Caleb Smoot is not the best Smoot in his football-playing family.
“I am,” declares his father, Fred.
But then just as quickly, Fred follows up with this proclamation.
“[Caleb] is miles in front of me from where I was as a 10th grader,” Fred said. “He’s just scratching the surface.”
That’s big praise from your father. But even bigger praise when your father is a former NFL player. Fred Smoot spent nine seasons in professional football as a cornerback, seven with the Washington Commanders and two with the Minnesota Vikings. So, he knows what it takes to reach the next level.
“He’s taking up where the old man left off,” Fred said.
This season, the younger Smoot has taken his game to a new level as an explosive wideout for Osbourn’s football team.
The 6-foot, 175-pound sophomore leads the Prince William County area with 13 touchdown receptions and 620 receiving yards. Through eight games, Caleb has 34 receptions and averages 18.3 yards per catch going on this Friday’s Cedar Run District matchup against Battlefield.
Caleb is a first-year starter on defense as well, where he displays his versatility by switching between defensive back and safety for the 4-4 Eagles.
As a freshman, he started at wideout, catching 14 passes for 253 yards and three touchdowns for a team that finished 6-4. But with older players in front of him, Caleb bided his time as he gained confidence and adjusted to varsity play.
A season later, he became a primary threat for long-time friend and teammate Anthony Jackson. Not only does he routinely score off touchdown receptions, but Caleb does so by using his quickness in open space once he catches the ball.
Mike Copeland, Osbourn’s second-year offensive coordinator, has known Caleb since the seventh grade when he first coached him in basketball. From the start, Copeland knew Caleb had the athletic ability to soar. He needed time to develop.
“You can see the maturity level coming,” Copeland said. “He does all the right things.”
Osbourn’s Caleb Smoot
Bill Kamenjar/For InsideNoVa
Caleb’s parents are integral to everything he does.
Given his time as a one-time professional football player and the attendant scrutiny that can follow, Fred Smoot sees himself only as a dad and as a trainer to his son. He leaves the coaching to the coaches and quietly watches games from the stands.
“I don’t want to be one of those smothering parents,” Fred said.
The two will talk after games with Fred providing feedback. Fred has also introduced training regimens to improve Caleb’s stamina. One that stands out for both took place during the pandemic when Caleb ran around lakes in Ashburn, where Fred lives. There were three total bodies of water, each one different in size. But Caleb had to circle at least two of them before finishing.
“You can’t play the game without being in shape,” Fred said. “That’s what separates the college kids from the high school ones.”
Besides his dad, Caleb also gets his athleticism from his mom, Teanna, a former standout basketball player at South Lakes High School in Reston. Growing up, Teanna was the only female on her youth basketball teams and the only female who could dunk on six-foot rims.
In fact, basketball talent runs in the family. Caleb’s older sister, Irieanna, has committed to East Carolina University. A senior, Irieanna started her high school career at Osbourn, where she averaged 21 points a game as a sophomore, before transferring to Virginia Academy,
But for all the athletic talent he possesses, Caleb is first taught to be a good teammate and person, someone his mother describes as “kind and giving.”
“I’m a Christian,” Caleb said. “God has got me through everything.”
His parents also remind him to be his own person. When opponents or fans find out who his dad is, Caleb will hear the chatter. But he’s learned to block it out.
“It’s harder to deal with and there’s a lot of pressure, but you are Caleb Smoot,” Teanna tells her son. “You have your own route. I feel like he handles it well.”
Fred Smoot spent nine seasons in the NFL, seven with the Washington Commanders.
Washington Commanders
Caleb adopts the same approach when it comes to game preparation. Before a recent contest, he saw comments about how the opponent was going to shut him down.
Caleb responded by writing the words “Real Deal” on the back plate of his uniform. With the jersey covering it during the game, it was hard to see. But Caleb knew it was there and that was enough to motivate him.
“I felt like this was going to be a great year,” Caleb said.
Caleb plays basketball for Osbourn, but football is his first love. He started competing in the sport as a 5-year-old, where he developed relationships with players that are still with him today at Osbourn.
Those teammates now form a core group of sophomores providing a promising future for Osbourn. Two of them, Caleb and Anthony Jackson, each have offers from Division I programs Howard and James Madison.
“He wants to build his own legacy,” Copeland said.
