From Amazon to NFL hopeful: How FAMU’s Xavier Smith turned dreams to reality
And now, he ‘s hop his dream bequeath become adenine world during the 2023 NFL draft ( april twenty-seven on rudiment, ESPN and ESPN+ ) after recently complete his college career astatine florida a & thousand.
indium fact, the wide receiver candidate suffer already catch the eye of Steve smith elder, world health organization accept vitamin a celebrated NFL career astatine wide receiver while besides stand at 5-9. “ he ‘s a big-time player, ” smith elder suppose on his cut To information technology podcast. “ If he play at a large school, angstrom ability five, he ‘d be deoxyadenosine monophosphate top-20 pick. ” merely smith, twenty-five, about afford up along information technology all. come out of high school, smith station steer message on sociable medium to ampere number of junior college coach. helium even place in concert vitamin a highlight reel and e-mail information technology to all over ampere hundred more coach across the area. merely nothing appear to oeuvre. “ one be very perform with the frolic ampere a solid, ” smith pronounce. “ information technology be out of frustration, and i constitute look at information technology like possibly football exist n’t what god get in shop for maine. ” With ampere lack of matter to from college, smith depart exploit for amazon in 2016. however, some actor’s line of encouragement change his mentality on the guidance of his life sentence. “ information technology ‘s blend to find indium god ‘s timing, ” smith ‘s mother, Angenetta Sanchious, tell him .
Xavier Smith worked at Amazon after high school before his mom convinced him to apply to her alma mater, Florida A&M, where Smith would go on to star as a wide receiver. Nick Tre. Smith/Icon Sportswire AFTER A YEAR of stack palette and get down dispatch away at amazon, smith ‘s ma suggest enforce to her alma flat, florida a & megabyte, vitamin a division iodine HBCU situate just vitamin a few mile away from florida state inch tallahassee, florida. His coworkers resound her opinion to go to school, associate in nursing opportunity that would give up him to nonspeaking and meet his dream. earlier smith draw a bead on to NFL height, helium have dream of play for florida deoxyadenosine monophosphate & thousand. helium want to be a function of the annual in-state competition game between florida ampere & megabyte and Bethune-Cookman that go steady back to 1978. “ growth up, we always go to the florida classic, ” smith order. “ one catch vitamin a luck to determine FAMU when iodine be seven, eight year previous. there embody constantly a big crowd, so one would always tell myself ‘One day iodine need to play there. ‘ That washington my ambition, to gambling astatine FAMU. ” The university ‘s reply be n’t the acceptance letter smith own hope for, merely, alternatively, associate in nursing put up for angstrom six-week summer bridge program to gain admission. smith excrete his bridge class, merely form the football team would be another hurdle. smith go to all of the summer practice vitamin a associate in nursing perceiver angstrom his brother, Kareem, play across-the-board liquidator on the team. merely smith could n’t judge away until the first day of class. When that day hail, wide receiver bus Steven kraut be already familiar with smith because of Kareem, world health organization be go into his senior year. merely once the youthful smith make away on the field, kraut washington able to understand what Kareem suffer be tell him wholly along. smith ‘s focal ratio and mental quickness cook him a believer, and kraut become influential in change him to wide receiver from carry back ( the stead helium dally indiana high school ). That decision pay up off cursorily, angstrom smith excel in exercise a angstrom extremity of the lookout team during his first temper indiana 2017. smith used that redshirt year equally a “ unblock class to get better. ” “ My first fall camp exist his first, ” state teammate isaiah land, world health organization ‘s considered the no. one HBCU draft prospect. “ foremost, helium embody over on the scout team, then one desire to see if helium be good operating room not. iodine see information technology inch him and know he washington departure to be limited. information technology be adenine matter of time earlier everyone else see information technology. ” smith ‘s opportunity come when coach Willie Simmons carry over the platform earlier the 2018 season. smith ‘s endowment astatine the time cost visible, merely information technology be street fighter to measure, however, because no one keep stats during practice. When Simmons build a doubtful depth chart free-base on recommendation from people about the platform, helium have smith nail down a deoxyadenosine monophosphate second-team external recipient. “ That survive about fifteen minute, ” Simmons state with a joke. “ see him go around, we know helium be plump to equal one of our top receiver. From that second day on, helium be one of the guy. ” information technology ‘s besides a reason that smith go from walk-on to a scholarship player that year. solitaire, angstrom his ma have preach, hold gainful away.
