Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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92 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2015 FOOTBALL PREVIEW Jaylon is that he's so flexible and athletic that he can get his body into a bad position and still get out of it and make a very good play." Being able to overcome mistakes with freakish athletic ability has served Smith well during his first two seasons in South Bend. It is not, however, why the Irish staff puts so much on his broad shoulders. It is not what makes Smith such a productive and intriguing player for Notre Dame. "There are a lot of athletes like Jaylon, but they don't combine what Jaylon has mentally with his football intellect and his attitude," Elliott continued. "Jaylon's got a thirst for learning. It's amazing, and he works harder at it than anybody." Smith made a similar impression on de- fensive coordinator Brian VanGorder, now in his second year with the Irish. "He's an awfully good player," VanGorder said of his star pupil. "He approaches it ev- ery day with a great attitude. He wants to learn and he wants to get better." Director of football strength and condi- tioning Paul Longo is another believer in Smith beyond just the field. "He's got great stamina, and more than anything his intensity and his love of the game are second to none," Longo said. "Whenever he does anything it's at the absolute top level, whether it's film or weight training." Avoiding A Letdown The hype that surrounded Smith increased entering the 2014 season. However, it would be hard to top the type of impact he had as a freshman, especially when considering he was learning a new defense and making the transition from outside linebacker to the more advanced Will linebacker position. Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly was not as worried as some outside the program. "One of the things that makes a great leader for me is consistency," Kelly said prior to last season. "I think everybody talks about the sophomore slump, and I think one of the things with him is consistency, being able to do it again." Smith's work ethic also gave his head coach confidence he could improve his game as a sophomore. "The other thing is, you can pile a lot of work on him," Kelly added. "You can keep piling it on and just bring it on." Smith won the Butkus Award, which is given annually to the nation's best linebacker, as a high school senior and was named one of five finalists for the college honor last year. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA "The Larry Bird rule that I use all the time is make others around you better. He's not there yet, but that will be the next stage for him." HEAD COACH BRIAN KELLY ON SMITH