Kip Smith reaches NFL after meandering, uncertain journey
If you take a quick glance at former Oklahoma State punter Kip Smith's bio, you might not be intrigued by his story.
Once-top-ranked kicking prospect makes it to the NFL.
Only, you'd be missing the entire story, the trying in-between that made Kip Smith who he is today.
A coaching change at his original school, UCLA, left him searching for a new opportunity, which didn't come easy.
"It was hard," Smith told Philadelphia's The Reporter. "I tried to walk on at Colorado State, which is near home, and they said maybe next year. I was like 'I don't even want to play football anymore.'"
Eventually, Smith walked on at Oklahoma State, making the transformation from placekicking to punting.
However, that didn't come before Smith experienced a dead period, during which he was working at a home improvement store.
"I met a couple people while I was working there that recognized me and asked me, 'Why aren't you at UCLA kicking right now?'" he recalls. "I got tired of answering that so I started kicking during my lunch breaks. I got advice from other people who said, 'You shouldn't give up football. You should try again.'"
That prodding, while aggravating for Smith at first, ultimately proved pivotal for his football career. He reentered college football with a new perspective.
"I had to start all over in college," Smith said. "When I started over, the only goal I had was to play. I just wanted to play. I was just so happy to play after going through everything. I was like, 'I don't even care what I do.'"
Smith will have to start all over in the NFL, but opportunity has come knocking once again.
The Philadelphia Eagles, who picked him up as an undrafted free-agent, will soon need a new punter. Their current punter, Donnie Jones, will be 35 at the beginning of the 2015 season.
(h/t The Reporter)
