CanesInSight will be checking in with a number of 2017 class signees prior to their arrivals later this month.
I caught up with Canes safety signee Derrick Smith tonight.
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Smith, who says he’s weighing in at 205-pounds right now, finishes his high school curriculum this Wednesday. The Miami signee is actually homeschooled and will turn his attention to his May enrollment this week.
“I’ve been really focused on finishing up my classes, because without my classes I can’t go anywhere,” Smith said. “After that I’m going to be getting back into training with my uncle.”
His official enrollment date for UM is May 21st. Smith says he will probably naturally lose some body fat once he gets to campus, but wants to eventually play around 210 pounds.
“I can’t wait,” he said. “Picking up the playbook will be the only thing to worry about even though I’ve already played in that type of defense in high school. I’m strong enough and aggressive enough to play safety, they can bring me off the edge – I can do a lot.”
[HUDL]video/3/2809285/57d817e8dfe29964f00ed6a5[/HUDL]
Smith went head-to-head with new 2018 commit Will Mallory last season and he's excited about the pickup for the offense.
“That’s a good commit. I played against him,” Smith said. “Him and Tyreke (Johnson) were going at it all game. I had him a couple times. He’s pretty cool though and I basically congratulated him after the game and told him he was going to be pretty good because he was only a junior.”
He has also been keeping up with Miami's sensational 2018 recruiting class. The competition is something that Smith welcomes with open arms.
“I like the fact that we’re picking up recruiting because we’re going to need depth. That basically just pushes everybody to go harder. I’m gonna go in and go as hard as I possibly can and I know that the other guys are going to do the same,” Smith explained.
Safety is certainly a position where Smith may be able to see the field this season with Miami's lack of experienced depth. JaQuan Johnson, Sheldrick Redwine, and freshman Amari Carter seem to have a solid amount of action ahead of them in 2017, but there is still room for another player to step up and earn playing time at the position. Smith should be physically ready to compete right away.
I caught up with Canes safety signee Derrick Smith tonight.
[PLAYER]803[/PLAYER]
Smith, who says he’s weighing in at 205-pounds right now, finishes his high school curriculum this Wednesday. The Miami signee is actually homeschooled and will turn his attention to his May enrollment this week.
“I’ve been really focused on finishing up my classes, because without my classes I can’t go anywhere,” Smith said. “After that I’m going to be getting back into training with my uncle.”
His official enrollment date for UM is May 21st. Smith says he will probably naturally lose some body fat once he gets to campus, but wants to eventually play around 210 pounds.
“I can’t wait,” he said. “Picking up the playbook will be the only thing to worry about even though I’ve already played in that type of defense in high school. I’m strong enough and aggressive enough to play safety, they can bring me off the edge – I can do a lot.”
[HUDL]video/3/2809285/57d817e8dfe29964f00ed6a5[/HUDL]
Smith went head-to-head with new 2018 commit Will Mallory last season and he's excited about the pickup for the offense.
“That’s a good commit. I played against him,” Smith said. “Him and Tyreke (Johnson) were going at it all game. I had him a couple times. He’s pretty cool though and I basically congratulated him after the game and told him he was going to be pretty good because he was only a junior.”
He has also been keeping up with Miami's sensational 2018 recruiting class. The competition is something that Smith welcomes with open arms.
“I like the fact that we’re picking up recruiting because we’re going to need depth. That basically just pushes everybody to go harder. I’m gonna go in and go as hard as I possibly can and I know that the other guys are going to do the same,” Smith explained.
Safety is certainly a position where Smith may be able to see the field this season with Miami's lack of experienced depth. JaQuan Johnson, Sheldrick Redwine, and freshman Amari Carter seem to have a solid amount of action ahead of them in 2017, but there is still room for another player to step up and earn playing time at the position. Smith should be physically ready to compete right away.
