Da'Ronte Smith "Overseas Ambitions"
by Next Level Combines
Sitting in the gym of your typical LA fitness gym, Da’Ronte
Smith has just finished a heavy set of squats and deadlifts. His personal
coached just informed him that he has set another personal best and he has
reached his goal weight of 195 pounds. Things are looking good for the 6ft 197-pound
defensive back. Smith's new look has given him the confidence to take the next
steps towards reaching his goal of playing professional football. After packing
on 20 pounds of lean muscle and maintaining his speed, Smith is ready to make a impact on a professional team.
In college, Smith managed to rack up over 100 tackles, 4
interceptions, and 28 pass break ups. However, Smith did not catch the
attention on NFL teams because of “weight issues”.
“Playing at 175 pounds, you are not going to catch much
attention from NFL scouts. The NFL is
all about size and speed. “ I have always had speed, but I struggled to gain
weight in my college days.”
After attending multiple combines and tryouts, Smith made up his mind to take his talents outside
the United States. Smith plans to travel
the world playing the game he has been apart of for so long. American football has
grown rapidly around the world. There are paid professional football teams in
countries such as Brazil, Japan, and Germany. Smith would love to travel the
world playing football and he knows that he can really help led a foreign team to victory. This desire to travel aboard may stem from his upbringing .
Da’ronte Smith was born in Frankford, Germany, but this was
brief as he move to Columbus, Georgia at one years old. Smith was raised by his mother and grandparents. Smith's grandfather gave him the support he needed to fill the void of an absent father. Smith was 4
years old when he first started playing football. His grandmother thought that
it would be a great idea to enter him into football to channel his "extra"energy.
Smith also credits his uncle's earlier success in football for helping the family
make the right decision to enter Smith in football at such a early age.
Smith was a member of the East Way Cherokees, and played
with them throughout his pop warner career. One of the most profound moments
that Smith remembers is when his mommy mom was running down the sidelines with
him during a long touchdown run.
Smith reflects back on this moment and realizes the effort and encouragement his mom
gave him to pursuit such a demanding sport.
“My mother and grandmother always stressed the importance of
being persistence. They gave me that never quit attitude and it has stuck with
me ever since. In life, things may get
hard sometimes and you want to give up. Having the ability to fight threw
and overcome obstacles in life is what helps you grow as a person “
Smith attended Kendrick high school in his hometown of Columbus
but transferred to Meadowcreek high school after his 9th grade year. Smith's mom
got a job near Atlanta and this would provide a better financial future for the
Smith family. In high school, Smith
was a standout athlete. Smith garnered
Division I offers, but academic struggles would force him to consider other options.
After doing research, Smith took interest in Georgia Military College, a
program known for molding players into Division 1 prospects.
Georgia Military College is military base
program that teaches athletes discipline, hard work, and due diligence. When
Smith arrived, he became accustom to the 5 am hours, the strict military
regimen, and consistency needed to fit the tough program standards.
“It was a different type of discipline; it taught me how to
be more organized and more vocal. The
training was hard and many people didn’t make the cut. In the back of my mind I
would always say to myself to never quit, never give up. I would always think about what my grandmother would think if I just gave up.”
After GMC, Smith attended College of DuPage in Chicago,
Illinois. Being so far away from home really taught Smith how to be
self-reliant and what life was like in the big city. This experience taught Smith to be
independent and more aware of what life has to offer. Smith credit his coaches,
Coach Fred Fimbres and Coach Calhan for teaching him how to play true man-to-man
coverage. Smith noticed that each program that he attended was a learning
experience that helped him both on and off the field.
Smith then decided to attend Minnesota Southwest. Cold
weather and isolation was a shift from the fast pace urban life of
Chicago. Smith was a standout cornerback
for Southwest. Smith was an effective force in the run game, and exceled at
executing zone coverage’s. Smith knew
that if he added weight, he would be able to raise his stock for the NFL Draft.
When asked what he learned from
experience, Smith stated:
“I really learned how
to survive. Sometimes it would be snow covering the entire doorway. Now I
understand what people are talking about when they say ‘snowed in’. The overall experience showed me how I have matured over the years.“
With each transition, Smith is not just playing football, he
is learning about life and the many experiences that mold you as an individual.
The experience of meeting new people and building a football program. But, to experience a different college every year is not
typical for your average student athlete. This has taught Smith something about himself and his love of getting
out and exploring the world. And to play football is that extra bonus.
“You learn about
yourself and what’s important to you. You open up mind and understand things in a
whole new perspective. Just
watching my career, I think that playing overseas will allow me to pursue
something that I always wanted to do. I think it’s an added value that I can
play the sports I love while traveling the world. It also gives me freedom
and the ability to choose where I want to go. “
Smith is on a
mission to combine his passion of football with the luxury of touring the world. The ability to travel the world and play
football all expenses paid is a once in a lifetime opportunity that many athletes do not get to experience. Smith's athletic
talent has put him on the radar of a number professional football teams
overseas. These teams are from a number of different countries such as, Germany,
Austria, Italy, and even Brazil.
As Smith
reflects on where football has taken him thus far, Smith finally decided to
take the steps needed in to reach his goals of playing overseas in 2013. After
attending the 2013 NFL Regional Combine, a number of CFL tryouts, and several
workouts for indoor teams , Smith was awarded a number of opportunities but noticed his true calling was overseas. Smith contacted Euro Sports Scouting, a company known
for placing athletes with pro football teams outside of the United States. After having a successful combine showing with ESS, Smith
decided that he needed to add size to his frame in order to have a successful chance
at playing professionally.
“I knew I needed
to gain weight. This has been something that plague me my whole career. I knew
I would have to gain weight in order for coaches to take me serious. You can
get away with it in high school and in college, but it is much harder when you transition to professional football. “
Smith decided to
train with Next Level Combines and has seen success ever since. After 4 months,
Smith gained 25 pounds of muscles, improved his technique, and maintained his speed
and agility.
“I really see
what I was missing at my college program. They caught me up to speed and
gave me the same results as if I attended a Division 1 program or any world class training facility. The training program helped me in several
ways."
After working with Coach Strong at Next Level
Combines, Smith is confident that he
will be a major addition to any football team trying bring a defensive back
that has the size, speed, and skill set needed to greatly improve a struggling
secondary.
The
well-documented struggles of playing professional football is evident with the
nature of the game. Football is a game where only few enjoy the success of
million dollar contracts and playing on Sunday’s. It is a game where injury is
common and opportunities are limited. For Smith, the opportunity to tour the world and play
football is once in a lifetime opportunity that is worth the hard work and persistence.
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