Nation’s No. 1 kick returner is do-it-all Miami Hurricanes weapon Brashard Smith

In case you didn’t notice, University of Miami junior Brashard Smith leads the nation in kickoff returns.
His mother notices.
“I look it up every week,’’ Monica Hennigan, Smith’s mom, said of his No. 1 ranking. “If the game is Saturday, that means Sunday I check it out. I am so proud of him.’’
This quiet, unassuming young man has been No. 1 nationally since mid September, averaging 33.9 yards on his 11 returns that included a scintillating 98-yard touchdown return, showcased Sept. 9 on national TV against then-No. 23 Texas A&M.
“Brashard Smith on the return for the Canes... Catches a seam... Here goes Smith!’’ the broadcaster screamed as Smith — the ball cradled with his left hand — split the defense and sprinted down the middle of the field before thrusting his right arm triumphantly in the end zone. “Would you look at what we got going on at Hard Rock, folks! How ‘bout it?! 98 yards!! From South Beach to Coral Gables, there’s some juice down here today!”
As UM (5-2, 1-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) prepares to host Virginia (2-5, 1-2) at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium, the Canes’ playmaker-on-wheels is intent on offering whatever it takes to help his team.
“Anything to get the ball, really,’’ Smith said this week, when asked how he felt being used in a variety of ways. “I love it. I’m a playmaker, so I just want to make plays.’’
Smith, 20, is Miami’s 5-10, 200-pound, do-everything man who can catch, run, return kicks and if ever needed, throw passes. The Miami Palmetto High alum is a UM slot receiver who played receiver and running back at Palmetto. He helped buoy the Panthers to the 2021 Class 8A semifinals as a quarterback, when the starting signal caller got injured, to earn the Miami Herald’s Miami-Dade County Offensive Player of the Year honors for Classes 8A-6A.
“Brashard is a little speedster,’’ said Canes defensive tackle Leonard Taylor III, a teammate of Smith’s at Palmetto and member of the same recruiting class of 2021. “He’s been fast since high school — real fast.”
Hurricanes outside receiver Colbie Young gave Smith the ultimate compliment by comparing him to Dolphins wideout Tyreek Hill, arguably the best receiver in the NFL.
“Every time Brashard touches the ball you expect him to go to the house,’’ Young said.
Smith now has 14 catches for 218 yards and two touchdowns for a 15.6-yards-per-catch average. He leads UM in all-purpose yards with 682.
As a tailback, he has five carries for 91 yards, his season highlight at this point being last week’s 80-yard run that turned into a touchdown after Smith fumbled as he was approaching the goal line and Jacolby George recovered in the end zone to put UM up 7-0. The run took all of 14 seconds from pretty much one end of the field to the other.
“It was a pretty good run, but I know ball security is first,’’ Smith said. “JG did an awesome job of running down and showing effort. Anything can happen, and he really saved the day for me.’’
“He does it all,’’ UM coach Mario Cristobal said of Smith. “You saw him play some running back, you saw him play slot, he plays outside, he’s on every special teams, he’s a returner. He’s broken some monster kickoff returns as well. So he can handle a lot.
“He’s like a piece of iron. He just doesn’t break. He can go forever.”
Cristobal, however, has said more than once, including this week, that he’s usually “all over’’ Smith.
“I’m a pain in his neck because I just feel the sky’s the limit for him and it’s my obligation to make sure he leaves here absolutely elite,’’ the coach said. “So I’m always on him. I think he appreciates it.”
When told what his coach said, Smith explained that he needs to focus more. “He knows that if I drop a pass or something, I’ll be down on myself. He always picks me up.’’
Biggest fan
Hennigan, Smith’s mother, is among the reasons he stayed at home for college after originally committing to Florida — despite his being a Canes fan since he was little.
“I wanted to stay home with my family, my mama,’’ he told the Miami Herald in May 2021, days before he enrolled. “I didn’t want to leave anybody.’’
Smith’s mom has been a mail carrier for the United States Postal Service for 18 years, but she still makes it to all his games. The family is from Miami’s Richmond Heights.
“He’s kind of shy but respectful,’’ said Hennigan of her only son. His older sister Chanel works in the UM registrar’s office and youngest sister Cailee is a 10-year-old fourth-grader.”
Hennigan said Smith started youth football when he was 4, and would “cry at every practice.”
“By the second year he loved it,’’ she said.
Speed demon
Smith’s speed was evident early, but she said he quit track after winning the 100-meter dash in the 2013 Junior Olympics at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro. “Once he won the Junior Olympics he didn’t want to do track anymore,’’ she said. “Then he was like, ‘I’m only concentrating on football.’’’
His mom said Cristobal “has to be hard on Brashard’’ because “sometimes he’ll slack and do the very minimum if he can.”
“Sometimes he’ll give you mediocre if you let him,’’ she said, “but if you stay on him he’s going to give you everything. Mario knows that.’’
Mom said what makes her happiest is seeing Brashard do something that he loves.
“That’s enough for me,’’ she said.
Miami center Matt Lee likes it all about his younger teammate and called him a “real weapon.”
“He’s electric, he’s explosive, he’s a super fast guy and has good vision,’’ Lee said. “Obviously he’s been returning kicks for us all year and he’s really, really, really good at that. ...He’s been building trust all season. Hell of a player, hell of a playmaker.’’
This story was originally
Published October 25, 2023, 3:52 PM.