Zach Smith eager to compete for Tulsa quarterback spot
After sitting out a year, Zach Smith is eager to return to action and make his official debut as a member of the Tulsa Golden Hurricane in the 2019 season.
Due to NCAA transfer rules, Smith was forced to sit out the 2018 college football season following his move from Baylor to Tulsa.
Smith left Waco for Tulsa following three head coaching changes in less than two years as it became increasingly clear he wasn’t in Baylor’s plans moving forward. After leaving Baylor, the former All-Johnson County MVP opted for familiarity with a coach he trusted in Tulsa’s Philip Montgomery, who recruited Smith to Baylor.
Now that Smith has fulfilled his transfer penalty, he’s ready to show what he can do for Tulsa.
“It stunk having to sit out after playing my first two years, but I think it was pretty beneficial for me to be able to really work on my craft, my footwork and sharpen up some things during the season,” Smith said. “I also hadn’t been fully healthy my entire tenure in college so it was good to be able to sit out this last year and get completely healthy and be ready to go for next season.”
Cleburne Coach Casey Walraven, who coached Smith at Grandview, said he expects Smith to flourish this year.
“He’s always been that kid who wants to compete and be out there,” Walraven said. “I know it was tough on him having to sit out and be that patient, but I think he’s going to be rewarded for it this year. He’s a rare talent. He’s at a great spot where it fits him and he’s around coaches and players that’s going to help him be successful. I expect huge things from him this year.”
During Smith’s career at Baylor, the high school All-American showed flashes of brilliance, with his most noteworthy performances coming in a Cactus Bowl win over Boise State as a true freshman as well as a thrilling battle against Oklahoma and Baker Mayfield, who went on to win the Heisman Trophy and become the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft.
In a 49-41 loss to No. 3 Oklahoma in 2017, Smith completed 33-of-50 passes for 463 yards and four touchdowns as he out-played Mayfield. The 463 passing yards were the most Oklahoma’s defense allowed all season. In a 31-12 win over Boise State in the 2016 Cactus Bowl, Smith completed 28-of-39 passes for 375 yards and three touchdowns.
Smith said being able to reflect back on those performances, particularly his outing against Oklahoma, gives him confidence that he can be that type of quarterback consistently moving forward.
“It’s something I can look back on and be like, ‘OK, I know what I can do',” Smith said. “If I relax and go play like I should, I know I have the ability to do that. [Mayfield] was the Heisman Trophy winner and first overall pick, and I went out there and stood toe to toe with him. So I know I have the ability and the potential to do that, I just have to go out there and relax and stay steady in my mechanics and play like I know I can.”
And he also believes his best football is still ahead of him.
“The last couple of years I haven’t played to the best of my ability of what I know I can do,” Smith said. “Now that I’m fully healthy and I’ve had a year to really work on stuff and I’ll also have this offseason coming in, I’m really excited to get out there and showcase my potential and showcase what I can do, and hopefully win some ball games. I’m excited about it.
“I expect to be several steps ahead of where I was my first couple years. I think I’ve grown and matured, not only mentally but physically. I can’t wait to go out there and have fun and hopefully take over some games.”
Smith concluded his Baylor career with 2,997 passing yards and 21 passing touchdowns in nine career starts.
Now that he’s eligible in 2019, Smith said he’s looking forward to competing for the starting job. Tulsa has struggled at the quarterback position the past two years where multiple players have combined to throw for 19 touchdowns vs. 18 interceptions.
“I’m just going to go in and work as hard as I can and try to be the best player I can be and be the best teammate I can be,” Smith said. “I’m looking forward to going out there and playing like I know how I can play, and compete for the starting job between me and Seth [Boomer] and Luke [Skipper] and Davis [Brin]. I’m really excited to get out there and compete and have fun.”
Smith said he’s enjoyed his time at Tulsa, from his work with the football program to campus life.
“I’m really enjoying it,” Smith said. “The people are great, the school is magnificent, the coaching is unbelievable and I love all of my teammates. I’ve really enjoyed it so far and I’m looking forward to the next couple of years.”
While Smith missed out on game action in 2018, he remained busy on the practice field every day. He typically ran the scout team and reportedly was able to find consistent success against Tulsa’s starting defense.
“I didn’t get as many quality reps with the actual offense, but during practice I would try to take over on scout team,” Smith said. “I would joke around with the DBs about burning them and stuff. But I got to work on my footwork and pocket presence and things like that, so I think that helped a lot this past season being on scout team.”
During the Christmas break, Smith didn’t take much time off as he met with his former high school coach several times per week to get some throws in and work on some mechanics. In their last throwing session on Jan. 3, Smith had some extra help as former Cleburne quarterback and current University of Houston receiver Tre’Von Bradley and Cleburne senior receiver Jamari Bradley ran routes for him.
Walraven said it’s that work ethic of Smith — never taking time off — that makes him as great as he is.
“He’s grown with his confidence as well as maturing physically,” Walraven said. “His velocity has always been a great attribute, but he’s learned how to control it and have touch when he needs it. He knows what he needs to work on and he continues to focus on those things.
“That’s what makes him so great is he strives for perfection. He’s never satisfied or gets complacent with how good he is. He wants to continue to get better and make sure he puts himself in the best situation to be that way. He’s going to continue to be that prospect that we always thought he would be.”
Also during the Christmas break, Smith got to watch his younger brother, Brody, and the Zebras win the school’s first-ever state championship.
“That was exhilarating for me to be there and witness my brother and all these kids I’ve watched since they’ve been in PeeWee come up as a team together and win state,” Smith said. “It’s really special deal. Even just watching my brother, it makes me proud to be his brother. As a former Zebra, it’s a really neat deal to watch those kids get out there and finally get it done after coming up short all these years. It was really exciting. I’m really proud of them.”
Smith said he is his brother’s biggest fan and is proud of Brody’s work ethic and accomplishments as an often overlooked offensive lineman.
“As an offensive lineman, no matter where you are, you’re usually overlooked and don’t get as much coverage,” Smith said. “And Brody grew up with me as a quarterback and saw me get a lot of coverage and media. But he’s a guy that doesn’t worry about that, he just grinds every day. I’m glad they won state so everyone can get a lot of recognition. He’s got his senior year to go next year so hopefully they can do it again.”
As for what Smith’s hopes are in 2019 from a team perspective with Tulsa, he expects the Golden Hurricane to rebound from a disappointing 3-9 season.
“We’re taking everything that we learned this past season and we’re going to build on it,” Smith said. “Going into this season we have a fire in our stomach and we’re really going to work this offseason and get after it and shock some people in 2019.”
Tulsa is scheduled to open the 2019 season on Aug. 30 at Michigan State. After a second straight road trip to open the season at San Jose State on Sept. 7, Tulsa will host Oklahoma State on Sept. 14.
This article was originally published in the Cleburne Times-Review. A.J. Crisp is the sports editor of the Cleburne Times-Review. Contact him at 817-645-2441, ext. 2334 , or by email at sports@trcle.com.