Kevin Smith is...

[Biggs3535]

Staying for his Senior Season.  Smart move, IMO.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3160016



 ORLANDO, Fla. -- Kevin Smith's sensational junior season at the University of Central Florida won't be his last. The All-American, who's closing in on Barry Sanders' single-season rushing record, said Tuesday he will return for his senior year.

"I have a lot of things that I want to work on, for me," Smith said. "I think before I enter a business where you're discussing money and your life's going to change, I want to be bigger, faster, stronger. I want to be at the top of my athletic ability before I go on to a field like that."

UCF's Kevin Smith is 180 yards short of the NCAA single-season rushing mark, set by Barry Sanders in 1989. Smith said he took out an injury insurance policy before the Dec. 1 C-USA title game.

Smith has run for 2,448 yards, 180 short of the NCAA record Sanders set in 1989. Smith has a chance to catch Sanders in the Liberty Bowl against Mississippi State on Dec. 28.

UCF coach George O'Leary, a former NFL defensive coordinator, had vowed to work his old pro contacts for a realistic look at where Smith would go. Smith promised to rely heavily on his advice, and apparently did. Despite some predictions Smith could be selected in the first round, O'Leary said low-second to fourth round was more realistic.

"It's a crapshoot, really," O'Leary said. "Normally people don't go after running backs in that first round unless they're exceptional. And there's probably one or two that may do it, but that's 32 teams making decisions."

Smith said he also wasn't trying to anticipate whether other top underclassmen rushers such as Arkansas' Darren McFadden would be draft competition.

"It's about me getting better," Smith said. "If I'm going to go out there and go to the NFL, where my life is on the line and dealing with money, why should I sell myself short? Because I ran for 2,000 yards?"

Smith said he took out an injury insurance policy before the Dec. 1 Conference USA championship game, in which he ran for 284 yards. He declined to give specifics, but said the amount could increase next year if he got hurt and ruined his pro chances.

Smith, from Miami, said he consulted most with his mother -- she wanted him to earn a degree, as does he. Smith also wants to leave a more lasting mark on UCF, a young program trying to crack the ranks of marquee schools.

"I want to have a chance to lead my team," Smith said. "I want them to say, 'When Kevin was a senior, this is what he got out of this group.' That's what I want."

Smith's profile rose tremendously after the nationally televised C-USA championship performance, but the junior doesn't believe he has peaked. Even if he doesn't break Sanders' record, he should challenge former Wisconsin back Ron Dayne's Division I career rushing record of 6,397 yards next season. Smith is 1,837 yards short.

"A lot of people say, 'You ran for 2,400 yards this year, what else could you do?' " Smith said. "I think if I run for 1,800 and be the all-time leading rusher, will my stock rise or fall for next year?"

[GameTime]

is his OL coming back?

[original]

Good News!

[mjpwooo]

How this kid wasn't a finalist for the heisman is a travesty, IMO.  My award finalist list would have been:

Tebow
Smith
Hawaii QB (name escapes me)
McFadden

I think you could have made a case for all of them.  This year was kind of wierd, all were deserving in some respects, and there was no Danny Wuerfell/Charlie Ward type player, I guess.

[rayfsc07]

No Ward or Weurffel?  The only thing either of those guys have on Tebow was they had great teams around them.  If Tebow had the 96 defense his numbers would have been even more absurd (more possessions) and UF would have ran the table. 

Tebow was clearly the best player this year and if he were a Junior or Senior it wouldn't have bene close. 

McFadden had a fine year but just doesn't stack up and his team was even worse.  I mean, Tebow had more sughing TD's than him. 

I agree Smith should have gotten more recognition but really playing in a small conference he didn't have much of a case.  His biggest game he struggled mightily and ran all over weaker teams. Playing UF may have helped but UCF canceled.

Toss Brennan in the same boat, just tough to justify him when you look at competition. Especially when Tebow has better passing numbers on average plus insane running stats. 

I do think it's wise for Smith to stay.  If he can do it again he will not only get more recognition but he'll likely prove he isn't  a fluke and improve his stock.  The only thing that might hurt is the wear and tear from so many carries. 

[mjpwooo]

Ward/Danny W...both were shoe-ins for the award.  Tebow wasn't a shoe-in...maybe he should have been, but he wasn't.

And from what I recall, the number of First place votes that were spread out to so many different players around the country seems to reflect that.

[BuckEmUp]

I think that the voting may have came out very different had Dixon stayed healthy.  But things didn't work out like that.  I think that Tebow should have been a lock but his class level seemed to effect that.  I still think McFadden should have got the trophy for no other reason then he got snubbed last season for being a soph. 

[rayfsc07]

MJPWOO - tough to compare the situations the way you are because of the differences.  #1 the competition is different.  Who else was in the running with Ward?  IIRC there weren't really many viable candidated.  Who was in the running with Danny?

Tebow won with the #10 biggest margin.  I'd say he won quite handidly.  The only thing holding him back was his status as a sophomore which is preposterous.  Even then, to be the 1st soph to win and finishing #10 as far as biggest winners go I'd say that was a shoe in.  Of course the media didn't portray it that way heading in but the numbers suggest he was a shoe in.

