In times of stress or difficulties, linebacker Jalen Smith goes to his favorite bar.
In the weight room, Smith will step into the squat rack, then rest the heavily plated bar across his back and shoulders.
“I think about a lot of things,” Smith said as he prepares for the back squat. “I think about any time I’ve been doubted, just anything I’m going through. I put a lot into that bar.”
Sometimes the burst from a squat to a standing position is seamless. Once, with 550 pounds on his back, he struggled halfway through the routine.
“Your head is telling you, ‘no, drop it,’” Smith said. “But your heart keeps telling you to keep going. … You get to that wall, you either stop or go over that wall. I made sure I got over it.”
It is the mixture of patience and perseverance that has helped Smith in his path to the starting weak-side linebacker’s job. Smith was a standout running back and linebacker at Garces Memorial High in Bakersfield, Calif., when he suffered a torn ligament in his right ankle that ended his senior season before it began. Smith went to Bakersfield College for a year before accepting the Rainbow Warriors’ offer.
But two weeks ahead of the 2022 fall semester, it was ruled that one of his community college classes was not transferable. “It was too late for me to hop into a summer-school class,” Smith said. “I had to take one on the chin.”
Allowed to practice but not compete in games, Smith was used as a scout running back and receiver in daily drills against the top defense. Smith was admittedly frustrated, and wondered whether he should return to Bakersfield. But after a meeting with head coach Timmy Chang and linebackers coach Chris Brown, Smith regained his drive. “All I had control of was what would go down that day,” he said. “I took it day by day. I went to practice and went rep by rep and tried to control what I could control.”
He also spent post-practice time in the weightroom. He is capable of bench-pressing 350 pounds. In the spring of 2023, he impressed Brown with his lateral quickness and his ability to attack the backfield or narrow passing lanes. He was timed at running a prorated 22 mph. “It’s definitely a blessing to see when you drive by and see the speed limit’s 15 mph and you know you can run faster than that,” he said.
Last year, Smith played in all 13 games, starting the final eight, and finishing third with 67 tackles, including 44 solo stops. “I love to hit,” Smith said. “That’s why I play defense.”
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It has been this way since playing pick-up games against his brothers in the family home. “We’d line up in the hallway, and one person had the ball, and it was a little Oklahoma drill,” Smith recalled. “Nowhere to go. It was straight down the hallway. … We had to move from the living room. My mom wasn’t having it there.”
Scouting report
In a 3-3, 4-2 or 3-4 alignment, defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman’s defenses have always revolved around a vocal, hard-hitting middle linebacker. After recovering from a torn ACL, Logan Taylor has reclaimed that role. Jamih Otis also is constructed in that style, albeit several decibel levels lower than Taylor. There are some schemes in which Taylor and Otis will be in the same tier. Weak-side linebacker Jalen Smith, perhaps the most athletic Warrior, brings all-direction hunting skills. The Warriors also can bring in Nalu Emerson and Noah Kema to create defensive matchups. Emerson can slide up as an edge rusher.
At this position
11 Nalu Emerson 6-1 215 Sr.
18 Noah Kema 6-1 225 Sr.
54 Jamih Otis 5-11 215 So.
3 Jalen Smith 6-0 215 Jr.
16 Logan Taylor 6-0 220 Sr.
