Smith flips to WVU
It happened rather quickly but West Virginia secured the final piece of its offensive line puzzle when the Mountaineers flipped the commitment of Tyler J.C. (Tx.) offensive tackle Craig Smith from South Florida.
Smith, 6-foot-7, 310-pounds, received an offer from the Mountaineers Jan. 20 and things progressed quickly from there as the coaching staff visited him twice in as many weeks before he repaid the favor by taking an official visit to Morgantown during the Jan. 29 weekend.
“You’d be surprised how many people are from South Florida and the surrounding areas on the team,” he said. “There’s definitely a high comfort level.”
Running backs coach JaJuan Seider as well as offensive coordinator Joe Wickline served as the lead recruiters for Smith and the assistant coaches made an instant connection.
“Coach Seider is from Belle Glade, which is where I was born. We have a connection because we’re both from the same area,” he said. “It was easy to talk to him.”
The West Palm Beach, Florida, native, initially committed to South Florida but was instantly interested in finding out more about the West Virginia football program after initially receiving a scholarship offer.
“I was excited. It definitely felt like a blessing,” he said.
The first team NJCAA All-American saw enough on his official visit to Morgantown to flip his commitment to the Mountaineers and fills a need for the program at offensive tackle.
Smith originally signed with FAMU out of high school but did not qualify so he initially enrolled at Ridge Water College in Minnesota earning first-team all-conference honors. However, he left the school and enrolled at Tyler J.C. where he moved to left tackle and became a coveted junior college prospect.
The Rivals.com two-star prospect dropped around 30-pounds over the last year, while working on his footwork and technique and also took official visits to both South Florida and Central Florida.
He will have two years to play two when he graduates from Tyler in May.
Overall, Smith becomes the 25th commitment for West Virginia in the class of 2016 and is the fourth total offensive line pledge in the group.
Smith joins mid-year enrollee Pittsburgh (Pa.) North Hills offensive lineman Jacob Buccigrossi as well as Wildwood (Mo.) Lafayette center Chase Behrndt and Byesville (Oh.) Meadowbrook offensive lineman Josh Sills.
Smith held offers from West Virginia, South Florida, Central Florida, UAB, South Alabama, Akron, Louisiana Tech, and Lousiana Lafayette, among several others.
WVSports.com will have more with Smith including a full interview.