RB Eric Smith

E

Eric the Red

Team HuskerBoard
Player: Eric Smith

Hometown: Seffner, FL

Position: RB

Height: 5’10.5”

Weight: 234

40 time: 4.8

Visit Date:

Scholarships offered: Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Michigan, Ohio State, Nebraska

Favorites:

Rankings/Stars:

Rivals:

Bid Red Report:

Assessing the talent: A Step Ahead: Jim Stefani's Underclassmen Football Recruiting Blog

Eric is among the very best RBs in the nation and probably the best pure power back………He was a Second Team Class 4A All-State RB as a sophomore but didn’t earn many honors his junior season as he was out for several weeks early in the season due to a dislocated elbow. When he returned, he was back to his old amazing self, displaying the power and innate running ability to rank among the nation’s top prospects…………He plays for a powerful program that regularly churns out D-1 talent (most recently, Torrey Davis)………As a sophomore, Smith rushed for over 1,600 yards and 23 TDs. He also had 24 receptions and 4 more scores….….Has surprising speed and agility for a power runner. It’s amazing to see how elusive the big guy is in the open field. Sort of a young Jerome Bettis in terms of his style…….Great bloodlines, as his father, Eric Sr., once held the state one-game rushing record with 502 yards. Younger brother Petey (Class of 2009) could be the best linebacker in the nation in a couple of years………. Florida was the first school to offer back in September 2006 and he will have his pick of schools when all is said and done.

Odds of Becoming a Cornhusker:

 
http://story.scout.com/a.z?s=204&p=2&c=646076

Eric Smith, the 5-foot-11, 225-pound running back from Armwood High School in Seffner (Fla.), says he has approximately 20 scholarship offers, including Auburn, Clemson, LSU, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Miami, Tennessee, Nebraska and several others.

Smith, ranked No. 56 in the Southeast by Scout.com, says he's still open, but favors Auburn slightly over Clemson, Florida, Ohio State and Nebraska. "I love the type of offense that Auburn runs," Smith said. "They use two backs and they told me that they are looking for a freshman to come in and play right away. I like the coaches a lot, plus they are always highly ranked."

He plans on attending the Tigers camp this summer and will most likely attend the Florida camp as well. The Gators were Smith's first offer last September. "I like the intensity all the players have," Smith, a Scout.com three-star recruit, said. "Even at practice they all go really hard. They have a lot of great players and I like the coaches a lot too."

Two schools on Smith's list that he'd like to visit are Ohio State and Nebraska. "I like the type of football that Nebraska plays," he said. "They run the ball a lot and the coaches are really good and have great experience. Also, they told me they need to fill some spots and that I could probably play early.

"I like the type of players that Ohio State produces," Smith said. "They send a lot of guys to the League."

While the Gators have offered, in-state rival Florida State has not. "They already have a running back committed and they probably aren't taking any more this year," Smith said.

Smith has a brother that attends Florida State, but he's not playing any sports.

"I'm still pretty open, but it'll come down to the depth chart and if I can see myself playing early or not," Smith admitted. "Player-coach relationships are also going to be really important for me. I want to see how they interact and not just the starters. I want to talk to the guys that aren't starting and see what it's like for them.

"Me, my mom and my coach will all sit down at the end of the summer and narrow it down to five schools and those will be the ones I'll visit," Smith said.

Smith missed most of his junior season with a fractured left elbow. In four games he had 550 yds rushing and 12 touchdowns. He benches 325 pounds, squats 545 and has a 30-inch vertical jump. "I have good size and good field speed," he said. "My forty time isn't the fastest (4.6), but I'm fast when I play. People underestimate my speed a lot and that helps me surprise them. I'm a good guy up the gut, north-south type runner.

"I definitely want to improve my forty speed," Smith said. "And I'm also working on my pass blocking."

He reports a 2.8 core GPA and took the SAT on May

 
Back
Top