RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesAug. 11—BEMIDJI — There are few reasons to watch the upcoming Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Jets play in their first preseason game this Friday on Aug. 14. But for Bemidji State football fans, they'll be tuning in to get a glimpse of a familiar face on the sidelines.
After being a part of the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers National Coaching Academy
for rookie mini camp in May, Bemidji State co-defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator Shevin Smith Jr. was asked to come back as a 2026 training camp fellow. He's been working with the Buccaneers' special teams units at training camp before traveling with the team for its first preseason game against the Jets on Friday.
The Bucs chose five out of the 25 coaches who took part in the coaching academy to become a training camp fellow. Smith was honored to be one of the five asked to come back.
"It's been really, really fun, been really involved," Smith said of his experience so far. "The coaches have assimilated us to pretty much part of the staff. The players have been great, so it's been a great opportunity to grow as a coach, but also really help the team in camp and helping with all hands on deck."
Smith has been working closely with special teams coordinator Danny Smith, who's been coaching in the NFL for over 30 years. He's also been observing specialist players like kicker
Chase McLaughlin,
who's been in the NFL for eight years, and punter
Riley Dixon,
who's been in the league for 11 years.
Smith has made sure to pay attention to their routines to see what he can bring back to help the specialists at Bemidji State.
"Specialists are pretty unique in that they each have their own routines and are very finicky about stuff, especially punters and kickers," Smith said. "It's cool seeing guys who have done it at a high level, what their routines consist of. Obviously, there's stuff I can probably bring back to our specialists and how they can incorporate the same routines and practices and things into their own game.
Naturally, practices are more intense in training camp than what Smith experienced in mini camp. With incoming roster cuts, many players are fighting for their careers and a spot on the 53-man roster.
Drills and plays are taught at organized team activities, so during training camp, the coaching staff shifts focus to who can execute them best, Smith explained.
A typical day at the Bucs' training camp for Smith starts at 6 a.m. to prepare for practice. The team practices in the morning to beat the notorious Florida heat and rain in August.
After practice, the team has time to interact with fans and sign autographs before watching film and having team meetings in the afternoon. In the evening, the team has a walk-through before the day ends.
Smith has been with the team since the first day of training camp on July 29. Since then, he's taken note of the level of detail needed at the professional level, from the coaches, players and everyone in the organization.
"The level of detail needed at this level, you have no choice but to become a better coach, because it's stuff that you don't even think of in college," he said. "Football can become advanced with an older group, but sometimes it's very entry-level because you're just trying to get guys to understand life.
"Whereas (in Tampa), everybody, for the most part, got their own lives. ... So it's very much in the intricacies of details and super high-level thinking compared to generally what you have in college."
Smith will travel with the team for its first preseason game on Friday against the Jets at MetLife Stadium. The team gets back to Tampa at 3 a.m. on Saturday. Smith has a flight five hours later to travel back to Bemidji in time for team pictures.
"It might be a no-sleep kind of schedule for me," Smith said. "I might have giant bags under my eyes for the team pictures."
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