Sooners' Smith is a natural at any position
OU football
Sophomore has seen playing time at six spots in four games

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"The Natural" is already taken.

"He is rare," Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said Tuesday of his do-everything sophomore.

Stoops searched his memory, but could not recall a player he has coached, even before coming to Oklahoma in 1999, with the versatility Smith presents.

Smith has played six positions in four games — strong safety, both cornerback spots, kick returner, punt returner and wide receiver.

And Stoops says he's a natural at all of them.

"A true corner, a true receiver and a true safety, whatever he chooses, he's got the body to be any of them. He's got the speed to be any of them. He's got the fluidness to be any of them," Stoops said.

"Reggie, if he's a full-time receiver, he's a natural. He's a guy that has that kind of ability."

Smith admitted he was surprised last week when the coaches approached him about moving from cornerback, a position he played all spring and fall, to strong safety, where he played as a true freshman last season.

"I was starting to like corner better," Smith said. "I never thought it would've been like that coming out of high school, because I was always a safety, never played anything but safety. I like corner a lot better, probably, now.

"I do what's best for the team. If it helps with me playing safety, then it helps."

The change, Stoops said, was made to get his best four defensive backs on the field.

"Reggie, everywhere he plays, he plays well," Stoops said.

"Obviously, we're just not as pleased as we wanted to be in our safety position.

"Reggie in there may be the answer."

Working at a different defensive position in practice each of the past two weeks has kept Smith off the field on offense.

The strong safety position is more of a mental chore than cornerback, but that doesn't mean Smith won't play receiver again this season.

"Possibly, but I'm not displeased with what we're doing, receiver-wise," Stoops said.

"If we get in certain situations, if we're in three- and four-receiver sets, there's a chance that maybe he would."

Stoops nearly went as far to say that Smith, if he only focused on receiver, could play in the NFL.

"That's saying a lot, but if he's a full-time receiver, he's one of the better ones," Stoops said.

"In only his second year, he's as special as any player I've been around or seen, for sure."