FAMU football hybrid defensive player Allen Smith Jr. embracing compound role during spring

Being a multidimensional football player can work wonders for on-field success.

Just ask Florida A&M linebacker and defensive end Allen Smith Jr.

Smith may be a familiar name from when he scored a lengthy touchdown on a fumble recovery, which got negated during the Rattlers’ Celebration Bowl victory over Howard last December.

Smith is back after helping FAMU’s ‘Dark Cloud Defense’ finish second in NCAA Football Championship Subdivision total defense.

Last season, Smith, who transferred to FAMU from Louisville, tallied 27 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries (one which stood as a touchdown return), and a forced fumble. Smith almost exclusively played defensive line.

Now, the Loganville, Georgia native is taking the preliminary steps to boost his numbers as he enters his second year as a defensive lineman while also being reintroduced to his old roots as a linebacker during FAMU’s spring football practices.

“Our linebacker position was stacked last year, so I showed them I could pass rush and play the edge position. The third week of fall camp, they moved me to the defensive line, and I took it and ran with it,” Smith detailed his migration to the defensive line after FAMU’s third spring practice on Friday.

“Now, I’m just focusing on doing a little of both. It’s just going from a two-point stance to a three-point stance. It’s the same thing at the end of the day.”

Florida A&M defensive lineman Allen Smith Jr. lines up for a play during the Rattlers’ first day of spring football practice in pads on Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida, Friday, March 8, 2024.

Smith has the measurables of a speedy defensive lineman and the imposing size of a hard-hitting linebacker at 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds.

FAMU head coach James Colzie III feels Smith’s…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/famu-football-hybrid-defensive-player-172829674.html

Author : Tallahassee Democrat

Publish date : 2024-03-08 17:28:29

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