UAB HC Bill Clark Explains How Jordan Smith's 'God-Given Physical Ability' Could Impact the Jaguars

It hasn't taken long for Jacksonville Jaguars rookie defensive end Jordan Smith to make known the passion he is bringing to the organization as a rookie. 

It is that same passion which helped him go from Butler Community College to becoming UAB's first draft pick since 2015. A burning, intense passion for the game of football that made him of of the newest Jaguars, the first prospect the Urban Meyer era Jaguars traded up during a draft.

"Beyond blessed at this point. My past does not define me my current actions do. And my current actions are to give everything I have to the Jacksonville Jaguars !" Smith wrote on Twitter when he officially signed his rookie deal with the Jaguars on Tuesday, the latest in a long line of testaments Smith has made to show the zeal he feels as a new member of the franchise.

University of Alabama at Birmingham head coach Bill Clark is a first-hand witness to that passion and to how it helped shape Smith's journey from Florida to Butler to UAB to Jacksonville. 

"I think for us, just watching him as a junior college player was really just our first exposure to him. And the thing that jumped out to you, he was physical. You know, just God-given physical ability and stature," Clark told JaguarReport.

"Just a great physical specimen, you know, and then you meet the kid and you find out he is a guy who really loves football and it's important to him and he wants to do well," Clark continued. 

"So that was kind of really just from, you know, when we got him from junior college to getting him with us, we knew it was important to him. He wanted to continue playing after us. So it was, you know, let's work on those things that make you better for us, and also give you a chance to play at the next level."

Smith's journey has been one with twists and turns. A four-star prospect, he committed to the Gators and redshirted in 2016. Smith never played a down for the Gators, however, due to a credit card scandal surrounding him and eight other Gators. 

Smith transferred out of Florida in January 2018, eventually enrolling at Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kansas. It was at Butler where Smith recorded 11 sacks, 40 tackles, and a forced fumble on his way to earning All-Conference honors. 

He eventually committed to UAB as a part of their 2019 recruiting class, becoming a difference-maker from the jump for a program that had spent two years closed down. He was one of many JUCO prospects signed by Clark and the UAB staff to jumpstart the program once it was reinstated for the 2017 season. Like Smith, they all had stories and backgrounds. And like many of his teammates, Smith seized his new opportunity with a gusto. 

"These guys are just trying to get that next home. And so bringing them in, teaching them what team and family and all that stuff looks like and, you know, for us we've been pretty successful defensively. And so I think, you know, what is our standard? And the great news with Jordan -- he embraced all of it," Clark said. 

"That's what he wanted. You know, he was a guy that worked hard and knew he had an opportunity past us, and I think really worked to earn what he has received."

Smith played under Clark and his staff's tutelage for two seasons, instantly becoming the type of impact pass-rusher the UAB defense could build around. He was named second team All-Conference USA in 2019 after recording 17.5 tackles for loss and 10 sacks, immediately displaying the ability that one made him a highly sought after recruit.

Smith always knew he had the talent. His passion for football, and his confidence in his ability to thrive in the sport, shined through at UAB in each of his two years, just as they have shined through in his short time with the Jaguar. 

It is that same confidence that helped Smith thrive under Clark, and the confidence that helps Clark believe he can thrive under coaches with similar mindsets and styles.

"That is what we always talk about -- confident but not arrogant. You know, he's got plenty of confidence," Clark said. "I think he knows how to, you know, he's very respectful but he believes in himself. And he really is a great pass-rusher.

"But, you know, he wants to be good. He wants to win every drill. And as you know, Coach Cullen -- the defensive coordinator who I've known forever -- and Coach Meyer, we talked about it. That's what you are getting in a guy who is highly competitive, who wants to be good, you know, who really wants to be great. So it's very important to him."

"So I think Coach Cullen is, you know, we're very similar. And Coach Meyer is the same. You want guys around you that football is important to and I think that's what they're looking for and that's what they got," Clark continued. 

Smith earned first-team All-Conference honors in 2020 after recording 43 tackles, 9.5 TFL, 4.5 sacks and one interception. After two years at UAB, he did what he came to the program to do and what Clark knew he had the ability to accomplish.

Smith was invited to the Reese's Senior Bowl, where he said following the draft was where him and the Jaguars began to connect as the team did their evaluation into his game and his background. Like Clark, they saw a player with imense physical tools -- the type of tools that makes Smith stand out at one of the sport's most important positions. 

“He can get off the block, he’s 6’5” and change, he has good first step quickness, he can get skinny," Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke said after the Jaguars drafted Smith at No. 121 overall. 

"His biggest challenge is going to be, because of his linear build, is getting stronger and being able to turn his quickness into power and being able to play with both strength and speed. You need a combination. You’re not going to win with just being a one trick pony in this league.”

The Jaguars traded up from pick No. 130 to No. 121 to pick Smith in the fourth round, making Smith the first player that Meyer and Baalke officially traded up for during an NFL draft. 

As part of the trade, the Jaguars also received a sixth-round pick (209) from the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for their fourth-round pick (130), fifth-round (170), and seventh-round (249) picks. They saw Smith as moldable clay worth making an aggressive move for, an assessment Clark can back up.

"I think he can be, you know, this 6-foot-6 and 240 pound guy that is super explosive and fast; he can be in the 250s, kind of be in the middle of that, and then he could even be in the 260s if you want," Clark said. 

"So, he has got such a great frame that he can hold kind of whatever they want him to be. For us it was about, you know, we know you can rush the passer, but learning how to play the run and getting low and because you're so tall and all those things, I think that a lot of the things we worked hard on is understanding gap integrity."

It was a life-changing moment for Smith when he heard his name called on Draft Day. For Clark, it was the end of the type of journey that can help summarize what UAB's family and football program can offer. 

Smith did it. He had ran the race and come out the other end as an NFL player. Now, it will be up to him to use his rare physical ability and passing for the sport to continue to grow under Meyer and Cullen, just as he grew under Clark.

"All the work that he did to get here and people helped him to, you know, to get to be part of this program and you know, all those things that you do the extra work and the time put in. Just very gratifying for us and obviously, I think a lot of the coaches he's going to so I feel like he's going to a great home and a place he can really go make a difference," Clark said.