This is an exciting time for some senior athletes as they are making official visits to college campuses to determine which are the best fit for them and their future, not only as an athlete, but in the classroom as well.

Warrenton senior Dylan Smith wanted to make sure that he chose the correct university that was best for him, both in the classroom and on the gridiron. He prioritized his checklist and made sure that the college he was going to attend gave him these opportunities for him to succeed. 

“There were three things I was looking for,” Smith said. “I wanted it to be a competitive program, I wanted a really nice culture, and good fit for me academically and with the guys.”

After receiving six official offers and visiting five different campuses, Smith has committed to further his academic and football career at Central College, a Division III school that is a part of the American Rivers Conference. 

“I want to go to a place where I have to work, I don’t want anything given to me,” Smith said. “I hold myself to a higher standard as I want to outwork people.”

The four hour drive to Central College is located in Pella, Iowa, which is just southeast of the state capital. Their football team is rich with tradition and history as they have not had a losing season since 1960, including 30 conference titles and 20 Division III playoff berths.

“I would love to be an asset guy where I can jump around on offense, defense or even special teams,” Smith said. “I want to get to a point where I am the top of the line in my class.”

Central plans to use Smith as a defensive back, where he spent his first three years as a high school starter for the Warriors before moving down to middle linebacker his senior season. The Dutch also have plans to play him on offense too as a slot receiver. And Smith knows what to do with the ball in his hands as he accumulated over 2,000 all-purpose yards in his high school career and finding pay dirt 12 times.

“In high school, I just learned a lot about being a leader,” Smith said. “I watched the leaders before me and learning from those guys allowed me to embrace the role when I was put into it, starting my junior year.” 

Smith looks to major in exercise science and likes the idea of becoming a physical therapist or a strength and conditioning coach. Central’s program was another selling point for Smith’s commitment. 

“They have their own building, own professors, own classrooms just for exercise science majors,” Smith said. “They have a good program and reputation for exercise science and people get really good jobs right out of college.”

Smith said his family, especially his parents, played a major role in his decision making as they were the ones who made sure that hard work was the key to success. His, now, former high school head coach, Steve McDowell, continued to push his work ethic and is excited to see what’s in store for Smith’s future.

“He’s got a great opportunity to go up there, continue his football career and I think he’s going to excel up there,” McDowell said. “He’s a leader, he’s been a captain for us for two years and a four year starter so I think he’s going to have all the success in the world up there.”

Spring Ball and off-season lifting for incoming freshmen begin in April. Smith plans to be as active and involved as he can. However, Smith will be back on the field again when August rolls around as practice will begin.