Shevin Smith Jr. takes unconventional path to lead Bemidji State's cornerback room
Mar. 21—Shevin Smith Jr. didn't play football until his senior year of high school.
Seven years later, he met Bemidji State head coach Brent Bolte in a hotel room in Lincoln, Nebraska for an impromptu interview to be the Beavers' new cornerbacks coach.
Smith was clued in about a job opening at Bemidji State by a trainer in California who had connections with Brandon Brooks, the Beavers' former defensive backs coach. Smith told the trainer he was interested in the position, and the following morning, he received a call from defensive coordinator Joe Ford.
Less than 24 hours later, Smith found himself in a hotel room interviewing with Bolte
"I liked it because it was the most non-interview interview ever," Smith said. "Bolte is such a chill, kind of old-school guy, so he was like "So what do you think about all this NIL?" and stuff like that. We just started having a conversation, not even like, 'What do you like to teach, this, this, that,' we were just talking about NIL, recruiting, football."
As it turned out, Bolte was already in Lincoln, attending the Rimington Trophy ceremony alongside center Jake Gannon. Ford told Smith that, if he was interested in the position, he could meet Bolte in his hotel room before the award ceremony.
Smith obliged. The two met up and talked for about 30 minutes, discussing coaching experience and the current state of college football.
"I could tell that he was really aligned in the way that we thought about the overall philosophy of football and the football world," Smith said.
The feeling was mutual.
"I think the big thing for me, I let coach Ford do a lot of the dirty work with who he feels comfortable with, the X's and Os," Bolte said. "I just want good people, that's who I look for. (Smith and I) talked a little shop, we talked just in generalities about the sport of football, different stuff. ... He's very mature, probably beyond his years in terms of how he presents himself. Very, very knowledgeable young man as well."
Shortly after the interview, Smith received the job offer and accepted.
From a late start to his career to playing cornerback in the Big 12, and eventually a shift to the coaching side of the game, Smith's journey to northern Minnesota has been a nontraditional one.
Smith "never really played" football growing up. He was involved in athletics but stayed away from the gridiron in part because of his mother's fear of potential injury.
However, Smith decided to give the sport a try his senior year of high school. Considering the late start, he entered the endeavor a little nervous.
Luckily, Smith had a former NFL safety in his corner for support. His father, Shevin Smith, was a Florida State defensive back who wound up playing two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
"He was definitely the biggest influence on my self-confidence," Smith said. "He was just like, 'If you go out and do it, just go out and believe that you're the best at it instead of the third (best).' I think that's where he influenced me more than anything else. ... He's very confident, and not in an arrogant way, but like whatever you do, just make sure you feel like you're the best at it. Just get to the level that you feel you're at."
Smith found success in that senior prep season, and eventually, it was time to look to the collegiate level. Baylor's cornerbacks coach, who knew Smith's father, reached out and offered a tryout.
Smith made the cut, joining the Bears' defensive back room as a corner for the next few seasons. Near the end of his collegiate career, though, Smith began to show an interest in the coaching side of things.
In the summer of 2022, he took an internship with the Indianapolis Colts. The first portion of the job was mostly spent setting up meeting rooms and other operational tasks, but as the summer wound on, Smith grew closer with the defensive staff. He eventually began helping at practice, doing smaller projects and assisting with substitutions.
"That's when I really was like, 'Oh, I actually really, really like this coaching aspect, I really want to go all in on it,'" Smith said.
After his internship with the Colts, Smith spent his final season at Baylor as a student coach.
"When I got to Baylor, (I was) athletic enough to certainly be amongst the people that were there, but I had to kind of teach myself football," Smith said. "So from there to being a coach in three years has been, it's been a whirlwind of teaching.
"I came in so under everybody in terms of the curve that I feel like I overlearned over some people. While people are trying to learn, 'OK, I got cover two in this coverage,' I'm learning what cover two is, why we do over two, this, that."
After graduating from Baylor in 2022, Smith decided to continue developing his coaching career in the Big Ten.
He joined Nebraska's coaching staff in 2023 as a graduate assistant, working specifically with the defensive backs. It was a relatively small staff in that first year; Smith was the only grad assistant for defensive backs on a unit that had a five-DB scheme.
Smith picked up plenty in his time in the Big Ten, from coaching tidbits to his approach to the game as a whole.
"When I first started (at Nebraska) I thought I would be overwhelmed," Smith said. "Then, as we got through the season, I just realized it's another old day playing football, same as you're in high school, in the backyard. ... I think I learned to not be as obsessive on every little thing when I was at Nebraska — understand things are going to go wrong, things are going to go right, just try your best, put your best into it and don't overthink the moment."
In 2024, he became a recruiting assistant for the Huskers. After that second season, though, it was time for Smith to begin a search for the next step in his coaching career.
"This year coming in, I was like alright, I learned the coaching, I learned the recruiting, I want to marry it into a position coach job," Smith said. "Kind of have my own thing going on."
Smith will have his first real taste of running his own position group this season, bringing a variety of knowledge from his time in the Big Ten and the Big 12 and from well-respected leaders in the coaching community, such as Nebraska head coach (and former Baylor head coach) Matt Rhule.
"I think he's excited about coming in and proving that he can (run a room)," Bolte said. "We're excited about what he brings to the table, not only as a hard worker but also just his football mind. He brings a lot to the table beyond his years in terms of knowledge and the schematic part."
Spring practice is where the rubber will meet the road for Smith, offering the chance to really get to know his position group and start applying his accumulated coaching knowledge.
"I'm very excited to get some fundamental culture things down," Smith said. "I feel like spring ball is where you kind of make an identity, summer is where you hone in on details and then the fall is when you get rolling and get your rotations and guys and little things going.
Smith doesn't see spring camp as a way to beat up on the offensive personnel. Instead, it's a chance to dive into the technical side of football.
"It's can I get guys to do a technique the right way?" Smith said. "Can I get guys to play hard, the extra effort things, little things, knowing the base schemes? And if we can do that, then I'll be pleased with spring ball."
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