Perhaps nation's best defense leads swagger-filled No. 2 Miami Central

Video: Keir Thomas highlights vs. Armwood
Footage of standout Miami Central lineman and Florida State commit.

As an undersized cornerback out of Northwestern (Miami), Roland Smith had to carry more than his 5-foot-9 and 170-pound frame onto the field for the University of Miami in 1987.

"If you're were going to play at Miami back then, you had to play with some swagger," Smith said.

Smith, who played for both Jimmy Johnson and Dennis Erickson and won two national titles, said the same is true for perhaps the nation's best high school defense heading into the 2015 season.

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Although his Central (Miami) squad certainly doesn't suffer from a lack of stature or talent, the Rockets — with as many as nine college players on defense — still play with a chip and a confidence that Smith likes and relates to.

"These guys pursue to the ball, they're cat-quick, aggressive and are always looking to create turnovers," Smith said. "If you don't play with a certain swagger, you're not playing football at Central."

Smith, 46, is just happy to be coaching high school football again after he and his entire staff, in a highly controversial decision, were let go from Northwestern in 2007 over an off-field incident involving a star running back.

Smith and his staff were later absolved from any wrongdoing, but had to watch that 2007 team led by prep All-Americans Marcus Forston and Jacory Harris — and a handful of other Miami recruits — win a mythical nation championship.

Many of the players dedicated a season-opening win over Southlake Carroll (Texas) — and later their entire season — to Smith and his staff. Several of Smith's assistants found other coaching jobs including Telly Lockette, who guided Central to two state titles in three seasons.

When Lockette left to take an assistant's job at South Florida in the spring of 2013, Smith decided it was time to return to high-level coaching. He had spent a lot of time during his six seasons away from coaching raising his son, Roland III.

Smith said he didn't want to disrupt what Lockette had built and instead has simply added to the Rockets' dynasty.

Since he took over, they are 27-2 with two Florida 6A titles — four in five years — and come into 2015 as the No. 2 squad in the MaxPreps Preseason Top 25 Early Contenders.

It's been a happy return since he felt wrongly pushed out of something he loved to do.

"It's an awesome job to be a high school football coach," he said. "I'm proud to be a role model like my high school coaches were to me.

"I want to make sure the kids from our community be the best they can be on and off the football field and try to get them at the very least a college education."

Two of his senior defensive linemen, Eric Mitchell (6-3, 240, Florida) and Keir Thomas (6-2, 240, Florida State), have already secured commitments to their colleges.

Third-year starter Donavan Thompson (5-10, 211) leads a impressive lot of linebackers that also includes Miami-commit Waynmon Steed, a 6-1, 210-pound junior.

The secondary is loaded, led by 6-4, 187-pound cornerback and safety Jamel Cook (Florida State), along with Jamal Hudson (6-0, 185) and a pair of junior cornerbacks Christopher Williams (5-10, 175) and Allen Jones (5-10, 175).

As if the defense needed any more bolstering, Smith brought former Oakland Raiders and Florida State safety Derrick Gibson to be the team's new defensive coordinator.

The Rockets gave up just 12 points per game last year and recorded four shutouts. This defense could be even better.

"We have a lot of talented kids," Smith said. "It's our job to get the most out of them."