If Kobe Smith wasn’t scary enough for offensive coordinators in 2022, they now have this to think about: Red Bank’s dominant defender packed on 15 quality pounds during the offseason, giving him the potential to create even more havoc in opposing backfields.
At 6-foot-3 and nearly 200 pounds, Smith’s frame is close to the prototype for a premium pass rusher, and the senior’s incredible 81-inch wingspan helps him create leverage and pull down ball carriers.
Over the past two seasons, Smith has a whopping 40 tackles for loss, which is part of the reason why he comes in at No. 9 on the Times Free Press Dynamite Baker’s Dozen countdown of the Chattanooga area’s top prep football players going into the 2023 season.
“I am excited to go out there and play one last time with my guys and just show everything we’ve got,” said Smith, a three-star recruit who committed to Duke in late June, choosing the Blue Devils over offers from programs that included Appalachian State, Cincinnati, Stanford and Vanderbilt.
“I just keep my head down and go to work,” Smith added. “There’s always another bar to be broken. That’s kind of how I live my life. You can always live and be better.”