On the Plains with Sylvester Smith-Reed: New name, same game

AUBURN, Ala. – Miranda Reed will forever remain close to her grandson, Sylvester.

“My grandmother, my best friend, she passed away four months ago,” senior safety Sylvester Smith-Reed said. “She was my best friend and I wanted to dedicate the season and everything I do to her.”

To honor his grandmother, Sylvester has added her name to his, changing from Smith to Smith-Reed for his fourth season on the Plains. 

“Her last name, it lives through me,” he said. “I hold that up.”

New name, same game. Versatility and physicality in the secondary. Not even an orange non-contact jersey stopped Sly from tackling on the first play of Auburn’s first preseason scrimmage. 

“When I get on the field, it’s hard for me to slow down and stop,” Smith-Reed said. “All I know is, if you’ve got the ball, I’m coming to get you. I had to tone it down, realize I was in an orange jersey and stay off the ground.”

Smith-Reed traces that passion for contact to another sport he played growing up in Munford, Alabama. 

“Wrestling was my game,” he said. “Wrestling and baseball. Didn’t really touch a football until I got into seventh or eighth grade.”

The similarities between trying to take down opponents on the wrestling mat and making open-field tackles translated for Smith-Reed.

“Wrestling definitely carried over,” he said. “I brought the aggressiveness from wrestling into football. It allowed me to be aggressive when tackling guys, where to grab them and how to get them on the ground. It was a big component to playing defense and my playing style.”

During the recruiting process, Smith-Reed originally committed to Auburn, flipped to Tennessee, then flipped back to the Tigers in the 2023 class. 

“At the end of the day, Auburn was my dream school,” he said. “I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if I didn’t come to Auburn. I love the atmosphere. It’s a loving culture, good for the family. Being a young kid from the state of Alabama, it made the most sense.”

After a head coaching change that saw Alex Golesh retain defensive coordinator DJ Durkin, Smith-Reed remained on the Plains for his senior season. 

“Having Coach Durkin, and now (co-defensive coordinator/safeties) Coach Banks, who I was committed to for two years at Tennessee, having all those components, it was a no-brainer.”

With 12 starts – six in each of the previous two seasons – among 28 career games, Smith-Reed is one of Auburn’s veterans in the secondary, along with fellow senior safety Champ Anthony. 

“Being one of the old heads, it’s a challenge, not as much physically but to be the best we can be every day so the younger guys can look at us, perfect their process, and learn how to be a pro,” said Smith-Reed, a student in Auburn University’s College of Liberal Arts who aspires to a career in real estate after football.

Smith-Reed’s message to his younger teammates? 

“That every single day, every single play has a life of its own,” he said. “Move on to the next day, don’t look down the road. Be where your feet are. Right here, right now.”

While following his own advice, Smith-Reed still allowed time during preseason camp to let his mind wander to Nov. 28 and the Iron Bowl in Tuscaloosa, 115 miles from his hometown. 

“Being an in-state kid, being at Auburn, it means everything,” Smith-Reed said. “To win that rivalry, to bring that back to the community, to Auburn, to restart it, and get back on top, that’s what we’re working every day for. It’s a big emphasis with Coach Golesh to get back on top. It’s going to mean everything to do that.”

With 28 tackles in each of the past two seasons, an interception, a fumble recovery and two tackles for loss, Sylvester Smith-Reed has earned the trust of his coaches and teammates. 

With four more letters on his jersey, he plays for the names on the front and the back: Auburn and his best friend.  

“Just a kid from a small town who had big dreams,” he said. “I won’t stop for nothing.”

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer