Photo via SI.com
Incoming Texas receiver Jake Smith vividly remembers the moment he wanted to become a Longhorn.
It occurred during a weekend trip to Austin as a junior. Smith was in town for Texas’ spring game during Tom Herman’s first season. He believed Herman's vision. Smith had a great vibe with offensive coordinator Tim Beck and receivers coach Drew Mehringer. The receiver had an instant connection with Bryan Carrington, Texas’ director of recruiting. UT’s campus was great. Smith loved the players.
However, few people know there was one aspect of Smith’s visit that sealed the deal.
“Honestly, it sounds silly, I knew I was coming to Texas during the spring game of my junior year,” Smith said. “I fell in the love with the culture, the football, and the BBQ. I love the BBQ more than any food on this planet. I can’t get enough of it, honestly.
“It was the brisket and jalapeno cheddar sausage from Terry Black’s. I want to try Franklin, but I hear you have to camp out there for five hours just to get in. But they took me to Terry Black’s on my official (visit), and for the spring game, and it was unbelievable. I took a picture of my food. I still stare at it sometimes. I honestly can’t get enough of it. We don’t have any good BBQ out here [in Arizona]. We have a lot of Mexican and generic fast-food restaurants. I never had had any good BBQ until then. It was mind blowing.”
Yes, I asked the most important follow-up question.
“No, I don’t like beans in my chili,” Smith said.
My work here is done.
Smith might be your favorite player for his food choices, but could be loved if he has the on-the-field impact most Longhorn observers believe will occur.
By now, you should know all the meaningful stats associated with Smith. Here are the highlights for those who need a refresher or only pay attention to guys when they hit campus.
--- An All-American wide receiver who was named the 2018 National Gatorade Player of the Year and Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year.
--- Compiled 2,349 all-purpose yards (180.7 ypg), including 1,070 receiving, 741 rushing, 420 kick return (38.3 ypr) and 118 punt return (19.7 ypr) yards and 39 total touchdowns as a senior.
--- Led his team with 58 receptions for 1,070 yards (18.4 ypr) and 22 touchdowns; finished with 100 carries for 741 rushing yards (7.4 ypc) and 15 touchdowns, while rushing for five two-point conversions.
There is a reason why Herman had so many positive things to say about Smith on signing day.
“He can do everything: run it, catch it, return it, play DB,” Herman said. “I'm sure he could drive the bus to the away games if you needed him to. Multi-sport athlete. Excels at lacrosse, as well. Just excited about his versatility.”
Smith is definitely excited about hitting campus on June 1.
“I work hard,” Smith said when I asked about the attributes he can bring to Austin. “I work hard on my craft. I think I’m a pretty good teammate, a good guy to be around. I think I fit in really well in the culture. I think I bring a different element to Texas right now. I think I’ll bring some electricity to the program. Definitely some speed. I think speed kills, and that’s my best asset. I’m excited to bring that to Austin.”
When it comes to speed, Smith has it.
The last time he was clocked running the 40-yard dash was prior to his junior season. Smith said one hand timer read 4.37, while another one had 4.38. Smith believes he can run between a 4.3 and 4.35 right now.
Even if Smith is in the 4.4 range, his arrival, coupled with running back Jordan Whittington, receiver Bru McCoy, tight end Jared Wiley and tight end Brayden Liebrock gives Texas freshmen playmakers this offensive desperately needs, especially considering there was not an offensive play greater than 50 yards last season.
“I think it’s a special class, honestly,” Smith said. “I think it’s a class that can bring a national championship back to Austin, hopefully. I really think we have talent all across the board and some of the best athletes in country. Offensively and defensively, I think we’re going to be solid, especially with last year’s class and the 2020 class. I’m really excited to get there. To get to work and prove myself early. I just hope to get on campus and make an immediate impact. That’s my goal.”
Smith is a little behind in his offseason workout goals, but for a good reason.
After the high school football season, Smith played lacrosse for Notre Dame Prep and his team won a third consecutive state championship. Smith is a midfielder.
He was slated to play in a high school lacrosse All-Star game on Friday, but decided to skip it and not risk a potential injury.
