McClintock High School is recommending that Corbin Smith be approved by the Tempe Union High School District Governing Board as head football coach and special education teacher.

Smith has more than 17 years of coaching experience. Most recently he was the quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator at Mesa Community College and from 2012-2015 he served in various coaching roles at Gilbert’s Mesquite High School, including assistant head coach and offensive coordinator, as well as quarterbacks, defensive line, defensive backs and linebackers coach. He teaches special education at Mesquite and is currently working on a Master’s in Special Education.

“We’re excited to have Coach Smith join the McClintock family. He has a well-thought out vision for the program, a diverse coaching background, and an excellent ability to work with kids. He’s going to be great for our community, our school, and most importantly our students,” said Jermaine Whitaker, McClintock Assistant Principal for Athletics.

“McClintock’s history is one of the richest in the state of Arizona. I will embrace that tradition and build a diverse coaching staff from different backgrounds and cultures who are also great teachers and who can relate to and build great relationships with the kids,” said Smith. “We have to create this culture of success and we’ll do it by involving the community, parents, and our alumni.”

After earning a scholarship to USC where he was a back-up quarterback and special teams player for two years, Smith transferred to the University of Iowa where he played for Coach Hayden Fry. After graduation, he spent seven years coaching at the college level at the University of Missouri (Tight Ends/Special Teams Coordinator) and Arkansas State University (Wide Receivers/Special Teams Coordinator). He then worked in sales for about ten years before returning to coaching in 2012.

Smith is also the founder and president of the Larry Smith Coaching Academy which hosts clinics across the country to educate youth football coaches on the safety and fundamentals of the game. The late Larry Smith, Corbin’s father, spent 24 seasons as a head coach at the University of Arizona, USC, University of Missouri and Tulane.

In addition to growing up around football and playing the sport himself, Smith’s three sons, ages 18, 16 and 13, have all been involved with youth and/or high school football and his oldest son has committed to continuing his football career in college.