2021 Canes Recruiting Wishlist: Wide Receiver Brashard Smith

I said in one of my recent articles, I'm no whiz when it comes to recruiting. I definitely keep up with everything, but I tend to focus more on the current Canes roster for the most part. That being said, when I do write an article on a recruit, it must mean I want that player to come to Miami, real bad.

I’ve written posts about Jake Garcia, Kamren Kinchens, Romello Brinson, but the next recruit I want to talk about is 3-star slot wide receiver Brashard Smith out of Miami Palmetto High School.

This former UF commit is someone I've been reading about over the past month or two, and I'm really impressed by the way Smith plays the game. In late May, Smith released his top-5 schools, which included Miami, Auburn, Florida, Tennessee and Oregon.

This South Florida speedster is reportedly expected to announce his decision sometime soon, and the Hurricanes look like they could be the team to beat, though Auburn is pushing hard for Smith.

247Sports composite has Smith ranked as the 58th receiver in the 2021 recruiting cycle, and 54th overall 2021 player for the state of Florida. 247Sports also has Smith listed as the 2nd all-purpose back for 2021.

As a junior in 2019, Smith caught 36 passes, for 628 yards and 13 touchdowns, averaging an incredible 17.4 yards per reception. Smith also returned for a kickoff for a touchdown. Whenever Smith hauled in a pass, he was doing something with the football. The speedy slot-receiver was a Miami Herald All-Dade 8A-6A first-team selection, establishing himself as one of the more dangerous WR’s in South Florida.

Smith has been vocal on his excitement about Miami switching to a spread offense, and why wouldn't he? He would be the perfect fit as the slot WR for Rhett Lashlee’s offensive system. It’s been reported that Smith has been building relationships with Lashlee, and also new WR coach Rob Likens.

With his incredible ability to make plays after the catch, Smith is the kind of explosive weapon that the Hurricanes offense has been looking for. When you think of South Florida playmakers, you just of think of speed, guys who can burn you down the sideline, and that’s Smith to a T.

Standing at 5”8, Smith isn’t the most physically imposing threat for a defender, but he makes up for it with his playmaking skills, and ability to find the end zone and bounce off tackles. He’s the kind of football player that would make Walter Payton proud, someone who will fight for extra yards instead of running out of bounds, or a guy who will sprint downfield to make a block for a teammate.

Websites may have Smith listed as a 3-star recruit, but he’s vastly underrated, and is someone who could potentially see playing time right away with the Hurricanes. When you watch his highlights, which are incredible by the way, he reminds me a lot of Percy Harvin in terms of his versatility, he can line up in the slot, in the backfield as running back, or even back deep to return a kickoff. His mix of pure speed and shiftiness in the open field, brought back memories of former Hurricanes Devin Hester and Roscoe Parrish.

Miami has two receivers committed already to their 2021 class, 4-star Jacolby George and 4-star Romello Brinson. If the Hurricanes are able to land Smith, that’d be enough in my opinion as far as wide receivers go for the 2021 cycle. Also to note, Smith committing to Miami, could potentially help UM out in trying to land his teammates at Palmetto, such as 5-stars Leonard Taylor and James Williams.

Bottom line however, Miami needs to do all they can to land Brashard Smith. He’s the type of player that’ll fit perfectly with their offense, and is the kind of talent that Manny Diaz and the Canes need in Coral Gables.