“It’s just as fun as football to me,” Smith said. “A lot of people don’t understand the game and don’t understand how it works or why it’s fun, but I have a blast playing lacrosse. It’s one of those sports you can play every single day. I’ll definitely miss it.”
That is why Smith is a little bit behind Yancy McKnight’s workout plan. To be fair, working out individually compared to receiving in-person instructions from McKnight, Texas' strength and conditioning coach, is a huge adjustment for every freshman.
“I was following that plan pretty diligently for the first couple of months,” Smith said while discussing McKnight’s prescribed meal design and workout plan. “When I decided to play lacrosse, I kind of slowed down on the lifting aspect, but playing lacrosse is great conditioning. Just from my experience in high school, I was in better shape during lacrosse season than in football season, honestly. Just because of the position I play, running up and down the field. I kind of used that time to get in good cardio shape, and now in the next few weeks, go back to the lifting more and try to keep my cardio up.”
That being said, Smith is in good shape when it comes to the playbook.
“Coach Beck was actually out here [on Friday],” Smith said. “I went over the playbook with him. He came over to my house and was here for a couple of hours just hanging out and talking to the family. I know coach Mehringer is coming out soon to go over more plays with me. It’s really cool that they would take their time to visit me and go over the playbook. It’s really awesome.”
Smith’s food taste is pretty awesome, too.
Photo via Gatorade
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Sports On A Dime
1. I asked around about Florida grad transfer linebacker Dylan Johnson this week and nothing has changed. Johnson applied to UT’s grad school, and everybody is waiting for the results. From what I was told, Texas and Pitt are Johnson’s top two choices. Give this some time to play out.
2. After finishing 7-6, which included six straight losses to close the season, I seriously question if Charlie Strong will be on USF’s sidelines in the 2020 season.
3. A college degree from the University of Texas and a nice signing bonus to start an NFL career. Not too shabby, Charles Omenihu.
4. You have to admire Quandre Diggs and his motivation. He has proven skeptics wrong throughout his career, and Diggs has used their doubt as motivation to succeed on every level.
5. I am not sure how this quote from Houston owner Tilman Fertitta lands with the fan base after the Warriors eliminated the Rockets for the fourth time in five seasons: "I know that we're going to rise to the occasion and our time is going to come. James is 30 years old [in August]. ... Hakeem [Olajuwon] didn't win his first championship until [31]. I can promise you, we're going to win some championships with James Harden, because we are not going to sit here. We will go to battle every year. We're going to have a strong offseason, and we're going to do whatever we need to do to be a better team. We are not going to sit on our hands, I can promise you that."
6. Ed Oliver has enough money to buy a lot of warm jackets in Buffalo
7. I will admit, the XFL is intriguing. As a football fan, I can definitely see myself following this league.
Here are some rule proposals from a Washington Post article:
After three months of conversations, the XFL began compiling data and charting ways to improve. To speed up the game, they considered a running game clock and a play clock as short as 25 seconds (compared with the NFL’s 40-second clock). They targeted a game time of two hours and 45 minutes, with three times more action than an NFL broadcast.
For more meaningful action, they studied a CFL rule that granted a punt returner a 5-yard halo — prohibiting defenders from getting too close and requiring the receiving team to return the ball rather than call for a fair catch. They’re considering incentivizing fourth-down attempts by putting the opposing team on the 35-yard line in the event of a touchback on a punt. (In the NFL, teams get the ball at the 20.)
The group agreed that extra points have become too predictable. They’re considering a menu of options:
— Following a touchdown, a team can earn one extra point by converting a score from the 2-yard line;
— It can get 2 points by scoring from the 5-yard line;
— Or it can add three extra points by scoring from the 15 — making a touchdown potentially worth 9 points in all.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/spor...ootball/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.57f639c6884f
8. Congratulations on a great NFL career
9. I did not think Jarrett Hurd was going to lose on Saturday. Nevertheless, when Julian Williams dropped Hurd in the second round, I knew he was in trouble. Great fight by Williams.
--- Keith Thurman wins this fight by unanimous decision and the torch is officially handed to “One Time.”Then, a mega-fight against Errol Spence Jr. in 2020.
10. RIP Harold Lederman
