
Ken Cornist, who signed with the Sea-Tac Cobras on Monday, is on that list.
The San Diego-area native was in the same backfield as Bush, the former Heisman Trophy winner at USC and No. 2 overall NFL Draft pick who currently plays for the Miami Dolphins. And Cornist said he was the go-to guy for Smith, who wound up leading the Utah Utes to a BCS bowl and was selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the draft by the San Francisco 49ers.
Needless to say, it was a talented football pool at Helix High School, which won back-to-back Division II California state championships in 2000 and ’01. Cornist was a sophomore varsity player on the second title-winning team, and he looked up to both future NFL impact players, particularly Bush.
“It was good to watch and to learn from him because of his character and his leadership,” Cornist said. “He’s a very humble guy, and it was very cool to watch him go about his business. He didn’t say too much, just went out and performed on Friday nights.”