Football’s Eric Smith embraces his academic journey
The Public Health major has served as an ambassador on and off the field for the RedHawks
Football’s Eric Smith embraces his academic journey
The Public Health major has served as an ambassador on and off the field for the RedHawks
Linear growth on and off the field has defined Miami fifth-year senior offensive lineman Eric Smith’s journey through college.
The Fairmont, West Virginia, native redshirted his first year (2022), remained on the scout team the following season, played seven games in 2024, then started all 14 games and earned All-Mid-American Conference honors in 2025.
It then culminated in a trip to Detroit this summer as Miami’s offensive representative at Mid-American Conference Media Day.
But what makes it special is how much he’s bought in away from the field – becoming a true pillar of the Miami experience – particularly in a turbulent time of college athletics.
“I’d say in my free time, whenever it’s really nice out, I enjoy walking on campus,” Smith said. “There’s the trail behind Yager Stadium that goes right into the woods and a nice bridge that goes over a creek that looks real nice. I’ve also sat in the band tower right at the entrance of campus. There a lot of nice places to sit, relax, and really clear your mind.”
Smith is majoring in Public Health, a tall task within the College of Arts and Science because of its emphasis on in-person classes – another rarity in the post-COVID world and during an athlete’s specific season.
“Once he locked into his major, he was set on completing it,” said Ryan Swallow, assistant athletics director for Academic Support Services. “I know we’ve had a few other student-athletes start in Public Health but end up swapping. Sometimes the courses may be difficult to fit in with the practice blocks or in season, but Eric was able to balance those responsibilities and never became an academic risk.
“He was willing to take winter classes to stay on top of his degree as well, when a lot of students wouldn’t be willing to do that.”
Smith credits his high school coach as an inspiration for choosing Public Health, saying that his career in construction safety management and plentiful field work appealed to him.
When asked about his favorite class, it was actually a Spanish course: his 201 with instructor Jorge Santander Serrano, who has since taken a new role in Spain.
“He was a great teacher, man,” Smith said. “He knew I was struggling because learning a different language is hard, but no matter what, he would help me extra throughout class. Some teachers could say ‘I have so many students, I’m just gonna pass over to the next one,’ but he made it personal for himself, and I really appreciated him for that. I’ll probably never forget him.”
Smith could have graduated in Spring, but he elected to complete his internship in the Oxford Police Department over the fall to gain more practical experience and responsibilities.
Managing football and an internship during the fall semester
It’s not like the spring is vacation time in the football program, from its 15 fall practices to weights, conditioning, and more.
“I don’t know if I could have done the internship in the spring, because I was already so packed with class hours,” Smith said. “It would have been unbearable to go somewhere for a couple of hours, then have all my homework and classes and stuff like that. I decided to push the internship off to the fall, since that’s the last thing I need to graduate.”
November’s MACtion slate does shift the weekly calendar around a bunch. Saturday mornings become practice days.
Smith can shed the pads and take a breath, but then he moves to his new arena: clocking in from 2 – 9 p.m. with the Oxford Police Department.
“(OPD) works real tight with the football program, so they know our schedule very well,” he said. “It makes it a lot easier because a couple of other internships couldn’t line up with our schedule, and I’d need some weird hours. I talked with my advisor, and this police work goes well with public regulations, health safety and more. I’ve also gotten to do some SWAT training and observe things around the station. I was really lucky.”
Parting thoughts
“You never know what’s planned for your future, so you always have to take it day-by-day,” Smith said. “It’s gonna be hard, but we have a bunch of people (at Miami) that are willing to make it a lot easier. In my first three years, I had an Individualized Learning Specialist (within athletics) that checked in with me each week.
“You’re always going to have someone trying to keep you on track. Accept the help.”