Florida A&M alum Xavier Smith finds his footing in Year 2 with the Los Angeles Rams

When Angenetta Sanchious’ son, Los Angeles Rams punt returner Xavier Smith, earned a game ball for a play during his NFL debut in September, she knew exactly where to put it. In her home, there’s a shelf laden with all of Smith’s football memorabilia, from the First Team all-conference trophies he earned at Florida A&M University to his HBCU Legacy Bowl MVP trophy – and now an NFL memento.

During Los Angeles’ Sept. 22 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, Smith returned a punt 38 yards, setting up the Rams for a game-winning field goal. 

“I was just trying to make a play for the team. Knowing the situation and knowing where we were in the game, [I wanted] to put my team in the best possible situation to win,” Smith said. “What felt the best to me was seeing the reaction of my teammates … and just knowing how much they believed in me, knowing that they trusted me and wanted me out there with them.”

For Sanchious, Smith’s game ball was the culmination of all the sacrifices he has made while pursuing his pro football career.

“She saw a lot of the work that I had to put in,” Smith told Andscape. “[There were] times where she kind of felt like I could be resting, but I couldn’t rest. So I think now she sees all the work that I was doing, the time that I put into the game and everything. It’s finally paying off. She was probably more excited than I am.”

Sanchious likens Smith’s first pro season to his first year at Florida A&M in 2017, where Smith redshirted the entire year before becoming a starter for the Rattlers the following season.

She has high expectations for him in his second season with the Rams.

“Not our timing, but [God’s] timing,” Sanchious said. “I told him don’t fret. Keep doing what you’re doing. Get out there and practice. Give it 110%. Do what you’ve been doing, and then when I got the call, it was like the time is now. … It’s all coming together. He never fails, as long as you keep putting in the work, [so] when the opportunity comes, you’re not preparing for the moment, you’re prepared.”

According to Smith, his mother hasn’t stopped talking about the play. She has watched video of his punt return numerous times and posted the clip on her Facebook page to let everyone know about her son’s achievement in his first pro football game.

“I wouldn’t be in this position if it wasn’t for her. I wouldn’t even have the dream that I’m chasing now or I wouldn’t even have went to college,” he said. “None of that would have happened if it wasn’t for her pushing me to go to school and pushing me to get back on the field.”

After Smith went undrafted out of Florida A&M University in 2023, he signed with the Los Angeles Rams as an undrafted free agent. He spent most of his rookie season on the practice squad after getting cut from the initial 53-player roster and focused on learning the ins and outs of being in a pro locker room. When veteran Rams wide receivers Cooper Kupp, Demarcus Robinson and Tyler Johnson gave him pointers, Smith applied the knowledge on the field.

“Coming in I wanted to showcase that I could play at this level. I know I could play at this level,” Smith said. “So it was a struggle at first because I wasn’t getting the opportunities. I wasn’t able to just come in and just show that I could play. … I just had to make the most of the opportunities that was presented to me. I just kept seizing my opportunities. As I seized them, they increased.”

Smith signed a reserve/future contract with the Rams in January and was added back to the Rams’ practice squad this season. After two years with the organization, he prepares the same way whether he’s on the practice squad or the active roster. Smith has established a routine that he believes is helping him become more comfortable as a player: Before practice, Smith meets with the coaching staff, then he goes onto the field and catches 15 live punts. 

Rams wide receivers coach Eric Yarber describes Smith as the hardest worker on the football field. When the team returned to practice after the 49ers game, Yarber said Smith was business as usual, working hard and making plays. However, Yarber did notice a slight change when Smith was doing practice drills.

“I think his confidence [has grown]. The more plays he makes, the more confident he gets,” Yarber said. “Early on, just like every rookie, you’re going to have a moment where you say, ‘Do I belong here now?’ X knows he belongs in the NFL, and he knows that given the opportunity that he could produce.”

In the Rams’ game against the Green Bay Packers on Oct. 6, Smith recorded his first career reception and finished the game with two catches for six yards.

“It just tells you the work works, and he’s a prime example of it. He put in the work, opportunity presented itself and he made the most of his opportunity,” Yarber said. “He didn’t wait to get ready, he was ready. In this league, that’s what you got to do – you got to stay ready.”

Now with three games under his belt, Smith isn’t thinking too far ahead. He reverted back to the practice squad Monday, and he would have to be signed to the 53-player roster to play again this season.

Regardless of what happens, he remains focused on his daily preparation. 

“Just being better, being 1% better every day, that’s my only goal, making sure that I improve in some way, shape or form in some area of my game,” Smith said. “I don’t want to focus on goals and focus on statistics because, you know, a lot of times that don’t kind of tell the full story. 

“As long as I just focus on the day by day, then I think everything else will come.”