportunity and for seniors it's our last go around so I'm looking at it more that way and wanting to accomplish our goals. "
Smith also said that reaching the team's ultimate goal, which is a Sun Belt Conference championship, may be the hardest thing any he or any of his teammates have ever done.
And while that goal will require hard work, when Smith has a little down time and things are more easy going then it often involves movies.
"I like to go to the movie theatre whenever I can and rent movies too," Smith said. "I'm one of those guys that get online and look at the trailers."
Smith said that when he gets the question of what his favorite movie is, that most often he responds with Braveheart.
So if Smith leads WKU to a Hollywood-type season, who plays the role of Smith in the movie about the Hilltoppers.
"Gerard Butler," Smith said. "He's the man. You could throw in a little action in there."
And what about Elson?
"Al Pacino," Smith said.
In addition to being a football player, Smith said he has also always had aspirations of becoming a rock star.
"I have no musical talent but that's always been my dream," Smith said. "I think I could be a good performer but the singing and playing not so much."
Smith said even in the virtual rock n' roll world of things like Guitar Hero and Rock Band he struggles.
"I don't have much coordination when it comes to Guitar Hero and I can't sing a lick," Smith said.
So while Smith's post-college plans don't include becoming a music star, unless he could go the Milli Vanilli route and just get by performing and lip-synching, he said then he'll look to teach and coach, but it's something he's not in a hurry to do.
For now, the physical education major will continue to guide WKU into a new era of football.
- WKU -
