By Kyle Roberts
RUSTON, La. — Senior Lander Smith can claim a resume no other Ruston Bearcat in the football program’s history is able to: three impactful varsity seasons, three state championship appearances, and one state championship.
And all that with one more season left in the tank, too. One where he’ll get to embrace his role as a leader on a storied program.
“I love the role,” Smith said. “I try to do my best by leading by action. I could work on being more vocal, but I pride myself on controlling what I can control and trying to get people to follow along.”
Smith’s journey to starting in three consecutive championship games began well before he stepped foot on Ruston High’s campus – as a middle-schooler, he showed potential as a quarterback. Then as a ninth-grader, he was out on the field both as a quarterback and linebacker for the freshman squad, while lining up at fullback with the junior varsity.
Once the staff noticed a need at fullback during the 2022 season (Smith’s freshman year), they immediately knew he was going to be the guy. So in the middle of the season, Smith entered the starting role as a freshman and hasn’t looked back.
“He told us ‘I’ll do whatever it is I need to do,'” Ruston Head Coach Jerrod Baugh said of Smith. “He’s a team player, and he was always willing to do whatever is necessary for the team. Sometimes, we ask kids to do tough things, like move away from their position they’ve played their whole lives. And there’s no way around that in order to get the best guys out on the field. His willingness to do that earned a lot of respect from the older guys.”
Offensive coordinator Earl Griffin appreciates Smith for the same reasons outlined by Baugh.
“He’s a hard-nosed kid, and I attribute that to his mom and dad,” Griffin said of his parents, Hunter and Becky. “They raised him the right way, in my opinion. He’s just gritty, and he’s going to do the dirty work. It’s hard to find a fullback nowadays with everybody trying to spread the football around. His attitude and the chip on his shoulder — we need that big time.”
While the fullback position may be sunsetting football in general, Smith relishes the role: it’s the chance to meaningfully contribute on offense while putting a hurting on defenders with key blocks in the backfield.
“I just wanted to get on the field and play,” Smith said. “And getting to run people over, too? That’s the plan.”
That kind of role-player contribution sets Smith apart in an age of highlight reels and the need to accumulate stats. He doesn’t need yards or touchdowns — he just needs to be on the field giving his best and expecting others to do the same.
“With us losing some many key players last year, we need somebody to step up and be ‘the guy’,” Griffin said. “We didn’t have to look far because as soon as those guys graduated, Lander stepped into the role. He realizes that with it being his last year that he can’t let us fall shorts of our goals.”
And he gets, too, that off the field matters – Smith added that one of his favorite things to do with the team is take them out hunting at his grandfather’s camp.
“I like sharing that experience, because I know I’m pretty fortunate to grow up and get to do what I do,” Smith said. “It’s fun to share that experience with other people.”
Now, he’s locked in and ready for Friday’s season opener. It’s the his last ride in the red and white this year, and something he won’t take for granted. And he’ll have the chance to leave a lasting legacy behind for his brothers: George, a sophomore defensive back, and Jack, a freshman quarterback.
“It’s important to me to demonstrate what it means to be a Bearcat, ” Smith said. “And I want to leave it all well for my two little brothers. I’m very fortunate to have been part of these last three years — I mean, I’ve never not been to the Superdome — I don’t know a lot of people that can say that. And last year left a pretty sour feeling in my mouth, so it’s on my mind for us to try to go right back.”
Ruston heads to Acadiana tomorrow for a 7 p.m. kickoff in Lafayette, La. The game will be broadcast on the Bearcat Nation Network and on Q94.1 FM.
