J’Mar Smith’s college career may be over, but he’s not ready to give up football just yet.

For the last week and a half, Smith has been in Daytona Beach, Florida, working out with DME Sports Performance trainer Tom Shaw, who has mentored former NFL stars Michael Vick and Deion Sanders, as well as Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, to help them prepare for the NFL combine. Smith, a Meridian High School alumnus, recently completed his final season at Louisiana Tech, and now his focus is on the next level.

“It’s every kid’s dream come true,” Smith said of possibly playing in the NFL. “You have to do everything you can do once that opportunity presents itself.”

It was an eventful season for Smith and the Bulldogs, as he went 236 of 367 passing for 2,977 yards, 18 touchdowns and just five interceptions. The 18 touchdowns were a career high for Smith, as was his 64.3 completion percentage (minimum 100 pass attempts) and 145.9 quarterback rating. He also cut his interceptions in half from his 2018 season, in which Smith threw 10 picks. Smith credited his coaches with the improvements, which helped Louisiana Tech to a 10-3 season and an Independence Bowl win against Miami.

“We started off our first game with a loss to Texas (45-14), and that left a bad taste in our mouths,” Smith said. “We were better than our performance on the field that day, so we took it to heart and went to work the day right after the game.”

What followed was eight straight wins for the Bulldogs before Smith was suspended for two games due to a violation of team policy. Louisiana Tech dropped the next two games to Marshall and UAB before Smith returned against UTSA, a game the Bulldogs won 41-27. While he declined to discuss the specifics surrounding the suspension, Smith said it was a tough lesson to take in: UAB beat Louisiana Tech 20-14 in his absence, giving the Blazers the tiebreaker in the Conference USA Western Division and sending UAB to the championship game instead of Louisiana Tech.

“It hurt the team more than anything,” Smith said. “I apologized to those guys every day and tried to earn their respect back. I think I’ve grown as a player and person for sure, and I just have to be smarter with my decision-making and think about everyone else besides me.”

Smith said he was grateful for the support he got from the players, coaches and fans during the suspension, which helped keep him encouraged despite the frustration of not being able to play.

“I kept my chin high and asked God to forgive me for my mistakes and the hurt I caused other people,” Smith said.

The Independence Bowl pitted the Bulldogs against an historical power, and Smith said he was excited as soon as he heard they would be taking on the Hurricanes.

“I got chills thinking about that game,” Smith said. “Some people asked why Tech couldn’t get a better bowl, but coach (Skip) Holtz said you either get a destination bowl or an opponent bowl, and in this case we got an opponent bowl in Miami. It’s kind of cool that I got to watch the U on TV back in the day, and to go out there and get a win against an historic team is big for the school in general. Plus, it was a Power 5 win, which we haven’t gotten in a while.”

Against Miami, Smith was 13 of 28 for 163 yards passing and a touchdown and had a rushing touchdown as well. The Bulldogs won 14-0, with Smith accounting for 12 of his team’s points.

“My offensive line did a great job along with our running backs, the coaches, assistants, trainers and athletic administrators,” Smith said. “The fans made it feel like a home game, and I just want to thank everyone for a memorable day for me.”

As Smith continues to train for the NFL combine, he’s hoping to continue a streak started by former Southeast Lauderdale receiver Damion Willis, who made the Cincinnati Bengals’ roster to open the 2019-20 season.

“For him to get to the NFL puts the thought in other kids’ heads from Meridian, where they think they also have a shot,” Smith said. “A lot of kids don’t even get to go to college (to play football), so for him to get that opportunity is huge. I hope it opens the eyes of the whole city so they can get behind him and many others.”

Smith is the son of Vashonda Davis and Kenny Smith.