Kevin Smith - Football Coach - Florida Atlantic University Athletics

Photo by: JC Ridley/Owlpix.com

Kevin Smith

Title:
Running Backs Coach

At FAU
Kevin Smith joined the Florida Atlantic staff in January 2017. His first year as a fulltime assistant presented itself with a challenge, in how to share the ball in a deep and explosive room. The Owls pushed each other and quickly became a focal point for not only the league but the nation. Under Smith’s tutelage, Devin Singletary erased many of his coach’s Conference USA records, becoming the first running back to score 29 touchdowns in a season since Smith. But, Singletary wasn’t done. The sophomore went on to tally 32 rushing touchdowns and 33 altogether. Singletary, whose mark ranks third all-time in single-season touchdowns, was named C-USA’s MVP and led the nation in touchdowns scored. The trio of Singletary, Gregory Howell, Jr. and Kerrith Whyte, Jr. led a unit that averaged 285.3 yards per game and were ranked No. 6 nationally for that average. The No. 6 national ranking was a jump of 45 spots from the previous year. Whyte also became the first FAU player to return a kick for a score. While Singletary garnered the highest honors of the unit, Howell and Whyte also received recognition. In total, the running back unit was either individually or a part of 32 of the team’s 41 FAU records in 2017.

In year two, Singletary and Whyte combined for over 2,000 yards, with 30 rushing touchdowns. Singletary went for 1,339 and 22 more scores, for career marks of 4,299 and 66, respectively. He would be named First Team All-C-USA once again, and go on to a third round selection of the Buffalo Bills. Whyte, a Second Team All-C-USA selection at both running back and kick returner, would leave early as well after a 866-yard, seven-TD season, be drafted by the Chicago Bears, and eventually make his NFL debut with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

With all of that production gone, and despite many injuries throughout the 2019 campaign, Smith's charges have still managed to eclipse 2,000 yards as a unit for just the fifth time in school history (2,209 and counting). Sophomore Malcolm Davidson leads the pack with 732 yards - on 7.2 per carry - and nine touchdowns. Running backs with over 100 yards additionally are James Charles (378), Larry McCammon III (357), Chauncey Mason (186) and BJ Emmons, who returned after what was thought to be a season-ending injury in Week 1, but has 165 yards in his last three games. All FAU rushers have combined for 29 touchdowns on the ground as well.

At UCF
Worked two seasons with his alma mater as both a quality control administrator and as a coaching intern.

NFL Career
Smith was selected in the 2008 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions in the third round. He went on to play five years for the Lions, amassing 17 rushing touchdowns while battling injuries during his career.

Collegiate Playing Career
Smith set 17 school rushing records in a Black and Gold uniform, and established NCAA FBS single-season records with 450 carries and 13 100-yard performances in 2007. He finished just shy of Barry Sanders' single-season rushing mark as Smith finished that year with 2,567 yards on the ground. From 2005-07, Smith racked up 4,679 rushing yards, which was the most in the history of the state of Florida. He became the first player in the state to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season. Smith played a huge part in guiding UCF to its first bowl game in 2005 as well as its first league title in 2007 when the Knights reached the Liberty Bowl. He was the 2005 Conference USA Freshman of the Year and the 2007 C-USA Offensive Player of the Year.

Personal
Born: December 17, 1986
Hometown: Miami, Fla.
Education: UCF ’15 with a degree in liberal studies
Family: Tisha (wife), daughters Dennisha, Summer and Paris as well as sons Dennis, Kevin Jr. and Kai

Coaching Experience
2017 – Florida Atlantic (Assistant Coach/RB)
2016 – UCF (Quality Control Administrator)
2015 – UCF (Coaching Intern)