HOG FUTURES MICAHH SMITH

Signee from Texas believes he belongs

Former Marshall (Texas) standout Micahh Smith wasted little time in accepting an offer from Arkansas. The 6-1, 203-pound defensive back visited the campus on Jan. 29 and committed the next day.
Former Marshall (Texas) standout Micahh Smith wasted little time in accepting an offer from Arkansas. The 6-1, 203-pound defensive back visited the campus on Jan. 29 and committed the next day.

12th in a series profiling newcomers on Razorback football team

Defensive back Micahh Smith had a game plan during recruiting and he stuck with it, even with national signing date fast approaching back in January and not a single firm offer from a Power-5 program in hand.

"He's always wanted to play with the big boys in the SEC or the Big 12," Marshall (Texas) Coach Clint Harper said of Smith. "That's been his goal for a long time, and he's always believed in himself. We all knew he had the ability to play at that next level, and so did he.

Micahh Smith

at a glance

CLASS Freshman

HEIGHT 6-1

WEIGHT 203

40-YARD TIME 4.54

SCHOOL Marshall (Texas)

NOTEWORTHY Finished with 120 tackles, 7 pass breakups, 1 forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries and 3 interceptions as a senior. … Helped lead Marshall to an 11-2 record, a share of the Distict 15-5A title and berth in the Class 5A Division II regional semifinals. … Had offers from several Football Championship Series programs, including Northwestern (La.) State, Stephen F. Austin and Abilene Christian, as well as Sun Belt Conference member Texas State. … Had a 3.7 grade-point average and graduated in the top 40 of his class. … Has a 39-inch vertical jump.

"He's a hard-worker and a big-time defensive playmaker, and he wanted the big schools to take notice, too."

Smith, a 6-1, 203-pound safety, got an offer from Texas State, a Sun Belt program, late in his junior year. He also had offers from several FCS programs, including Northwestern (La.) State, Stephen F. Austin and Abilene Christian.

Big 12 powers Oklahoma State, TCU and Baylor were among those who took notice of Smith during his senior season at Marshall, when he made 120 tackles, 7 pass breakups, 2 fumble recoveries and 3 interceptions for a Mavericks team that went 11-2 and reached the Class 5A Division II semifinals.

Still, it wasn't enough to generate an offer from a major university. Until Arkansas got involved.

Smith took an official visit to the campus on Jan. 29, less than a week before signing date, and might have signed almost as soon as Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema extended him an offer if he could have.

"Honestly, it seemed like a bigger version of Marshall, and that was a plus in my eyes," Smith said. "It truly felt like a second home almost as soon as I got there. All the coaches welcomed me in, and from that point, it was pretty much a done deal for me.

"They had everything I was looking for. The atmosphere, everything was great."

Smith didn't formally commit to the Razorbacks until the day after receiving the offer, which was the only one he got from a team in a Power 5 conference. But he had a plan in place before the recruiting process ever began, and he intended to stick with it until he found just what he was looking for.

" I had a few other schools who wanted me to come in for a visit, but there wasn't really a need to once I visited Arkansas," he said.

Sticking to his game plan and believing in his ability paid off in the end.

"I know what type of player I am, and I lay it on the line every play," Smith said. "I think we had a great season and went deeper in the playoffs than most people thought we would. We had a young team, and our starting quarterback got hurt.

"But for us to go out, win district and then get to the semifinals, that was a big accomplishment for us. Me personally, I gave myself an A- or a B for the way I played because there's always room to get better."

Harper said he believes Smith can contribute immediately, whether it's on special teams or exclusively on defense because of his skill-set, which he described as "unique."

"You know, when I got here three years ago, Micahh was a good-looking kid on the field, and he wasn't real talkative," said Harper, who took over the program in 2013. "But it was easy to see early that he was so darn intelligent. He learned our defensive scheme fast, and he was already blessed with ability.

"But when you add intelligence to that, you've really got a special player."

Harper, a 1994 graduate of Marshall, has seen his share of highly regarded players throughout talent-rich Texas, but there weren't many that possessed Smith's versatility. On a team that started three sophomores in the secondary, Harper said Smith was the Mavericks' "defensive quarterback" and was responsible for getting players lined up while making the calls.

"I had to get everyone on one accord because we were so young," Smith said. "So I had to move around a lot. I played safety, linebacker and defensive back.

"But I embraced all of that because I got a chance to try and make an impact no matter where I was lined up. I never took plays off because the when you do, that's when the other team can take advantage. So it was my job to make sure everyone else played that way."

It was that all-out mind-set that Harper said ultimately paved the way for the Mavericks to re-establish themselves as the Texas powerhouse they once were back in the 1980s and 1990s.

"There's so much tradition here, but Marshall hadn't had a lot of winning over the past few years," Harper said. "The team had won three games total in the two years prior to when I got here. So the first thing I wanted to do was change the culture here, and Micahh was instrumental in helping us do that.

"I mean, whenever you've got a player that can take care of one side of the field completely, that says a lot. When your team sees a guy like that, who puts in so much effort on every snap, it's contagious."

Sports on 07/19/2016

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