BRANDON SMITH

MCALESTER FOOTBALL

The 2024 football season was kind of a roller coaster ride for McAlester junior Brandon Smith. The team was successful, going 8-3, making the first round of the Class 5A playoffs but Smith says there were issues on the team that he felt kept them from being more successful. But back on the high side he had 29 receptions for 619 yards and eight touchdowns during the season and there was one in particular that he’ll always remember. “It was late in the game against Durant, and we were trailing, and I caught the game-winning touchdown pass,” he smiled. This year Smith and his teammates have a new coach in Jeff Craig who came aboard in early spring. “I saw some play making ability that he had while I was watching tape from last year and I liked what I saw,” said Craig. “This year we’re moving him from a wide out into a slot position so that’s a little bit of work for him but when he gets that all figured out, it will allow us to get the ball in his hands more and utilize his speed by handing it off to him or hitting him on pass routes knowing that he has the speed to take it deep if needed.”  On defense, Smith will be called on to have more responsibility in pass coverage from his cornerback spot as Craig likes to play his safeties closer to the line of scrimmage to better help against the run game. Brandon’s football career started at a young age playing flag football but progressed rapidly from there. “My mom saw my talents pretty quick and got me into tackle football when I was six or seven, “said Smith who is also a point guard on the Buffs basketball team and uses his speed to help the relay teams in track. He spends most of his spare time either in the gym working on basketball or playing catch on the gridiron. He says he likes to play basketball the most because “I can be more myself in that sport.” Winning the gold ball is the number one goal for Brandon Smith and the Buffaloes this year.