Davie's Smith to Guilford

By Mike London

mlondon@salisburypost.com

MOCKSVILLE — At a series of summer camps, Davie County’s Adam Smith showed speed — blazing speed.

“I think every coach that saw me was pretty interested in my 40 time,” Smith said. “What didn’t interest them was that I was 5-11, 160.”

In a perfect world, Smith, who has been clocked in 4.47 in the 40, owns a 3.84 GPA and set the world on fire in his only season as Davie’s quarterback while performing double duty at cornerback, would stand 6-foot-4 and weigh 225.

If those were his dimensions, Smith would be headed to the D-I school of his choice as a four-star recruit. Instead, he has signed with Division III Guilford.

Guilford is the school that believes in him as a college QB, and a big part of next-level success is finding the place where they have some faith.

“This kid put up great numbers against tough 4A competition,” said Davie coach Doug Illing. “A lot of schools are missing the boat. Bigger schools wanted him to walk on. But it’s tough road being a walk-on, and I think now he’s found a place where they want him and care about him. That’s important.”

Smith has cared about playing quarterback since he was in fourth grade.

As a junior in 2010, Smith excelled in the defensive secondary, while senior QB Carson Herndon threw for 2,330 yards and directed Davie to a surprising runner-up finish in the 4A playoffs.

But Smith never stopped taking QB reps and learning the offensive system.

Davie coaches started believing the summer before the 2011 season that he could perform capably as the starting signal-caller. But they still had no idea exactly what was coming.

“Adam had a productive summer, but you still never really know about a kid until the lights come on, on a Friday night,” Illing said. “We went into the season having lost a lot on offense to graduation, and we went in with the idea we wanted to protect Adam as much as possible by not having him run the ball too much. He’s not big, and we knew we couldn’t get him hurt. We couldn’t really spell him at cornerback — or at quarterback.”

Davie got drilled by powerful Greensboro Page opening night, but it made serious strides in its second game, a 45-32 loss to West Rowan.

“Adam made a statement that night about what he could do as a passer,” Illing said.

Smith threw for 371 yards, the third-biggest game in school history.

“West played Cover 3 a lot (one safety) and we executed our plays well against that defense,” Smith said. “But it wasn’t like it was just me. Our offensive line played great.”

Smith threw a desperation interception late in the game, but it would be the last pick he’d throw all season. Davie embarked on a winning streak after that loss to the Falcons, taking its last four non-league games.

“After each touchdown we scored, I thanked our linemen for keeping me alive for one more drive,” Smith said with a laugh.

By the time Davie reached CPC play, Illing had made a decision — Smith’s legs were even more dangerous than his arm.

“When we got to conference, we decided we just had to turn him loose as a runner,” Illing said. “He could escape pressure and turn bad plays into good ones.”

Davie’s first league game was against R.J. Reynolds. Smith bolted for three touchdowns, including sprints of 56 and 70 yards past some surprised Demons.

Mount Tabor finally ended Davie’s six-game winning streak in a 32-28 thriller. The speedy Spartans stifled Davie’s passing game, but Smith rushed for 191 yards and two TDs. He also intercepted a pass.

Smith, who also played on special teams, got dinged up a bit against West Forsyth, but he managed to avoid any serious injuries.

Davie lost to Greensboro Dudley in the first round of the 4A playoffs to end its season, but Smith accounted for his 27th, 28th and 29th TDs against the talented Panthers.

Davie finished 8-4 and was CPC co-champion. Smith, who passed for 1,917 yards and rushed for 771, was voted the league’s co-offensive player of the year along with Mount Tabor’s stellar QB Mike Eldridge.

“Both stood out and both were very special,” Illing said. “It was the right thing not to leave either one out.”

While he’s not large, Smith is a tremendous athlete. Besides the unreal wheels, he has a 32-inch vertical jump and a very respectable 250-pound bench press.

Smith didn’t play basketball as a junior, opting for indoor track. His plans to play hoops this season were delayed when he broke a hand, but he returned recently as a key reserve.

“I’m like the seventh man, I guess,” he said. “I can go in there and jump for a rebound or bring the ball upcourt.”

He’s expected to star in track for the War Eagles this spring. He was all-conference in both hurdling events last season and has a realistic goal of qualifying for the state meet this year.

As far as the football recruiting process this winter, it proved frustrating. Coastal Carolina had serious interest in Smith — as a slot receiver — but that was before coach David Bennett, who has close ties to Davie — was let go.

After that, Smith focused on finding a place where he could play quarterback. Averett and Emory & Henry were potential homes, but it was Guilford that felt right.

“As soon I got to that campus, it’s the place I could see myself being happy for the next four years,” Smith said. “They told me I was one of the guys that they really wanted most and I’ll have a chance to compete for the QB job next season.”

Illing is thrilled for him.

“He’s going to be a steal for Guilford,” he predicted.