'16 RB Nic Smith (Arlington Martin) - SIGNED LOI

BillySee58 · January 31, 2016

5'10" 175 lb running back from Arlington Martin. Also holds offers from Cal, Purdue, Utah State, and SMU. Slowed by injury his senior year, rushed for 35 touchdowns as a junior.

highlights:

http://www.hudl.com/athlete/2594964/nick-smith

http://247sports.com/Player/Nic-Smith-33739

http://sports.yahoo.com/usf/football/recruiting/player-Nic-Smith-155263

http://www.scout.com/player/193686-nick-smith

Edited February 3, 2016 by BillySee58

TheReal_jayD · January 31, 2016

@Or confirms committed to UNT

Or · January 31, 2016

Yep, got it from a very reliable source. Get hyped! Nic's a great kid.

Harry · January 31, 2016

Great pickup!

TheReal_jayD · January 31, 2016

meangreenacct · January 31, 2016

Stoked about him. Saw him in 2014 playoff game and was very impressed. Didn't think we would ever have a shot at him...

baberuthbomber8 · February 1, 2016

Are we thinking Smith could come in and be the #2 RB for us?

BillySee58 · February 1, 2016

17 minutes ago, baberuthbomber8 said:

Are we thinking Smith could come in and be the #2 RB for us?

Depends what they do with Ivery. He's a good player too, and probably the number 2 guy. But they could also use him in the slot more. Most of the returners aren't true slot guys (Smiley, Goree, Rutherford, Thompson). Ivery could fit that bill

Cerebus · February 1, 2016

Definitely the kind of offer sheet I like to see our recruits have. A win over a PAC12 and B10 is very good news.

ETA: For all the talking I do about the DaMN State Top 100 it seems that they have decided to discontinue it. They now do an Area Top 100, and Smith is on that list.

ETA2: Chad Morris offered him last year as a junior, def someone they wanted to land. Warms the cockles of my heart, even into the sub cockle area, to land him over their offer.

ETA3: He is the Rivals #96 recruit in Texas, so I guess we can say SL has now landed a state top 100. That was one of my "best scenario" criteria for the SL hire in his first year of recruiting. Class has really turned around this weekend.

ETA4: Selected earlier this month to the Texas Sports Writers Association 6A all-state team.

Edited February 1, 2016 by Cerebus

BillySee58 · February 1, 2016

2 hours ago, Cerebus said:

Definitely the kind of offer sheet I like to see our recruits have. A win over a PAC12 and B10 is very good news.

ETA: For all the talking I do about the DaMN State Top 100 it seems that they have decided to discontinue it. They now do an Area Top 100, and Smith is on that list.

And the thing is, we didn't even have to beat out those schools directly for him. There are plenty of kids who get offered by schools like that yet have those offers expire. Especially with as early as kids commit now. Doesn't make them any less impressive as a prospect, especially on the CUSA level.

Basically, you can fill your signing class with players who have/had P5 offers and/or 3+ G5 offers but not have to actually beat out P5 schools head-to-head. We should be making a living on that.

Edited February 1, 2016 by BillySee58

MeanGreenTexan · February 1, 2016

I don't want to jinx Nic or anything, but his path to NT is eerily similar to another former all-state guy who was slowed by injury (and watched his big-time offers dry up) his senior year. That dude happens to be one of the best to roll through here and is now playing in the NFL:

Aldo · February 1, 2016

Wow what a prospect. Strong cutting ability, very quick in small spaces, great agility and balance, and that speed...

I like what I see, and immediately upgrades our RB depth. Should be a contributor early, especially if our plays per game increase significantly.

Harry · February 1, 2016

I find it interesting to compare him to Willie Ivery. About the same size at 175, although Ivery is an inch shorter at 5-9. Ivery was also a three star on 247 but did not have the offer list that Smith did with Toledo being his biggest. It would be fun to see Smith and Ivery on the field at the same time.

Aldo · February 1, 2016

7 minutes ago, Harry said:

I find it interesting to compare him to Willie Ivery. About the same size at 175, although Ivery is an inch shorter at 5-9. Ivery was also a three star on 247 but did not have the offer list that Smith did with Toledo being his biggest. It would be fun to see Smith and Ivery on the field at the same time.

Ivery is a different back, and am surprised that he was actually heavier (5'8", 183lbs sparq) than Nic out of HS because of Nic's style.

Ivery is versatile, but is better served playing in open space. Sort of like a Shane Vereen type, who can catch passes very well.

Nic plays more of a between-the-tackles style, with better cutting and lateral agility.

Mean_Green09 · February 2, 2016

16 hours ago, Aldo said:

Ivery is versatile, but is better served playing in open space. Sort of like a Shane Vereen type, who can catch passes very well.

Nic plays more of a between-the-tackles style, with better cutting and lateral agility.

Nic plays between the tackles because the offense they ran calls for it.

Both guys are dangerous in space. Speed and elusiveness. Id say Smith has a bit more elusiveness while Ivery has more straight speed.

Wag Tag · February 2, 2016

On February 1, 2016 at 7:21 PM, BillySee58 said:

And the thing is, we didn't even have to beat out those schools directly for him. There are plenty of kids who get offered by schools like that yet have those offers expire. Especially with as early as kids commit now. Doesn't make them any less impressive as a prospect, especially on the CUSA level.

Basically, you can fill your signing class with players who have/had P5 offers and/or 3+ G5 offers but not have to actually beat out P5 schools head-to-head. We should be making a living on that.

BINGO! BINGO! Also kids that want to play closer to home.

Aldo · February 2, 2016

1 hour ago, Mean_Green09 said:

Id say Smith has a bit more elusiveness while Ivery has more straight speed.

^ This is why I like Ivery better in space than in between the tackles. Good stop-start, but runs around guys more than makes them miss.

BillySee58 · February 3, 2016

UNTLifer · February 3, 2016

Another steal.

greenminer · February 3, 2016

As of this post I have not sorted through our signed LOIs.

If we can get a QB in here to run the offense, I think Ivery/Smith/Wilson should be running circles around CUSA. An incredible trio of offensive weaponry.

Of course, wins will require a defense, too. *crossing fingers*

MeanGreenTexan · February 3, 2016

11 minutes ago, greenminer said:

As of this post I have not sorted through our signed LOIs.

If we can get a QB in here to run the offense, I think Ivery/Smith/Wilson should be running circles around CUSA. An incredible trio of offensive weaponry.

Of course, wins will require a defense, too. *crossing fingers*

If Morris is accurate and smart with the ball, his arm will open up running opportunities for these guys. If not, then DaMarcus' wheels in a zone-read will also open up opportunities.