Utah Football’s Smith Snowden Is Primed And Ready For More

SALT LAKE CITY – Utah Football begins its third week of fall camp tomorrow as we inch closer and closer to the start of the 2024 season.

Expectations are high for the program as it enters its first season in a new Big 12 Conference. Utah returns a lot of familiar faces but also needs others to emerge as contributors and even as difference-makers. That is no more apparent than in the defensive secondary and the cornerback room specifically.

Utah does return Zemaiah Vaughn and brought in veteran Kenan Johnson through the transfer portal. One dynamic in particular that could play a significant role in success in the secondary will be Smith Snowden’s progress from year one to year two.

Pads are on and poppin' ⚡️🔋#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/gzr5TBveMM

— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) August 6, 2024

Smith Snowden is primed for breakout

After a freshman season that got off to a delayed start due to a minor injury, Snowden played in the final five games of the season. In those contests, Snowden played about 120 snaps (in one game he played just 5 snaps) and limited opponents in coverage to just 5-of-10 receptions for 23 yards.

Snowden proved that he could play at an effective level and, more importantly, he gained valuable experience that propelled him forward into the offseason.

“I’d say the biggest difference for me is confidence, I feel really confident when I’m out there now,” Snowden shared. “I’m not second-guessing myself. I noticed that was something that happened quite a bit last year but getting those game reps were super helpful.”

Gaining experience is a valuable part of the game. Because football is a game of inches, which is no truer than in the defensive secondary. For Snowden, that has led to a better understanding of what opposing offenses are doing.

“I feel like those reps benefitted me specifically in just understanding schemes better,” he explained. “I have a better feel for alignments, splits, and what offenses are trying to do when lined up in certain ways.”

As he’s moved into his second year, it’s brought new responsibilities. The cornerback room looks quite different compared to last season. Snowden is now one of the more experienced players in the room.

“Not being the youngest guy in the room is a little weird but I’m getting used to that leadership role,” Snowden shared. “It’s been really fun, I’m embracing it. Kenan Johnson has come in and been a positive. His feet are so good. And the three young corners have impressed me.”

Coach Shah demands perfection

With almost an entirely new room of players, Utah’s cornerback room does look quite a bit different than last year. In total, there are five new cornerbacks that joined the program- two transfers, and three high school recruits.

“I’ve got to figure out who is going to be comfortable getting yelled at after making mistakes,” Shah shared during his availability in week one of fall camp. “I’ve got to find who is going to be physically able to compete at this level. Most importantly I’ve got to figure out who can make plays.”

That focus will center on the new guys- Kenan Johnson, Cameron Calhoun, Quimari Shemwell, Sammie Hunter, and LaTristan Thompson. Shah’s demanding style is a lot but according to players who have worked under his watchful eye, their relationships with him have created buy-in and ultimately results.

“It’s his attention to detail. We can win a rep and he’ll still ask ‘Why did you do that rather than this’ so he expects perfection out of us. We have such a great relationship with coach that we want to give him perfection. Love him as a man, love him as a coach.” – Smith Snowden

“That’s the coach you want, you don’t want nobody that is just going to let you BS your reps,” Zemaiah Vaughn said. “I’d rather have a coach that stays on you for doing something right, but you messed up a little bit rather than clap you up for it. The little things matter at the end of the day.”

Though it is a process of identifying who those contributors could be, Shah felt optimistic about what he had seen from them up to that point.

“I don’t know which of those boys are going to be able to do that but the blessing is I feel all of them are capable of doing that,” he shared. “They’ve all shown high football intelligence and acumen- but I need you to show it on the field.”

Utah Football Schedule

Utah will kick off the season against Southern Utah on August 29. You can find Utah football’s conference schedule here.

Steve Bartle is the Utah insider for KSL Sports. He hosts The Utah Blockcast (SUBSCRIBE) and appears on KSL Sports Zone to break down the Utes. You can follow him on X for the latest Utah updates and game analysis.

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