Checking in with Arkansas top player
Arkansas' top player remains locked in a three-team SEC
battle for his services.
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Warren High School's
Smith is playing quarterback for the Lumberjacks this year, but is a
member of the Rivals100
team as a wide receiver. The 6-foot-3, 175-pound caught 103 passes for 1,889
yards and 23 touchdowns in leading Warren to the Class 3A state championship as
a junior and establishing himself as one of the nation's top prospects.
"I've heard from Arkansas, Florida and Tennessee this
week," he said. "Those are my top three, so I was glad to hear from all of
them."
Does anyone have the edge?
"Well, not really. But Arkansas is the only one to offer so
far, plus they're the hometown school," Smith said. "I've been watching them
pretty close. I think they're starting to pass the ball a lot more. I like
that."
The lure of Florida and Tennessee is also hard to deny.
"It's just tradition more than anything," he said. "Those
are great programs. They're always competing for championships. Another thing is
all the great wide receivers they've had. Both of those schools put a lot of
guys in the NFL. You can't overlook something like that."
Smith said he's trying to line up trips to all three of his
favorite schools for games in the near future. Two weeks ago, he attended
Oklahoma State's game at Louisiana Tech.
"I'm keeping all my options open, so when they asked me to come to a game, I
decided to go with my coach," Smith said.
In the meantime, he's focusing on becoming a better quarterback. The Lumberjacks
lost their season-opener to Springdale.
"I played real bad," he said. "It's a pretty big adjustment for me. It's all a
learning process.
"I miss playing wide receiver, but the team needs me there. I'm trying to use it
as a way to become a better all-around player. It gives me a better perspective
on what the quarterback has to go through."