Louisiana Tech quarterback J’Mar Smith winds up to pass during a game last season. Smith, a Meridian High School alumnus, is entering his junior season for the Bulldogs.

J’Mar Smith decided to cut junk food, pasta and bread from his diet this summer in order to get to a more ideal weight.

Smith, a junior Louisiana Tech quarterback and former Meridian High School standout, said he now feels poised to take the next step in his football development. After playing at 230 pounds last season, Smith said he is at 222, just within his target range of 218-22. He and the rest of his Bulldog teammates reported for fall camp Thursday, and they took the practice field for the first time Friday morning.

“I felt good,” Smith said after the Friday morning session. “I’m moving well, and everyone is back and healthy. We’re just trying to build this offense and make the team better.”

Smith was the starting quarterback for the Bulldogs in 2017, passing for 2,974 yards with 16 touchdowns, five interceptions and a 56.0 completion percentage. Louisiana Tech finished fourth in Conference USA in both scoring offense and total offense, but Smith said he wants to improve on each of those numbers this fall.

“As an offense, we want to be the top offense in the nation like we were a couple of years ago — but we won’t bring up the past,” Smith said. “We’re just going to keep working to get there. We want to win the conference championship and make it to a good bowl game, but we know it’s going to have to come with work. No day will be easy, and you can’t take anything for granted.”

Individually, Smith said dropping a few pounds should help make him more mobile, which will in turn offer more options for the Bulldog coaches on offense.

“It makes you feel better,” Smith said about cutting out junk food and grains. “Some days I would eat a bag of chips, go out there and feel bad. When you’re gaining weight, you feel like you’re stuck in the ground whenever you’re in the pocket, and I don’t like my cheek bones to be fat, so I wanted to get down to a weight I could play at. 

“If plays happen, and I have to make plays with my legs… I know from high school that I did a lot of running, and it kind of carried over. I want to be able to get out of bad situations and try to move the chains.”

While Louisiana Tech will replace two receivers, one offensive lineman and two running backs from last year’s offense, Smith said he has a lot of faith in the guys returning.

“We have five scholarship running backs and a boatload of receivers that can make plays if we need it,” Smith explained.

That makes Smith excited about this year’s potential on offense, especially since the offensive line is mostly a veteran group, he said.

“The confidence level just boosts itself,” Smith said. “You go into the huddle and see the guy in front of you, the guy to your left and to your right, and you know any of these guys can make plays,” Smith said. “The offensive line, all those guys have your back. They don’t get credit, but without them, (nothing happens).”

While his focus is on this coming season, Smith admitted he often finds time to catch up with his alma mater on Friday nights, even if it’s not in person. The 2018 Meridian Wildcats, Smith said, have a lot of potential.

“I always watch them,” Smith said. “It’s hard to come back and watch games when I usually play the next day, but I’m able to watch when they have the games online. In the past year, they’ve done a great job with what they’re doing. I’m proud of the high school and seeing the growth of the athletes there, both on the field and in the classroom. From what I’ve seen, they’re freaks. Some of them are humongous and fast. I saw some of these guys in middle school, and they’re almost bigger than me now. It’s kind of exciting to see.”

Kickoff is less than a month away for Smith, as the Bulldogs are set to begin the season at 6 p.m. Sept. 2 at South Alabama. 

“We know that first game is coming, and that fall camp will go by, but it won’t go by fast,” Smith said. “It’s my third year playing, but it’s an everyday grind. You’re going to have bad days, it’s how you react and respond that’s important.”

Smith is the son of Vashonda Davis and Kenny Smith.