OXFORD — Scoop Smith knew what he was going to say before anyone else could tell him what to expect.
He was going to play.
At 5-foot-5 and 150 pounds, the Miami University freshman wide receiver came to Oxford in January carrying the obvious questions about whether his size would translate to college football.
Smith never shared those doubts.
“I told my parents, I told Coach Martin, I said, ‘I’m going to play. I’m going to do anything it takes to get on the field,’” Smith said. “Obviously, it is shocking to most people. But to myself, I know the work that I put in. I know the sacrifices I’ve made.”
Two games into his college career, Smith has backed up those words.
He announced himself on the opening kickoff of Miami’s season at Pittsburgh, racing 55 yards into Panthers territory. He later turned a reception from quarterback David McComb into a 30-yard gain that ended at the Pitt 1-yard line.
Smith finished his debut with three receptions for 50 yards and three kickoff returns for 107 yards.
A week later, Miami found another way to utilize him.
Smith caught a pass for 23 yards and carried once for 10 yards in a 45-7 victory over Holy Cross. His biggest contribution, however, came on special teams.
Smith raced through the Holy Cross protection and blocked a punt that Leo Colombi recovered and returned 23 yards for a touchdown.
Smith hadn’t exactly envisioned himself becoming a college punt blocker.
But here we are.
“If you’d have asked me any other time before the week prior to the game if I thought I’d ever block a punt, I would probably tell you no,” Smith said.
That’s becoming the early theme of Smith’s Miami career.
Whatever the RedHawks ask him to do, Smith believes he can do it.
“I’m a whatever-I-can-do-to-help-the-team-win type of guy,” Smith said. “Just seeing how I can impact the game in different ways, I’m doing everything I can to help win the game. That’s big for me.”
Miami coach Chuck Martin saw the same traits long before Smith’s college debut.
After the Pitt game, Martin cautioned against judging the freshman by his measurements. The explosive plays Smith produced against the Panthers weren’t an aberration, Martin said. They were the same things Smith had been doing during practices.
Smith isn’t surprised.
Asked whether he was shocked by how quickly he had made an impact as a true freshman, Smith didn’t hesitate.
“I actually think, me personally, I feel like I could have did a little more,” he said.
“I have big confidence in myself.”
Smith said it’s come from preparation.
He enrolled early, went through spring practice and spent months learning an offense that remains a work in progress for him.
“I’ve been here since January, and I still fully don’t know everything,” Smith said. “But getting used to that system and just being confident with it, knowing what you’re supposed to do when you’re supposed to do it, is big.
“I feel like I’m getting there.”
The physical portion comes naturally.
Smith said playing football every day at the college level leaves little choice but to improve. The greater adjustment involves understanding assignments, learning Miami’s system and developing the consistency necessary to stay on the field.
“Just showing up every day with the mindset, ‘I’m going to get better,’ showing up every day with the mindset of, ‘I want to do what I can to help this team win,’ is obviously where you have to be at,” Smith said.
That approach has already put Smith in the middle of Miami’s offense, kickoff return unit and punt return team.
And if Martin finds another job for him?
Smith will take that, too.
“Hopefully, they put me on it again,” Smith said of the punt block unit, “and I try to get one this week.”
Production, speed, confidence followed Smith from Woodland Hills to Miami
Smith has became one of Miami’s most intriguing freshmen. But the formula was already established.
Put the football in his hands and see what happens.
Smith arrived at Miami after becoming a multidimensional standout at Woodland Hills High School outside Pittsburgh, where his lack of size did little to prevent him from becoming one of Western Pennsylvania’s most productive athletes.
Football wasn’t his only sport.
Smith also excelled in basketball and was one of Pennsylvania’s fastest high school sprinters, winning consecutive WPIAL Class 3A championships in the 100-meter dash.
That speed has transferred quickly to college football.
Smith’s first touch as a RedHawk was a 55-yard kickoff return at Pittsburgh on Sept. 5.
It wasn’t just another road game for Smith.
It was a college debut near home for a player who had built his reputation at Woodland Hills, and Smith showed almost immediately why Miami believed his speed and explosiveness could overcome the size questions that followed him through recruiting.
Later in the game, Smith caught a pass from McComb, accelerated through the Pittsburgh defense and gained 30 yards before being stopped at the 1.
He finished with 157 all-purpose yards.
A week later against Holy Cross, Smith added a 23-yard reception, a 10-yard rush and a blocked punt.
The early production isn’t unexpected for Smith.
“It’s never been like a shocker for the things that I think I do,” Smith said. “I just trust God’s plan most of the time and trust that he has a plan for me.”
Smith’s high school résumé provided plenty of evidence that his game could translate.
As a junior at Woodland Hills, he caught 38 passes for 630 yards, rushed for 352 yards on just 27 attempts and scored 15 touchdowns. His production increased during his senior season, when he had 57 receptions and 23 touchdowns.
He finished his Woodland Hills career as the school’s record holder for career receptions and receiving yards and earned all-state recognition three times.
