Photos: Meet Roquan Smith

Sports

Photos: Meet Roquan Smith

Getting to know newest Bulldog, Roquan Smith, an 4-star linebacker from Macon County.

Macon County star linebacker made a splash on Signing Day, Feb. 4, 2015, announcing his intentions to attend UCLA, only to back out and change direction to attend UGA.

Linebacker Roquan Smith poses outside the football fieldhouse at Macon County High School.

Roquan Smith in the grandstands inside Macon County's football stadium.

Smith cutting up with his good friend Tshombe Morgan in a hallway at Macon County High School. The school has just over 500 students and the football team competes in Class AA and went 9-3 this past season.

Smith enjoys lunch in the school cafeteria with his close friend David Saldana (lower left) and others.

Despite his star status as a nationally-recruited football player, Smith is very much just another student at Macon County High and seems well-liked by all.

These are the coveted "Golden Cleats" Smith earned during workouts at the Under Armour High School All-Star Game in January. He got the for winning the linebacker skills challenge. He wore them during workouts on the Macon County field before coming to Athens.

Smith's routine when he got out of school each day around noon was to head out to the football and run at least 10 "gassers." He would sprint down the field about 40 or 50 yards, then turn around and sprint back the other way. At 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, Smith has been timed in the 4.5s in the 40-yard dash.

After school, Montezuma resident Roy Yoder would pick up Smith at his house and take him to work. Yoder owns a pump and well business, but also does some electrical and plumbing work. Smith earned $10 an hour working for Yoder the last three months before leaving for UGA.

Through his relationship with Yoder, Smith has gotten to know many of the leaders of the community in Montezuma. This is Larry Smith, manager of the local Georgia Power branch.

On this particular day, Smith met Yoder at a meeting of the local development authority. Smith's presence caused quite a stir and residents came over to talk and have their picture taken with him.

Teaching Smith the tricks of his many trades was a big part of Yoder's daily interactions with the star linebacker.

One of the crew's first stops was at a Georgia Power equipment yard to figure out where to place a light pole to enhance security.

Next stop for Smith was to Yoder's work compound outside the city limits. There they met up with Jonathan Yoder, who had a tanker truck full of water ready carry out to a drilling site on a nearby dairy farm.

As soon as the crew reached the drilling site, which was way off the road in the back of a multi-acre grass field, Smith sprang into action. With Yoder's left hand injured from a work accident, Smith had to handle a lot of the tasks Yoder normally would.

Jonathan Yoder (L) would like for his father to spring for a new drilling rig. But Roy Yoder just keeps fixing this vintage 1952 setup each time it breaks down and it keeps working.

Drilling wells is hard work and dirty work. One of Smith's primary jobs was hauling 50-pound bags of bentonite from the back of the truck to well site and then pouring them slowly into the mix.

Smith said he new absolutely nothing about digging wells, installing pumps or irrigation before meeting Yoder, a 59-year-old part-time fireman.

Working with Yoder this spring cut into Smith's time for weight room workouts. But he found plenty of opportunties to do squats and dead lifts.

Smith said actually enjoyed working on the drilling rigs. "Playing in the mud," he and Yoder call it.

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Macon County star linebacker made a splash on Signing Day, Feb. 4, 2015, announcing his intentions to attend UCLA, only to back out and change direction to attend UGA.

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