The thought of going to college in the state of Tennessee had never occurred to CaMiron Smith.
Getting a late start to his recruiting process in 2017 - the first year of the early signing period - the Cedar Hill, Texas native had just finished a state championship run his senior season and had committed to Lamar when he got a call from then-new University of Tennessee at Chattanooga defensive backs coach Jeremiah Wilson, who had built a relationship with current Jackson State coach Deion Sanders while Wilson was working at Florida State.
Wilson had reached out to Sanders upon arriving at UTC and mentioned the need for a defensive back. Smith was on his way to a visit at Washington State when "Coach Prime" - whose son Shedeur played quarterback at the same high school in Texas as Smith - connected the two parties. Smith instead visited UTC, fell in love with the city and the campus and said Tuesday that he committed "right then and there."
UTC recruiting in Texas has been largely unheard of. Since 2000, there have only been three players from the state of Texas, and both quarterback Chris Sanders (Southern Methodist University) and fullback Edward New (Iowa Wesleyan) transferred to Chattanooga.
There haven't been any regrets from either side since Smith's arrival. He saw the field in all 11 games as a true freshman, then played in all 12 - starting eight - as a sophomore in 2019. His prowess in the secondary, along with senior nickelback Rashun Freeman, corner Jordan Jones and safeties Brandon Dowdell and Jerrell Lawson has allowed the Mocs to hold a share of the nation's lead in takeaways with 11 (2.75 per game).
"He's matured into a spot," UTC head coach Rusty Wright said. "He's a smart man off the field, but he pays a lot of attention to trying to do things right on the field, and that's given him an opportunity to go be successful. He's long and athletic and can run, and he's worked hard at trying to be better. He just has to do a couple of things better, but I couldn't be happier for what he's brought to this program how he is as a person.
"And we've got him for another year, too. That's even better."
Smith has contributed to the takeaway total, baiting Kentucky quarterback Will Levis into an interception in the Mocs' 28-23 loss to the now Football Bowl Subdivision 14th-ranked Wildcats on Sept. 18, his third career pick and one of nine for the team this season.
The latest test for the Mocs (2-2, 1-0 Southern Conference) is a trip this weekend to face Virginia Military Institute (3-2, 1-1), who just dropped a 35-24 loss to The Citadel last week. The Keydets have struggled to re-create some of the magic from their run to the 2021 SoCon spring championship, but are still a threat with a balanced offense. VMI also beat the Mocs in the last meeting, which was also played in Lexington, Virginia after COVID issues within the UTC program forced a cancellation of the spring game.
The short passing game the Keydets employ (they average 9.2 yards per completion, fewest in the league) is something the Mocs struggled against earlier this season, as Austin Peay turned some short passes into long completions in a 30-20 win in the season opener.
"We've definitely been stressing tackling a lot, and I think we practice that way," Smith said. "We've gotten better since Austin Peay, which is expected, but we're definitely making an effort and our coaches are definitely making efforts in making us run to the ball every single play, no matter who you think is going to make the play. I'm going to run all the way across the field if I have to, because you never know."
It seems as though things work out for Smith when he takes a chance.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3.