Then there was track.
Smith ran 10.64 seconds to win the WPIAL Class 3A 100-meter championship in 2024 and successfully defended the title in 2025.
He was also a standout basketball player, giving him the type of multisport background Miami has long valued in recruiting.
The combination made Smith an unusual prospect.
His measurements could make evaluators hesitate.
His film made it difficult to stop watching.
Miami ultimately gave Smith the opportunity he wanted, and Smith didn’t wait until summer to begin preparing for it. He enrolled in January and immediately set about proving he could contribute.
One of the relationships he developed was with McComb.
Before Smith even arrived on campus, he reached out to the quarterback.
“I had texted David, seeing that he hit the portal,” Smith said. “I’m like, ‘Let’s do this thing.’”
The two eventually spent additional time throwing after practice and returned on weekends with other receivers to continue working.
Now they’re learning together.
McComb made his first collegiate start at Pitt. Smith played his first collegiate game.
A week later, McComb completed all 13 of his first-half passes as Miami overwhelmed Holy Cross.
“Man, I can’t tell you how proud I am of David,” Smith said. “He worked for this. He worked every day for it, going from January when we first got here to now.”
McComb also isn’t afraid to bring the confident freshman back to earth.
“He keeps me humble,” Smith said. “I’ll be out there having fun. I’ll be out there doing something. He’ll be like, ‘Man, you only have three catches for 50 yards, man. Like, lock in.’
“I’m like, ‘Yeah, you’re right.’”
Their connection is still developing.
So is Smith.
That’s perhaps the most intriguing part for Miami.
Smith is already producing while acknowledging he hasn’t completely mastered the RedHawks’ system.
And Smith has spent most of his football career demonstrating what can happen when someone gives him an opportunity.
“I know the work that I put in,” Smith said. “I know the sacrifices I’ve made. So hopefully, I can just keep getting better, keep playing more snaps and keep making more plays for Miami football.”
‘I’m built for the big moment’
Smith hasn’t played a snap in the Miami-Cincinnati rivalry.
He already understands enough.
“I’ve learned that it’s serious,” Smith said.
Miami’s freshman wide receiver gets his introduction Saturday when the RedHawks meet Cincinnati in the Battle for the Victory Bell at TQL Stadium.
Smith might be new to Miami, but rivalry football isn’t new to him.
He experienced it at Woodland Hills, where one particular opponent happened to wear red.
“We played a team that was red,” Smith said. “We weren’t allowed to wear red at all. We couldn’t wear red anything.
“Obviously, it’s not as big as this,” Smith added of his high school rivalry. “There’s two cities that are going against each other. So I see that as big. But I take it very seriously.”
Smith’s first two college games have already given him dramatically different experiences to draw from.
Pittsburgh dominated Miami 59-14 in the opener.
A week later, the RedHawks reversed roles and overwhelmed Holy Cross 45-7 at Yager Stadium.
Now comes Cincinnati.
Smith doesn’t believe either of Miami’s first two games completely defines the RedHawks.
Instead, he points to the details.
“When you go look at the film versus Pitt, it was probably two things away from the big play,” Smith said. “Somebody taking the wrong steps away from a big play. It was just little things that we just kept getting worse and worse as the game went on.”
Against Holy Cross, those details began falling into place.
“We did it right there and look what happens,” Smith said. “We got a big run. We did it right there, look what happens. We got a big play downfield.”
Miami’s offense looked considerably different. McComb completed all 13 of his first-half passes for 234 yards and three touchdowns. The RedHawks led 42-0 by halftime.
But the challenge increases dramatically against Cincinnati.
Smith welcomes it.
“We got two games and experience, two games to clean up the details that we were supposed to clean up,” Smith said. “And I’m confident. I feel like everybody in the locker room knew what type of team we could be.”
The Pitt result shook that confidence externally.
Smith said it didn’t change what Miami believes internally.
“Going into Pitt, it was shocking for all of us,” Smith said. “We didn’t think it would end up like that.
“I feel like Pitt was a fluke. Everybody thinks just going off of the Pitt game, trying to judge us off that, and that’s fine. … We could be the underdog. We could be judged. But the guys in the locker room, the coaching staff, everybody knows the type of team that we have.”
Miami’s rivalry with Cincinnati dates to 1888 and has developed into one of college football’s oldest series.
Smith is still learning the history.
“I heard how rocking this place gets when we beat UC,” Smith said. “I just can’t wait to play. I can’t wait to be in the atmosphere.”
Smith has already shown he isn’t intimidated by a bigger stage.
His first college game came against a Power Four opponent in an NFL stadium, and his first touch went for 55 yards.
His first two weeks have included explosive receptions, more than 100 kickoff return yards and a blocked punt.
Cincinnati offers another opportunity.
That’s the attraction, Smith said.
“I’m built for the big moment. So just going there and just praying that we do what we’re supposed to do and come back and make this town a happy place.”
