Michael Smith is in his second season with McNeese as the team's wide receivers coach.
In his first season in 2024, Smith helped develop a young group of receivers that saw three rank in the top 25 in the Southland Conference in receptions - Jer'Michael Carter (8th, 37), Kameran Senegal (20th, 23), and Jonathan Harris (21st, 21).
A record-setting receiver at Kansas State and with over 25 years of experience as an assistant at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level — all but one of those with a Power 5 school, Smith came to McNeese after spending the previous two years at South Alabama where he molded the 2022 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year, wide receiver Jalen Tolbert.
A native of New Orleans, prior to his stint at South Alabama Smith was on the staff at Kentucky for two seasons during which time the Wildcats posted an 18-8 overall mark while winning both bowl games; that included finishing in the final top 25 rankings with a 10-3 record following a win over Penn State in the Vrbo Citrus Bowl in 2018. Â His efforts helped Lynn Bowden Jr. earn all-Southeastern Conference honors both years as an all-purpose player, highlighted by being named first-team all-league in 2019.
In five years coaching wide receivers at Arkansas from 2013-17, Smith was part of a staff that helped lead the Razorbacks to three bowl appearances. Â That included a 7-6 finish following a victory in the Texas Bowl his second season and an 8-5 record the next year when UA defeated Kansas State in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.
During the 2016 season, the Razorback wideouts featured three players with over 1,000 career receiving yards, including two players with over 100 career receptions. Named the top slot receiver in college football by Pro Football Focus following the season, Jared Cornelius equaled an Arkansas single-season record with three straight 100-yard receiving games, while Keon Hatcher’s eight TD grabs ranked fifth in the SEC and Drew Morgan’s 65 receptions tied for fourth in the SEC.
Following their senior campaigns in 2016, Hatcher and Morgan both earned invites to the NFL Combine, making Arkansas one of just 12 programs with two wide receivers at the event. An All-SEC selection in 2015, Drew Morgan turned in the third and fourth-best reception totals in program single-season history over his last two years, while Hatcher’s 19 career receiving TDs finished fourth all-time at Arkansas.
In 2015, Smith’s wide receivers unit totaled 22 touchdowns and more than 2,000 yards, despite numerous injuries throughout the year.
Smith served in multiple capacities as a member of K-State’s staff for 16 years.  He started in the profession as a student assistant for the Wildcats in 1993, and was a graduate assistant during the 1995 and ‘96 campaigns as the program posted a combined 28-7-1 record while appearing in a bowl each of those year, highlighted by victories in the Copper and Holiday Bowls.
At Kansas State, Smith helped the Wildcats capture their second Big 12 title and play in the Fiesta Bowl in 2012, as the Wildcats posted an 11-2 record and finished the year ranked No. 12 in the AP poll. Smith helped lead Arizona to a 2008 Las Vegas Bowl win over BYU.
At Rice, Smith helped the Owls to a 7-6 record in 2006, advancing to their first bowl game in 45 seasons.
Smith has coached three of the top 10 career rushing leaders in Kansas State history in Darren Sproles, Eric Hickson and Mike Lawrence. He also directed a running back to the single-season rushing record in three of his last five seasons at Kansas State during his first tenure, including Sproles, a first team All-American.
Throughout his coaching career, Smith has been the position coach for 15 NFL players, highlighted by Sproles who is a three-time Pro Bowl selection and the NFL single-season record holder for all-purpose yards.
As a player, Smith was one of the Big Eight’s all-time great receivers. He concluded his playing career as the Big Eight’s second-leading receiver with 179 receptions, trailing just All-American Hart Lee Dykes. The total of 179 catches ranked 40th in NCAA history at the time. Smith was named a third-team All-American in 1991, honorable mention All-American in 1989 and a two-time All-Big Eight selection (1989 and 1991). He played for the Kansas City Chiefs in 1992.
His career total of 2,457 receiving yards was third-best in Big Eight history behind Dykes and 1972 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Rodgers. The total was bolstered by nine 100-yard receiving games, which was a school record at the time. He led the Big Eight as a sophomore in 1989 and was seventh in the nation with 70 catches for 816 yards.
A four-year letterwinner at Kansas State, Smith twice earned All-America honors and was named to the all-Big Eight Conference team on two occasions as a wide receiver. Â He received his undergraduate degree from the school in social science in 1995.
Smith and his wife Karyn are the parents of three daughters — Kylie, Kenzie and Kamryn — and son, Kason.  Kylie was a four-year softball letterwinner at Arkansas from 2014-17 while Kenzie was a volleyball letterwinner at Southern Mississippi for three seasons after playing two years at Kansas State.
