FAYETTEVILLE — Mitch Smothers is the only true freshman offensive lineman to start a season opener for Arkansas, but finding consistent success with the Razorbacks hasn’t been easy for the former Springdale High School standout.
It took three positions, three head coaches and four seasons before Smothers held onto a starting job.
“I’ve learned a lot about myself and fought through some adversity,” Smothers said. “It’s all turned out for the best.”
Smothers, a fifth-year senior, will make his 26th consecutive start at center when Arkansas plays Kansas State in the Liberty Bowl on Saturday.
“I think Mitch is very strong-minded, very strong-hearted,” Razorbacks Coach Bret Bielema said. “I think he really grew to love the game more and more since we’ve been here.”
Smothers started his first game at tackle on Sept. 3, 2011, against Missouri State. He started the next three games, but after struggling in the SEC opener at Alabama, Smothers was replaced by Jason Peacock and played in only three more games that season.
After John L. Smith replaced Bobby Petrino and served as Arkansas’ interim coach in 2012, Smothers redshirted.
“I probably wasn’t as involved as I should have been that second year,” Smothers said. “I just kind of glided under the radar, just kind of went through the motions.
“Of course, at this level you can’t do that and be good.”
Smothers got another shot to start when Bielema became Arkansas’ coach after the 2012 season.
“That’s when I knew I needed to start caring more and working harder,” Smothers said. “But it kind of turned into the same deal.”
Smothers started the first four games in 2013 at left guard, then was replaced by true freshman Dan Skipper and played in one more game the rest of the season.
“I just kind of faded away,” he said. “It was because I didn’t know enough about our offense and how defenses work.”
It appeared Smothers’ best option to start might be transferring.
“It was definitely frustrating for the rest of that season, but it was motivation and an opportunity to recommit myself because I didn’t want to go to another school,” Smothers said. “I knew I just needed to stick it out, and it worked out.”
Smothers began meeting regularly in spring 2014 with Sam Pittman, who was Arkansas’ offensive line coach for three seasons before leaving earlier this month to take the same position at Georgia.
“I probably improved my knowledge 10-fold that spring,” Smothers said. “That’s when things started to come together for me.”
Smothers moved to center — where Arkansas needed to replace four-year starter Travis Swanson — during spring practice and held off a challenge from true freshman Frank Ragnow in fall camp to keep the No. 1 job going into the 2014 season.
Ragnow was a highly touted signee from Chanhassen, Minn., who chose Arkansas over Ohio State and Florida State. Many media members and fans expected him to beat out Smothers.
“I didn’t really listen to the negativity of it,” Smothers said. “But I knew Frank was a great player, and I knew I was going to have to really stay on top of my game and not get complacent, because one bad practice and he could earn the starting job.”
Ragnow was Smothers’ backup the entire 2014 season and last spring moved to left guard, where he has started every game this season.
No one was replacing Smothers in the starting lineup this time around.
“They kept trying to put guys ahead of Mitch, and he kept beating them out,” said Skipper, an All-SEC second-team pick at right tackle this season. “He goes out there and works his tail off every day doing what he can to become better, and you see the results at the end of these five years — being one of the best centers in the nation in my opinion.”
Smothers said he met with Pittman before most practices this season.
“We’d go over that week’s opponent and break everything down — when they show this look on this play, this is the call we need to make,” Smothers said. “We’d look at all their formations and blitzes.”
Skipper said most people don’t realize how well Smothers has identified various defenses to make the right pass protection or running play calls.
“Mitch is kind of the unsung hero of our line,” Skipper said. “He gets it right pretty much every time.”
Prompted by a reporter, Smothers said he called for the wrong pass protection once this season — in Arkansas’ 28-3 victory over Missouri in the season finale. He said he might have missed on a running play two or three times in 12 games.
“Mitch has been a great center for us,” Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen said. “He’s a guy that can think up there and make the calls, and then hold his own blocking every play, too.”
Bielema said that when he first came to Arkansas, it was hard to get Smothers to open up away from the field.
“Mitch was a kid that wouldn’t say ‘Boo,’ ” Bielema said. “He was just real reserved. He didn’t come around that much.”
Bielema said he now gets plenty of texts from Smothers that show his sense of humor.
“He and I go back and forth 24-7,” Bielema said. “The kid’s come a hundred million miles personality-wise from where he was and just come so far on and off the field, too.
“I think all that stuff together has added up to what we are seeing now.”
Smothers said he hasn’t achieved every career goal — such as winning an SEC championship and being voted all-conference — but the past two seasons, he’s helped the Razorbacks go 14-11 with back-to-back bowl bids after they were 4-8 in 2012 and 3-9 in 2013.
“It’s very satisfying,” Smothers said. “I feel like I’ve had a good career.”