Miami Hurricanes Land Talented 2014 LB/DE Mike Smith

Hey, HEY! Remember Mike Smith? Cause we sure do!

It's a beautiful thing when a kid grows up loving a school, plays the sport that he loves, and then gets the chance to combine those two things and turn them into his future. A lot of kids claim to be Miami lifers, but not all of them actually follow through with it.

This time, though, is different. Miami Northwestern LB/DE Mike Smith has promised his services to the Miami coaches. He has always been a Miami fan, and was wanting an offer from the Canes badly. When Golden told him that he officially had one, Smith said that he knew it wouldn't be long until he committed. It turned out to be a bit longer than he originally planned, because he wanted to do his homework. In an interview with Jon Bastian over at CaneInsider, Smith had this to say about his status when he got his offer:

"Yeah, I'm very close to committing," Smith said. "What I'm waiting on is for me and my sister to go down to the campus. For me and my family to check out the academics and see the campus there, and to see if they have my major. I'm still deciding what I want to major in, so that is really the only thing that has hindered me from committing yet."

He did mention that the only thing that could really change his mind at this point is if he were to get pressured into pulling the trigger, but that doesn't seem to be an issue here. The Canes know he wants them, and they want him, so there's no pressure here. Smith also has said that he is aware that if you take too long to make your choice, that schools can sometimes lose interest or start looking elsewhere, and he doesn't want that to happen.

Smith is listed as both an line backer and a defensive end, and Miami seems to want him more as the latter. Think of him as coming in as a sort of AQM-type of player, a hybrid guy that will likely grow into a full-time defensive end.

Smith wanted to wait until he got to visit campus, check out the academic side of things, and let his parents take a tour. After that, he decided to mull it over a bit and wait until after his spring football session was over to make his choice. Then he camped at Miami, almost committed again, but decided to wait. Again.

We are certainly glad he took his time! While there is still a long way to go in the recruiting season, Smith is on record as saying that when things are said and done, there's an almost 100% chance that he's a Cane. This is a great pickup for Miami.

WELCOME TO THE U, MIKE!