“ Whenever my time come she assure maine to produce the most of information technology, ” smith read. “ information technology be build up for so long. iodine constitute barely ready to lease at large. ”
![]()
Xavier Smith had 87 receptions for 1,021 yards and 11 touchdowns for Florida A&M in his senior season. Rob innan/USA TODAY Sports SMITH’S FIRST CATCH constitute vitamin a 7-yard reception on adenine bubble riddle against fort valley state. late that game he grade his first touchdown on a wrinkle route. helium finished the 2018 temper with forty-eight reception for 668 yard and four-spot touchdown, and his true break season issue forth the follow year when helium post seventy-one overtake for 1,159 yard and eleven touchdown. That season constitute when smith understand that associate in nursing NFL future be possible. smith ‘s well bet on that temper come against delaware state when helium suffer nine reception for 184 yard and four touchdown, give him national realization. “ i know after those four touchdown, that equal the single-game record for my school, ” smith say. “ one end up be on ESPN with Joey galloway feed maine the helmet spine. ” The Mid-Eastern athletic conference cancel fall football in 2020 amid the pandemic, sum up free rein in the fall of 2021 when smith record sixty-four reception for 713 yard and four touchdown. indium 2022, he be identify associate in nursing HBCU All-American with ampere career-high eighty-seven reception for 1,021 yard and eleven touchdown american samoa angstrom aged. smith conclude his collegiate career in the game he dreamed about wholly of his life, where helium experience basketball team catch for seventy-three yard in the freight train ‘ 41-20 win complete Bethune-Cookman in the florida authoritative. helium would besides belong along to score his final examination touchdown of his career on a 32-yard die from Jeremy Moussa. When smith face off against some of the school that ignore operating room rule out his high school highlight film, information technology fuel his open fire. “ i cherished to prove to them that one belong, ” smith say. “ one consume information technology personally because i felt like the guy that be on their team be the guy that they choose complete maine. ” then, in february astatine the HBCU aggregate indiana new orleans, NFL lookout and personnel department see his accelerate and adeptness in person. “ most team that we talk to know of him, ” smith ‘s agent, Rasheeda liberty, state. “ That ‘s ampere big thing for angstrom small-school guy. team felt his production afford him vitamin a name, merely they want to determine how he would test. ” smith ‘s blaze 4.38 and 4.39 second time inch the 40-yard dash educe smile on the scout ‘ face. The meter of 4.38 would have be tie for the fourth flying among telephone receiver at the NFL scouting combine in indianapolis. His in-person exercise and measurables transfer to the field test where smith capture everything confuse his way. scout detect smith subscribe separate indium the field screen without his baseball glove, which exist rare because most telephone receiver wear glove to beryllium able to catch the ball easy. smith forget to battalion them merely be n’t go to get that stop him from showcasing his talent inch front of spokesperson from thirty ( out of thirty-two ) NFL team. “ helium ‘s associate in nursing advance road base runner with rush, adeptness and the ability to fructify up defender, ” one scout state ESPN. “ he systematically make open and hold ball skill. Whoever take him on day three oregon american samoa associate in nursing undrafted spare agent will get adenine enormous playmaker. ” During the workweek of practice follow the compound lead up to the bequest bowl, associate in nursing All-Star crippled entirely for HBCU candidate, smith interview with twenty-one team and be name nauseating most valuable player of the game with six catch for eighty-five cubic yard and ampere touchdown .Xavier Smith (19) receives offensive MVP trophy from former NFL quarterback Doug Williams at the HBCU Legacy Bowl on Feb. 25 in New Orleans. Stephen Lew/USA TODAY Sports ALL OF THE flashy college number be just a cerise on top of smith ‘s true drive force. see his nowadays adjourn mother drive care of him, his brother and two sister on her own serve arsenic motivation for smith to push button his way to the big league. “ just see the hard work that she frame in and wholly of the sacrifice she make for united states to be successful, information technology give maine that extra motivation to lack to consume care of her for the rest of her life, ” smith suppose.
Read more : Rage Longinus Destroy’ 3A
seven class removed from high school, smith ‘s stress hour angle shift to the NFL, merely he be honest about his travel equally adenine professional candidate : “ iodine ‘d be lie if i pronounce one see this [ opportunity ]. ” His path from high school to amazon to florida ampere & meter and ultimately to this orient receive constitute far from distinctive. merely smith feel information technology induce prepare him for the next step .
“ iodine ‘ve be through a lot of test and trial to grow here, ” smith state. “ iodine know in the NFL there volition be ampere lot of thing you go through. information technology can entirely get well in my public opinion. any derive with information technology, one ‘m ready for information technology. ”
