STILLWATER — Cam Smith stood in his living room decked out in pads. A football was in his hands as he stood across from his padded little brother, Dylan.

The object in the moment for the 8- and 7-year-old brothers was to learn how to tackle.

So, in that Texas living room, they went after each other.

“That was just always funny to me,” Cam said, “because, like, why?”

Their father, Charles, had a plan. It was the best way for his sons to adjust from flag football to continue a family legacy but also bond them together.

“We padded them up and sent them out there,” Charles said with a hearty laugh. “It’s been that way lifelong for them. Big brother and little brother helping each other out."

In Oklahoma State’s 39-32 win over Kansas last weekend, the Smiths were brought back to that living room when Dylan Smith intercepted a tipped pass in his first meaningful action as a true freshman safety.

Cam Smith, a starting cornerback, raced across the Boone Pickens Stadium turf to his brother.

“It almost felt like I caught the pick,” Cam said. “I was trying to be the first one over there to get hyped with him. I just can’t even explain it. It was fun to see. I was just so happy for him.”

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As the surging Cowboys prepare to travel to West Virginia looking for a third straight win Saturday afternoon, a pair of brothers from a strong football lineage are making the most of their time together on and off the field.

Cam is a starting cornerback after making three starts last season. And Dylan has burst onto the scene as a reserve safety sooner than expected.

So far, they’ve been bright spots in a developing secondary with a promising future.

“We’re playing a number of young players in the secondary, which is good news for the next three or four years,” OSU coach Mike Gundy said. “At times, it can be a little risky as they’re learning.

“They’re making good plays and then they’re getting caught at times not being where they’re supposed to be, which is what young players do. But they are showing some mental toughness and some physicality that they have to play at this level. That’s a good sign.”

The Smiths — separated by 18 months — are also the latest pair of brothers to play for the Cowboys at some point.

Talyn and Tabry Shettron. Blaine and Bryson Green. Devin and Thomas Harper. Tylan and Tracin Wallace. Cole and Kody Walterscheid. C.J. and Darius Curry. Clint and Colton Chelf.

“It’s just family-oriented, I feel like,” Cam said. “They told me when they offered me they would look out for my brother. If he was good enough, they would offer him. When he got up here, he felt like how it was, how close everybody is and how nobody’s fake.”

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For the Smiths, football was always the path.

Their grandfather, Charles E. Smith, played eight seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, catching 218 passes for 3,349 yards and 24 touchdowns. He played in a Super Bowl. And he was a star in college at Grambling.

Charles followed his father’s path to a point. He also played at Grambling.

Both went into coaching high school and middle school football.

“It’s just meant for me,” Cam said about the football lineage. “I really don’t know what else I would be doing if I wasn’t playing football.”

Charles and his wife, Deshima, loved football. Then they moved from Louisiana to Texas in the early 2000s before their sons were born.

Everything was different.

“Football is life,” Charles said. “Moving from Louisiana to Texas, it just magnified it because in Texas everything is football.”

Cam and Dylan started doing skills training at a young age. They ran hills. They tossed the football to each other. Of course, they tackled each other.

Around middle school, Cam became a dominant player. Dylan later did the same and showed off a unique football IQ. They were both playing varsity football as sophomores at Braswell High near Denton, Texas.

“They wanted to be the best, so we decided we were going to equip them with the tools they needed to be able to sustain it and do that,” Charles said.

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Eventually, both landed at OSU.

Cam first arrived in 2021. He played in just two games on special teams, including the Fiesta Bowl win over Notre Dame. Last season, he played in all 13 games and made three starts.

Dylan enrolled over the summer as a cornerback but moved to safety in August. The initial plan was for him to possibly play in four games and maintain his redshirt status. Then Lyrik Rawls suffered a season-ending injury.

Dylan was needed sooner than expected.

That meant Saturday in relief of redshirt freshman Cameron Epps.

“He didn’t expect to get in,” Cam said of Dylan. “He was ready to get in if they called his number. Then it happened and see what happens when he gets into a game.”

The interception was a moment the brothers often dreamed of growing up.

They often spoke of playing college football together. They made plans to be in the NFL as well.

First, they have a bright future at OSU.

And there was reason to truly celebrate that last weekend as the brothers embraced following Dylan’s interception.

“That was a surreal feeling,” Charles said. “As a family, it made us feel elated to think their dreams are coming true to be playing on the field at the same time, especially at the collegiate level.

“That was one of those moments you dream about, especially as parents.”

Jacob Unruh covers Oklahoma State athletics for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Jacob? He can be reached at junruh@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @jacobunruh. Sign up for the Oklahoma State Cowboys newsletter to access more OSU coverage. Support Jacob’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com or by using the link at the top of this page.

OSU vs. West Virginia

KICKOFF: 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, W.Va. (ESPN)

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State football brothers Cam, Dylan Smith living their dream