Brothers Kaden, Peyton Smith, have potential DI future after Taylor County
CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. (BVM) 鈥� The Taylor County High School football backfield had defenses seeing double. That鈥檚 because the Cardinals routinely deployed the Smith brothers, sophomore Kaden and freshman Peyton, as the team鈥檚 running backs and both were effective. After losing all-state rusher Wes Oliver to graduation, this combination was a welcomed one for Cardinals fans.
鈥淭hey were hometown boys鈥o we knew from a pretty early age that these were two special young men,鈥� Taylor County head football coach Sam Marple said.
Kaden, the older and bigger of the two, is listed at 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds. After playing in only three games as a freshman a year ago due to injury, Kaden became a critical two-way player for the Cardinals, proving both his athleticism and versatility. Kaden finished the season with 125 carries for 1,001 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns to go with a team-high 269 receiving yards on 10 catches and four touchdown receptions. On the defensive end, as a linebacker, Kaden with 41 tackles and team highs in sacks (4), fumble recoveries (3), interceptions (2) and fumble recovery touchdowns (1).聽
鈥淜aden has been the more physical body-type kid,鈥� Marple said. 鈥淚鈥檝e never seen a kid impact a game at our level in high school like Kaden impacts a game鈥e鈥檚 just a big, physical kid on the high school field. Defensively, he does a great job shutting down half the field. As we got further and further last year, you see more and more teams attacking away from him鈥e鈥檚 an impact player both on offense and defense and he鈥檚 only a sophomore so it鈥檚 exciting.鈥�
As Kaden was proving his worth on the team, his younger brother Peyton burst onto the scene as just a freshman. During his first year with the Cardinals, Peyton outran his brother to the tune of a team-high 1,824 rushing yards, good for No. 7 in the entire Kentucky High School Athletic Association. His 153-yard average per game ranked Peyton at No. 6 in the entire state while his average of 12.7 points per game had him ranked at No. 17 in the state, just over his brother鈥檚 No. 23 ranking. Peyton also finished the year with 23 rushing touchdowns, 242 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns. Not bad for a player making his high school debut.
鈥淧eyton was kind of the more athlete-type kid,鈥� Marple said. 鈥淲e obviously knew as he got older he was going to be a really special player. I don鈥檛 know if I knew he was going to be as good as he was immediately in high school because you never know…one of his strengths this year was being able to get those hard yards and first downs. He鈥檚 a really speedy, fast kid who can run outside and all over the field but he can bang the ball up in the trenches too and get yards when he needs to.鈥�
In total, the Smith brothers accounted for 3,447 of 4,268 of Taylor County鈥檚 total yardage, good for over 80% of the team鈥檚 offensive production. The two also scored 318 of the Cardinals鈥� 428 points on the year, good for 74% of the team鈥檚 total scoring.
鈥淚 think they play harder together, I think it makes them more competitive,鈥� Marple said. 鈥淣ow having the two brothers together they really play for each other on Friday nights and they take care of each other and they compete. They鈥檒l hold each other accountable like brothers do and they have higher expectations of each other and I think that helps.鈥澛�
With production like that from two players who were both basically playing their first full year of high school football, it is understandable that the two got a lot of attention from around the state. Peyton would earn Class 3A District 2 Player of the Year honors while also earning an honorable mention selection on the Courier Journal鈥檚 all-state team.
Congratulations to our very own on earning his spot on the Courier Journal鈥檚 All-State Team as a Honorable Mention. Tremendous honor to receive as a Freshman! Keep working hard P! @TCFBRecruit
— Taylor Co. Football (@TCCardinalsFB)
In addition to their in-state recognition, the pair was also selected to participate in the in Savannah, Georgia from Dec. 27-30. Not surprisingly, Peyton would walk away from the event with the program鈥檚 MVP award.
I had a great time at the NUC All American game today. I鈥檓 blessed to be named the MVP. Thank you for inviting me and letting me compete. @TCFBRecruit
— Peyton smith (@peyton_smith123)
Due to their amount of success, the two got plenty of attention from Division I programs. During the fall season, the brothers took unofficial visits to Eastern Kentucky University and University of Louisville.
https://twitter.com/iamkadensmith1/status/1452056648848191497
After another visit to EKU in February, the two brothers also walked away with their first pair of Division I offers, putting other teams on alert regarding the duo鈥檚 recruitment.
鈥淚鈥檓 excited for them,鈥� Marple said. 鈥淭o be able to get a little bit of praise and recognition that they deserve because they鈥檝e been working and grinding I think it鈥檚 good. I鈥檓 excited for them, excited for all the kids and excited for the program.鈥�
Congratulations to our guys Peyton and Kaden Smith on receiving their first D1 football offers from 馃张
— TC Athletics (@SportsTaylor)
Coming off of a 9-3 season a year ago, the Smith brothers will look to help the Cardinals grow even more next season. With another year of experience and playing together, expect the Smiths to continue their dominating ways for Taylor County and grow their recruiting prospects in the process.
鈥淥ur goal is we want to win a state championship,鈥� Marple said. 鈥淥ur expectation is to raise our program up to the next notch. Any time you鈥檙e playing, you鈥檙e playing for the purpose of winning it so we want to try and win the whole thing.鈥�
