“It just gave me goosebumps again to reminisce on that,” Mari said. “My husband and I both said we couldn’t believe it. We wanted that to happen, we didn’t think that would happen during Semar’s freshman year.”

And in a season that has seen both starting running backs go down with injury for parts of the season, the freshman has enjoyed an especially productive inaugural campaign, just like his brother. Semar has had two 100-plus yard rushing games this year thus far, and has become a part of the running back corps that rotates him with junior Paul Stanton and senior Andrew Casten. 

“Relative to their positions, they were great athletes when they got here,” Murphy said. “Seitu was an explosive kid that could play running back or receiver, and was a fixture in the kicking game from the beginning. In Semar’s case…[he was] just so natural. Great vision, great feet, very physical, so it’s all about recruiting.”

Much of their athleticism and football intuition can likely be attributed to their father’s dedication to their training when they were kids. Thus, the road to playing football at Harvard for both brothers was perhaps not so unlikely. The determination of the Smith family reflects the “never give up” nature of the Harvard football program, a mantra instilled from the very beginning, when Murphy writes it in his letter to players following their commitment.

Even though Seitu is a senior, he will take his fifth year of eligibility and not give on his dream of playing for the NFL. As a result, he will have an extra year of playing time with Semar. And if Seitu dons a pro jersey in the future? His little brother just might follow him there, too.

“If his brother does it, [Semar] definitely will,” Mari said.

Staff writer Samantha Lin can be reached at samantha.lin@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter
@Linsamnity.