Going to miss the Canes’ Jaquan Johnson? Keontra Smith is ready to be his successor
Most everyone Keontra Smith knows who’ll be playing in one of the high school All-America showcases will be staying in Florida to play in the Under Armour All-America Game. Te’Cory Couch, his Chaminade-Madonna teammate and a fellow Miami Hurricanes commit, will head to Orlando for the game this winter. Jeremiah Payton, another in-state Miami commit, is set for the Under Armour Game, too.
Even most of his Lions predecessors have played their All-America showcases at Camping World Stadium. Last season, Xavier Williams played in the Under Armour Game before joining the Alabama Crimson Tide. John Dunmore, another Chaminade-Madonna teammate of his this year, will play in the game with Couch.
On Saturday, Smith announced he’d be forging a slightly different path. The four-star safety from Chaminade-Madonna committed to play in the 2019 All-American Bowl, formerly known as the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. It does, however, give Smith something in common with one of his biggest South Florida role models.
“I don’t remember none of my friends doing the Army one, but I looked up to a lot of them,” Smith said. “You know, Jaquan Johnson did it.”
Before Johnson was one of the most productive safeties in the nation for the Hurricanes, he was a do-it-all athlete for Killian. On defense, he was a sure-tackling, defense anchoring safety — just like Smith. On offense, he occasionally popped up as a productive running back — just like Smith.
The comparison between the two is almost too obvious, but Smith isn’t afraid to lean in to it. Johnson and Sheldrick Redwine, Miami’s other starting safety, both graduate after the season, leaving the Hurricanes with two up-for-grabs spots at the back end of the defense. Smith is ready to fight for one of those two openings.
“I want to go to Miami and play right away,” Smith said. “I’m looking forward to that, filling in his spot.”
More than halfway through the season, Johnson is on pace to lead Miami in tackles for the second straight season. Rather than a traditional double-high safety alignment, defensive coordinator Manny Diaz plays typically plays his strong safety in the box as a rover. For the past two seasons, it’s been Johnson. The year before, it was defensive back Jamal Carter, who also led the team in tackles.
Smith is a prospect built to be next in line. Until his freshman year with the Lions, Smith had primarily been a linebacker. Jason Milgrom, Chaminade-Madonna’s coach at the time, shifted Smith to free safety and inserted the freshman as a starter from Day 1.
Smith’s linebacker instincts are still the most readily evident skill he has. Even now, the Lions play Smith in the box as their strong safety. In 2017, Smith racked up more than 100 tackles to lead state-champion Chaminade-Madonna.
“You look at that stature, it’s like he was built for this moment,” Lions coach Dameon Jones said. “His speed to the ball, just physicality at attacking points, he’s gotten much better with.”
After a shoulder injury nagged Smith early in the season, the defensive back got back on track Friday in a 35-28 win against Booker T. Washington. In the first half alone, Smith recorded a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery — a very Johnson-esque stat line.
Smith, whom the 247Sports.com composite rankings peg as the No. 180 player in the country, has been committed to the Hurricanes since May, when he flipped his commitment from the Kentucky Wildcats. With the frequent visits he’s taken, Smith has gotten to know Johnson quite a bit and affectionately refers to him as “big bro.”
Smith knows the scheme at Miami is perfect for him and Johnson is living proof. They’re not exactly mirror images, but they’re close enough for Smith to embrace the comparisons.
“I feel like he can cover better than me, but I’m a for-sure tackler,” Smith said. I can tackle very well and I’ve got decent coverage skills. That’s one thing I’m going to have to clean up before I get to Miami, but I’m confident in myself. I’m ready to come in. I’m ready for college football.”
Friday night takeaways:
Each week, the Miami Herald will spotlight five of the most notable performances by Hurricanes commits as we count down to the December early signing period.
▪ It probably qualified as a relatively quiet Friday for Marcus Crowley. The three-star running back only ran for 126 yards and three touchdowns on nine carries in Jacksonville Trinity Christian Academy’s 35-0 thrashing of Jacksonville Westside. He added another 41-yard touchdown on his lone reception of the night. The 100-yard game came after back-to-back outings with at least 260 rushing yards. The senior now sits at 1,290 rushing yards on the year.
▪ Damarius Good also ran wild Thursday in Altamonte Springs Lake Brantley’s 42-18 blowout of Longwood Lyman. The three-star athlete racked up 150 yards and two touchdowns on just six carries. The senior also caught a 27 yard pass. He continues to primarily play running back despite committing to Miami as a defensive back.
▪ Bryan Robinson’s strong junior season continued Friday as the four-star wide receiver caught his sixth touchdown of the year. The Palm Beach Central receiver hauled in four passes for 79 yards in a 27-14 win against Seminole Ridge.
▪ Savion Collins is years away from his college debut, but the unranked Class of 2021 defensive tackle seems to have a promising future. The sophomore defensive lineman logged three tackles and recovered a fumble Friday as Southwest shut out Varela, 37-0.
▪ Larry Hodges found the end zone for the sixth time this season in Tampa Jesuit’s 52-15 rout of Tampa Robinson. His latest touchdown came on the ground, and the three-star tight end has an even split of rushing and receiving touchdowns this year. The senior finished the game with 31 yards on three carries, plus one catch for 15 yards.
This story was originally published October 17, 2018 at 10:37 AM.