[mjpwooo]

Okay, ray, I'll explain again...

When Ward or Danny won, it was academic that they would win.  There was no suspense.  With Tebow, there was some type of suspense.  No one knew if McFadden, etc. would win.  That's the ONLY point I'm making.  Nothing else.  I have no clue who finished second to Ward or Wuerful...my guess is that it wasn't even close.  They severed it so much more than anyone else in their respective years, that it was a landslide.

I'm trying to get your point about that, but I'm not.

[rayfsc07]

The suspense was media driven and created. Tebow was the 10th biggest winner of all time. 

Ward is the  3rd or 4th biggest winner I believe. He easily beat Heath Shuler if that tells you anything.  Danny W., surprisingly, was not that clear.  He narrowly beat Troy Davis. Tebow was a bigger winner than him.

[mjpwooo]

The suspense was media driven and created. Tebow was the 10th biggest winner of all time.

Ward is the 3rd or 4th biggest winner I believe. He easily beat Heath Shuler if that tells you anything. Danny W., surprisingly, was not that clear. He narrowly beat Troy Davis. Tebow was a bigger winner than him.

Didn't remember that, about Troy Davis...I don't even know who that is.  And I'm not sure I agree with you about the media suspense, as no one before Tebow was announced knew it was the 10th largest.

Back on thread topic, if I was Kevin Smith, if I was a first round projection...I'd take the money and run.  But I'm poor and need $$$.  Good for him for staying, I wish more kids did so.

[rayfsc07]

The suspense was media driven and created. Tebow was the 10th biggest winner of all time.

Ward is the 3rd or 4th biggest winner I believe. He easily beat Heath Shuler if that tells you anything. Danny W., surprisingly, was not that clear. He narrowly beat Troy Davis. Tebow was a bigger winner than him.

Didn't remember that, about Troy Davis...I don't even know who that is.  And I'm not sure I agree with you about the media suspense, as no one before Tebow was announced knew it was the 10th largest.

Back on thread topic, if I was Kevin Smith, if I was a first round projection...I'd take the money and run.  But I'm poor and need $$$.  Good for him for staying, I wish more kids did so.

I think it was the 2-4 round projection that scared Smith.

[BucsBullsBolts]

The suspense was media driven and created. Tebow was the 10th biggest winner of all time.

Ward is the 3rd or 4th biggest winner I believe. He easily beat Heath Shuler if that tells you anything. Danny W., surprisingly, was not that clear. He narrowly beat Troy Davis. Tebow was a bigger winner than him.

Didn't remember that, about Troy Davis...I don't even know who that is.  And I'm not sure I agree with you about the media suspense, as no one before Tebow was announced knew it was the 10th largest.

Back on thread topic, if I was Kevin Smith, if I was a first round projection...I'd take the money and run.  But I'm poor and need $$$.  Good for him for staying, I wish more kids did so.

I think it was the 2-4 round projection that scared Smith.

Will playing another year change the opinions that much on him?

[rayfsc07]

The suspense was media driven and created. Tebow was the 10th biggest winner of all time.

Ward is the 3rd or 4th biggest winner I believe. He easily beat Heath Shuler if that tells you anything. Danny W., surprisingly, was not that clear. He narrowly beat Troy Davis. Tebow was a bigger winner than him.

Didn't remember that, about Troy Davis...I don't even know who that is.  And I'm not sure I agree with you about the media suspense, as no one before Tebow was announced knew it was the 10th largest.

Back on thread topic, if I was Kevin Smith, if I was a first round projection...I'd take the money and run.  But I'm poor and need $$$.  Good for him for staying, I wish more kids did so.

I think it was the 2-4 round projection that scared Smith.

Will playing another year change the opinions that much on him?

I don't know.

I guess he obviously felt it would.  Sure he wants to help his team, etc. But even he said can his stock go down if he breaks the all-time record? 

Maybe he feels if he can perform at a high level again people will ignore his lack of pure speed and any other deficiencies, I don't know. 

[BucsBullsBolts]

The suspense was media driven and created. Tebow was the 10th biggest winner of all time.

Ward is the 3rd or 4th biggest winner I believe. He easily beat Heath Shuler if that tells you anything. Danny W., surprisingly, was not that clear. He narrowly beat Troy Davis. Tebow was a bigger winner than him.

Didn't remember that, about Troy Davis...I don't even know who that is.  And I'm not sure I agree with you about the media suspense, as no one before Tebow was announced knew it was the 10th largest.

Back on thread topic, if I was Kevin Smith, if I was a first round projection...I'd take the money and run.  But I'm poor and need $$$.  Good for him for staying, I wish more kids did so.

I think it was the 2-4 round projection that scared Smith.

Will playing another year change the opinions that much on him?

I don't know.

I guess he obviously felt it would.  Sure he wants to help his team, etc. But even he said can his stock go down if he breaks the all-time record? 

Maybe he feels if he can perform at a high level again people will ignore his lack of pure speed and any other deficiencies, I don't know.

Thing is his numbers aren't that different from the Forte kid from Tulane, against the same type competition.... I'm just hoping that MSU can keep him from breaking Sanders's record ..... That would be a travesty.