Smiley adds a west coast offer
West Helena (Ark.) Central defensive tackle Eric Smiley is one of the bigger athletes in the state of Arkansas but despite his size he is versatile too. The three sport standout already has four offers in football but he has hopes of taking more than just the football field in college.
"I haven't really been able to do anything right now because of an injury," Smiley said. "I sprained my ankle at the end of baseball but it's good."
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Smiley, who plays first base for his West Helena Central team, didn't strike out all season in baseball. Asked how much of a desire he has to play baseball in college, Smiley has a clear answer.
"[I want to play baseball] a lot, and Basketball too," he said. "I wasn't able to play basketball this year. I started this year but I wasn't able to finish because I had to get my knees right. The doctor told me to stay off them."
The busy three-sport schedule has kept Smiley busy but he has managed to pick up a recent scholarship offer.
"Actually last week I got an offer from Oregon State," he said. "They sent me a letter. I liked it. It was good to get an offer from them but I'm still waiting on the University of Washington. That's the school that I'm aiming for right now. No other school has really caught my interest."
Smiley is originally from Washington which would explain his interest in the Huskies. However, Washington has yet to show Smiley the kind of attention he is hoping for.
"I'm not really hearing from them," he said. "After the visit I had with Washington last spring break, I haven't really heard anything from them. They still send me letters."
Currently Smiley says the school showing him the most interest is Ole Miss. He also hasn't made any visit plans for the summer. Instead, the 6-foot-5 280 pounder will be taking care of his academics.
"As of right now I haven't made any plans to take any visits but I'm doing a lot of classes so I'll be taking some ACT tests," he said. "In football I'm working on getting stronger and faster."