Report: South Carolina reverses field, won't let commit enroll early

By foxsports
Published

2016 athlete Chris Smith has been one of the longest-standing commitments to South Carolina in this class. 

Originally pledging to the program this past July, the thought was that Smith would be allowed to enroll early to the university. This premise was agreed upon by former head coach Steve Spurrier. 

With Will Muschamp now heading the squad, this scenario has been altered. 

Via The State, Muschamp alerted Smith that there wasn't room for him to come in as an early enrollee. Instead, South Carolina would like the prospect to enter this upcoming summer. 

"I know [Smith] was upset and he should be," said Smith's high school coach Strait Herron. "It's frustrating, and I just feel for the kid. The kid's the one that's going to get hurt in the whole situation."

At 5'10", 168 pounds, Smith is versatile enough to play at both receiver and as a defensive back. He originally opted to commit to South Carolina over offers from Air Force, Campbell, Charlotte, Furman, Miami (OH), and Old Dominion (among others). 

It remains to be seen where Smith will indeed end up in Columbia. He could look elsewhere ultimately. 

"It's important to [Smith] to get somewhere midyear, so he is going to look around and see if there are some Division 1 schools that need a defensive back or a slot receiver-type player that would still have a spot open for a midyear kid," said Herron.