The Pittsburgh Steelers added to their offensive line depth on Monday by claiming former New England Patriots’ OG Lecitus Smith off waivers. Smith was originally a sixth-round pick by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2022 NFL Draft. He’s also spent time with the Houston Texans, the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Green Bay Packers.
Smith has appeared in 18 games in his career, 10 with the Cardinals and eight with the Patriots. But who is Lecitus Smith?
Three-Star Recruit At Tight End In High School
Smith may be a guard at the NFL level, but that’s not the position he started his football journey at. He played football at Fitzgerald High School in Georgia and was a tight end. Yes, he certainly made his mark as a blocking tight end, which probably foreshadowed his eventual switch to the offensive line in college. But he also showed an ability to make an impact in the passing game. And once he had the ball in his hands, he certainly was hard to bring down at his size.
Smith’s contributions to the Purple Hurricanes in high school earned him First-Team All-State nods from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2015 and 2016. He was a three-star recruit and went to Virginia Tech.
Only The Third Player From Fitzgerald High School To Play A Game In The NFL
Some high schools across the country are known as football factories. They produce college stars and even NFL stars year in and year out. Fitzgerald High School, home of the Purple Hurricanes, is not one of those schools. In fact, Smith is only the third player in Fitzgerald history to have played a game in the NFL. Ironically, the first player from Fitzgerald to play a game in the NFL was also an offensive lineman. OT Victor Perry logged one game in 1987 with the then-St. Louis Cardinals. More recently, CB Jemea Thomas played in two games in 2014. He played one game with the then-St. Louis Rams and the second game with the Tennessee Titans.
Not only is Lecitus Smith the third player in Fitzgerald’s history to play a game in the NFL, he’s the only Purple Hurricanes player to play in three or more NFL games.
Put On 40 Pounds In One Summer To Transition From Tight End To Offensive Line
When Smith set foot on campus in Blacksburg, VA, he was supposed to play tight end. He redshirted his freshman year, and that summer, Virginia Tech’s coaching staff approached Smith about transitioning to the offensive line. And so, Smith had to go through both a physical and a mental shift. And adding 40 pounds in one summer is a monumental shift.
“Honestly, it was just me believing in the strength staff here at Virginia Tech…” said Smith in a 2022 interview with, and even after practice, coming in and Good Morning Football. “Spending extra time in the weight room, getting extra reps in, and even after practice, coming in and getting extra workouts and stuff like that. And I was able to eat a little bit more, so of course, that was great to me.
“I remember coming in as a tight end and being, like I said, heavy, and in my mind thinking I was going to stay at the tight end position, and I’m eating salads when I first got to Tech. Walking on the treadmill after workouts, trying to keep my weight down. And once they actually switched me to offensive line, now I’m able to eat steak with the offensive line. I’m able to eat chicken and just be able to sit at the table with the big boys. I’m able to eat kinda like I want to.”
How do you gain 40 pounds in one summer?@HokiesFB OL @Lecitus_54 explains the process of shifting from tight end to O-Line 💪 (via @gmfb) pic.twitter.com/nmSe7b8dAl
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) April 19, 2022
A Cook And All-Around Foodie
And boy, does Smith like food. At one point, he even uploaded cooking videos to YouTube with his now-fiancée Heaven Swinson, though those videos now appear to either be private or taken down. But there is no question, Smith likes food. While he was a rookie with the Cardinals, he sat down with ArizonaSports.com for an interview to talk about the offensive line room in Arizona. And, of course, when you’re talking offensive line, the subject of food and cooking is going to come up. Despite being a rookie, he was confident in his skills.
“I’ve heard Rodney [Hudson] say a few things about him being on the grill and smoking some meat,” said Smith. “He sounds like he knows what he’s doing. Me being so young compared to those guys, I hate to say me. They’ve been around the block a lot more than me, but you know what? I’m going with myself.”
And even though you can’t find those cooking videos on YouTube anymore, you can head over to his fiancée’s TikTok account, @heavenswinson, to find some food-related content there. It’s mostly them going to places and reviewing food, but it just further establishes Smith’s love for food.
The Importance Of A College Education
Every high school football player dreams of continuing to play football at the college level and, hopefully, make it to the NFL. However, that wasn’t the only reason for Smith to attend Virginia Tech. He and Swinson sat down for an interview with the YouTube channel Folksalert, and he discussed why going to college was so important to him.
“I am not only the first of all of my siblings, really in my family period, to attend a university such as Virginia Tech, but also got that degree, and I’m the first one to do it in my family,” said Smith. “So, that was huge for me. It was really big. I did it really to set an example for family members, more so the young kids in my family, my nieces and nephews and younger sisters, try to set an example for them.”
Sometimes, just being told to do something big, like going to college and getting a degree, isn’t enough. Sometimes, it takes someone close to you being an example for you. And that’s what Lecitus Smith wanted to be for his family. And he did that, graduating with a degree in Consumer Studies in 2021.
Recommended for you