Many college football players face the fork in the road: keep pursuing the sport and turn pro or venture down a different avenue and join the work force.
Braden Smith was a standout wide receiver at Northwest Rankin High School in Flowood, Mississippi — a suburb of Jackson — before starring at Northwest Mississippi Community College, then played three seasons at Louisville and wrapped up his collegiate career at Cincinnati.
While at Louisville, Smith “became closely acquainted with a guy by the name of Norman Seawright, who was a UPS Airlines captain at the time, and we just connected with a very common background,” Smith said.
“We’re both from Mississippi and he was a college athlete as well back in his day. We got connected with that common background,” Smith said. “Then I was looking at some other avenues post football and he introduced me to aviation and talked to me about the process and how it goes.
Former Louisville and Cincinnati wide receiver Braden Smith is now a flight instructor at Epic Flight Academy at Tucson International Airport.
“Ended up going to do a discovery flight with him and absolutely fell in love with it. At that point, I was still playing football and that was my primary focus, but aviation started trickling in the back of my head. Once football concluded, it was full-go. That’s where I’m at now.”
Then-Cincinnati wide receiver Braden Smith gains a first down after a catch during the fourth quarter of a Bearcats matchup at Big 12 foe Houston on Nov. 11, 2023.
Smith knew flying planes was the career he wanted. The summer leading up to his senior year at Cincinnati, he became a licensed pilot.
A year later, Smith was hired by Epic Flight Academy as an instructor at the Tucson International Airport campus.
“Never been to Arizona — really never been anywhere on the West side,” Smith said. “Happy to get out there and enjoy the scenery and the culture.”
How does one go from playing college football to instructing people how to fly planes? Smith joined “Spears and Ali” on ESPN Tucson and discussed his path from the gridiron to the sky.
What do you have to do to become a licensed pilot?
A: “Certain hour requirements that you need, certain certificates and ratings that you need depending on the type of flying you want to do. For me, my goal has always been the airline-type flying. When I was at Cincinnati, I was able to self-fund the first certificate and rating. From there, I found a flight school in Florida, the Epic Flight Academy, and had an unbelievable experience. It’s an outstanding flight school that I was really fortunate to be a part of. I ended up matriculating through (the) process down there and got my certificates and ratings.
“Fortunate enough, I was able to get rehired by them down in Tucson. I’m building up those hours now until I get to those hours that make (me) eligible to fly for an airline.”
Then-Louisville wide receiver Braden Smith (4) takes the field against Clemson during a college football matchup on Nov. 12, 2022, in Clemson, South Carolina.
What is your role at Epic Flight Academy?
A: “Essentially just teach and inspire the new generation of pilots. As we’ve seen in the previous years, aviation has exploded into this community.
“As a flight instructor, my job is to teach and inspire the people who were like me a year ago, the people jumping into this industry and want to fly for a living and fly for a career. My job is to teach and inspire the people who want to follow their dream.”
How was life growing up in the Jackson area?
A: “Nothing but ball. Growing up in Mississippi, I ate and lived football and baseball. That’s all I did growing up. That was my environment and all my family knew, so I was very one-track minded with football growing up. It went all the way up until college when my college career ended. Down here in Mississippi, that’s all we do, is play football and baseball.”
Were you an Ole Miss or Mississippi State fan growing up?
A: “Definitely Mississippi State. I’m a hardcore Mississippi State fan to this day. ... There was a phase in my life I was traveling to every away game, whether it was in Gainesville, Georgia, Tennessee, wherever. Growing up, wherever Mississippi State played, that’s where I was.”
Then-Louisville wide receiver Braden Smith (4) takes the field against Clemson during a college football matchup on Nov. 12, 2022, in Clemson, South Carolina.
How much did football influence your life?
A: “Growing up in Mississippi, football is something I’ve always been playing since I was 6 years old. I played it through my upbringing. My older brother played football, my dad played football, so it was passed down to me. ... I’m really grateful for my football career.
“I think one of the biggest things that football taught me that I didn’t realize until I started flying, there’s so many characteristics and traits that football develops and helps you transition into different areas of life and other careers. I’m really grateful for football in that aspect. I’m seeing the effect of character development that it’s done for me.”
Are football and aviation comparable?
A: “It’s been tremendous. From a mindset perspective and work ethic perspective, it’s very similar. When I first started flying, there was a lot of doubt. ‘Is this something I can do?’ This isn’t something that’s a lifelong dream. It’s all very new.
“But playing football and that mindset and traits that I developed in football really helped me transition to aviation. I catch myself feeling those same types of same traits and characteristics flying. In a sense, they’re very similar.”
Do you have a dream plane you want to fly?
A: “The dream plane is a Boeing 787. Hopefully one of these days, several years down the road, I’ll be the captain of.”
What’s the difference between walking down the tunnel to fly a plane versus the tunnel into a stadium with thousands of fans?
A: “It’s a high sense of responsibility and very similar to running out of the tunnel to 80,000 people watching you. You’re the captain of a plane with hundreds of people in the back. It’s a highly responsible job that requires a lot of poise and quick, efficient decision-making and that’s the life of a pilot. It can be considered high-stressed.”
