Louisiana Tech quarterback J'Mar Smith (8) is pictured during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Texas last August in Austin, Texas.

J’Mar Smith got in as much work as he could before the novel coronavirus pandemic forced him to change his plans.

The former Meridian High School and Louisiana Tech quarterback was being trained by DME Sports Performance’s Tom Shaw in Daytona Beach, Florida, leading up to this month’s NFL Draft. Smith returned to Meridian right before everything shut down, and Louisiana Tech’s pro day, scheduled for March 27, was canceled.

Instead, Smith and the other football players training under Shaw did a makeshift pro day workout and sent them to various NFL teams. Now, all Smith can do is wait leading up to the draft while trying to stay in shape as best he can during the shutdown.

“We did the best we could with the limited time we had and tried to make the most out of everything,” Smith said.

It was a curveball for Smith, but the onus was on him to adapt.

“I don’t want to say I’m mad about it because you can’t control this, but it’s a game of adjustments,” Smith explained. “You have to do things differently and get any info the scouts or organizations want into their hands. Overall, it was about making sure everything was right and in order for all of the athletes.”

As a quarterback, Smith said the difficult thing about training during down time is finding receivers with which to work, though he has been able to get some workouts in at Meridian’s football field with Meridian High School trainer Chad Acton, as well as former and current members of the Wildcats.

“I’m constantly learning about myself more and more, and learning to fine-tune myself,” Smith said. “I try to do home workouts and go on runs and do stuff that complements my (regular) workouts. I try to stay as active as I can.”

In addition to staying active, Smith said he’s also trying to stay safe from a health perspective.

“I just tell everyone to be safe and understand the social distancing part of everything,” Smith said. “You have to use good hygiene and make sure you drink a lot of fluids because you just never know.”

As he waits for the draft, Smith said it’s unbelievable to think that might be the only sport on TV this month as various college and professional leagues shut down when the pandemic hit.

“I played baseball, and usually now I would either see a baseball game on TV or go to a college or MLB game, but there are no games right now,” Smith said. “March Madness would have ended a couple of days ago. It’s weird not having sports from the entertainment aspect.”

As he prepares for an opportunity with the NFL, Smith said he wants to thank the Meridian community for its continued support, support he’s seen ever since he was a freshman at Meridian High School.

“In Meridian, you get criticism, which builds character, but it’s been all love,” Smith said. “Everyone I’ve come into contact with who either looks up to me or is in an even higher position than me, I just tell them to keep focused, do what you have to do and go get it — and to stay humble.”

The NFL Draft will be from April 23-25.

This story is part of The Meridian Star’s ongoing series “Sidelined Standouts,” covering college athletes from the local area during the coronavirus outbreak.