Football teams throughout the nation are participating in flipmas as the general public is still preparing for Christmas and doing last-minute shopping. the process of removing a recruit from a program to which he has already been recruited. When you are the program flipping the recruit, it is an amazing sensation, but it is also one of the more disheartening experiences when it occurs to you.
The Texas Longhorns were the program that turned over a prospect on Wednesday. They took it from one of their rivals, which added to its sweetness.
Smith has been associated with the Longhorns for weeks as an Aggie commitment since June.
Now that the switch has really happened, he will be traveling to Austin and not College Station. It would have to be assumed that Mike Elko’s hiring and Jimbo Fisher’s firing had some bearing. His recruitment path has been quite the experience; before to committing to Texas A&M, he was thought to be a USC lock. Jasper utilized Smith, who was excellent at linebacker, as a wildcat quarterback in addition to his other positions. According to the On3 Industry Ranking, Smith is presently ranked as the No. 31 linebacker, No. 350 player nationwide, and No. 55 player in the state of Texas.
It makes all the sense in the world. From four-star running back Kevin Riley’s perspective, an early National Signing Day flip from Miami to Alabama was a move to better his future.
Not that the talented running back from Northpoint, Alabama, couldn’t have become a star at Miami. He’s ranked as the consensus No. 4 player at his position nationally, after all. He has the talent to succeed anywhere.
With that said, in Nick Saban’s Alabama program, he saw a better pathway to development. Specifically, the type of development as a running back that could lead him to the NFL.
That’s quite a pitch for a young back considering how Gibbs benefited from playing at Alabama. In one season with the Tide, he rushed 151 times for 926 yards and seven touchdowns while catching 44 passes for 444 yards and three scores.
He was such a dual-threat weapon that the Detroit Lions took him at No. 12 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft.
