Florida ATH picks up major in-state offer

Tallahassee (Fla.) Rickards athlete Michael Smith may be the best 5-foot-8 athlete in the country outside or Michael Ray Garvin. He has picked up several impressive offers and has a new top five.

“I have written offers from Arkansas, Northwestern, Auburn, Florida, Purdue and a verbal offer from West Virginia,” Smith said. “I am hearing from a lot of other schools by mail and stuff like that too.”

The 5-foot-8, 170-pound Smith runs the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds and is freakishly strong with a 295-pound bench press and a 515-pound squat.

“I really haven’t done a lot of research on these schools yet,” Smith said. “I have been focused on my senior season. After this week I am going to start thinking about it a little bit more though.”

As a junior, Smith rushed for 1,413 yards and 20 touchdowns averaging 11.2 yards per carry. He also returned three kickoffs for touchdowns and two punts. Along with being a standout football player, Smith is also a star on the diamond. His sophomore year, he hit .515 and stole 31 bases. The possibility of playing both sports in college is there, but the option of entering the Major League baseball draft out of high school isn’t.

“If I had to name a top five I would say it’s Arkansas, Florida, Auburn, Northwestern and Purdue,” Smith said. “My mother and I were talking the other night and we think it might be best for me to commit early so these schools don’t run out of scholarships. Right now I am thinking about committing before the season is over.

The main thing I am looking for in a school is early playing time,” Smith said. “I don’t want to go somewhere that I won’t see the field until I am a senior. I want to go somewhere that I would like if football wasn’t a factor too. Academics are a big part of my focus too.”