Olathe South grad Braden Smith remains a dominant force at Auburn

Auburn guard Braden Smith’s name appeared on The Associated Press All-SEC second team last season.

Smith, a 2014 Olathe South graduate and three-time All-Metro selection, started all 13 games for the Tigers as a sophomore and earned a reputation as one of the most dominant run blockers in the conference, perhaps even the country.

He also made the College Football Focus postseason All-SEC honor roll, but when the preseason plaudits were handed out eight months later, Smith went ignored.

Was that a reflection on Auburn’s struggles last season? Low expectations for the revamped Tigers? An oversight? A slap in the face?

It’s doesn’t matter now. It was fuel.

“Anytime anyone has low expectations of you, it’s going to drive you,” said Smith, now a junior.

It’s a formula that’s worked for Smith during his time at Auburn, which checks in at No. 9 in the latest College Football Playoffs ranking and plays at Georgia on Saturday.

Few forecast Auburn’s swift return to national relevance, but the Bulldogs are the final significant hurdle before a potentially high-stakes Iron Bowl with top-ranked rival Alabama.

“It definitely gave us a chip on our shoulder, because nobody really had any respect for us,” Smith said. “Basically, they thought we were at the bottom of the conference, so we wanted to prove something and gain some respect back.”

Smith is a quiet and reserved guy by nature. Growing up, he split his time between smashing weight-room records and tending a backyard garden.

“He’s still not the guy who’s going to be waving the towel and leading the team in the fight song,” Auburn offensive line coach Herb Hand said.

But he is paving the way for the top rushing attack in the SEC, which averages 299.8 yards per game. That ranks third nationally and leads all Power Five programs.

“At times, he’s a dominant run blocker,” Hand said. “Like everybody else, he can get better, but he can also overpower people. He works hard in the weight room, and he’s a guy that carries his weight-room strength onto the field as well.

“Some guys can bench press a huge amount or squat a car, but they don't carry it onto the field with them. Braden, all the work that he puts into the weight room with his strength and conditioning, he carries onto the field with him. That’s what helps him be so physical.”

Smith has worked hard to improve his pass protection, refining the transition from his post set to a kick set depending on the defensive line’s movement.

“He’s driven to be great and is a highly motivated young man on his own,” Hand said. “He’s a guy that tries to do exactly what you coach him to do to the letter. If that means that after practice he stays late to work on some sets or his footwork, that’s what he does. If there’s something he needs to fine-tune, he puts in the extra work and has a very mature approach to this craft.”

Smith, who expects to graduate with a degree in education this summer, has yet to consider an NFL career — “Right now, I’m just focused on winning games, because that’s what’s important at the moment,” he said — but make no mistake it will be an option for him.

“He could play football for a long time,” Hand said. “He’s got the skill set and the ability. There’s no doubt that his physicality and his ability at the point of attack certainly helps make our run game go.”

This story was originally published November 11, 2016 at 7:05 PM with the headline "Olathe South grad Braden Smith remains a dominant force at Auburn."