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Speculation over: Smith picks Herd South Point’s talented QB commits to Marshall before senior year
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By Anthony Hanshew
The Herald-Dispatch[/FONT]
By_ANTHONY_HANSHEW-The_Herald-Dispatch"; SOUTH POINT, Ohio -
Turns out Chris Smith's college decision wasn't so convoluted after all.
"It was always Marshall," Smith said.
http://gcirm.herald-dispatch.com/Re...l/34373434633532613434633062313630?_RM_EMPTY_ And with that, South Point High School's multi-talented quarterback verbally committed Thursday to play football at Marshall University. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound all-state signal-caller was highly recruited, choosing the Thundering Herd over scholarship offers from eight schools, including Iowa, West Virginia and Cincinnati.
Smith threw for more than 1,500 yards, added 700 rushing yards and accounted for 21 touchdowns last season as a junior. He's rated as a four-star prospect by the recruiting Web site
www.scout.com.
The Tri-State's premiere talent in the coming season appears an ideal fit for Marshall's offense. Smith possesses impressive arm strength, is athletic in the pocket and most importantly, has earned the reputation as a competitor.
His rising stock caught the attention of numerous BCS programs. Smith attended summer camps at North Carolina State and Ohio State in addition to Marshall and recently added Iowa to his list of scholarship offers.
Still, Smith had a clear No. 1 from the start.
"I always knew in the back of my head that I wanted to play for Marshall," Smith said. "And then when they hired coach Snyder it really helped."
Marshall head coach Mark Snyder grew up in South Point and has known Smith's father, Rusty, since his own high school days.
"It was a factor," the younger Smith said. "I knew coach Snyder before he got to Marshall. He would always talk to me, just goofing around. It really helped that he knew the family."
It also helps that Smith can remain among family and friends. He'll likely leave his Ohio home for dorm life next year, but Smith won't be far from his close-knit family.
His older brother, Jarrod, has been accepted to Marshall's medical school and will start in the fall.
Rusty Smith stepped back from his son's recruiting process, but he clearly liked the look of Chris wearing a Marshall hat at Thursday's press conference.
"My wife (Carol) and I didn't try to influence him one bit," Rusty Smith said. "We didn't say one word about where we'd like him to go. This was his decision and we were kind of hoping this would be the decision he'd make. I think it's going to be a good fit."
Chris Smith committed early, ending his recruiting road prior to his senior season, but he did his homework.
"It was fun, a lot of travel," Chris Smith said. "Me and my friend would get in the car and end up in South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, just off the fly."
Rusty Smith, meanwhile, experienced both the good and not-so pleasant moments of college football recruiting.
"It was fun for the most part, but some of them I wish they could have been a little more honest," the elder Smith said. "You expect that with the territory, but overall it was great."
The Smith family also learned the grass isn't always greener, which sealed the Green and White deal. Rusty Smith said he feels more than comfortable handing off his son -- in a football sense -- to his long-time friend.
"I feel pretty good about that, because he had thought about going far away," Rusty said. "And then you get there and it's a different situation."
Smith joins offensive lineman Micah Carter from Woodrow Wilson High School in Beckley on Marshall's prospective recruiting Class of 2007 list.
