A big part of Rich Rodriguez’s revamped recruiting plan is to re-establish the Arizona Wildcats in the state of Texas, specifically in the Houston area.
Arizona nabbed its first 2018 verbal commitment from the region Friday. Running back Darrius Smith of Glenda Dawson High in Pearland, Texas, announced his commitment to Arizona via Twitter.
#BearDown 🐻⬇️ pic.twitter.com/Y7udyFtnMf
— ² (@1DarriusSmith) June 30, 2017
“First off I would like to thank God for blessing me with the great opportunities I have received to play at the next level,” Smith wrote. “I also would like to thank my family for helping me through the process and making sure that I had what I needed, because if it wasn’t for them pushing me, I probably wouldn’t be where I am today.
“Last but not least, I would like to thank everyone else that helped through the process and got me where I am now. … I want to thank all my coaches and teammates for always riding for me and having my back no matter what. But as of now I am 100 percent verbally committed to the University of Arizona.”
247Sports lists Smith at 5-foot-9, 170 pounds. According to his Hudl profile, he accumulated 2,150 all-purpose yards and 20 touchdowns as a junior in 2016.
Smith is the seventh player and first running back in Arizona’s 2018 class. Here’s how the class shapes up as of today:
ARIZONA 2018 COMMITS
- Armani Adams, S, St. Petersburg, Fla. (Lakewood)
- Issaiah Johnson, LB, Los Alamitos, Calif.
- Jamarye Joiner, QB/ATH, Vail (Cienega)
- Maisen Knight, OT, Ventura (Calif.) College
- Jaden Mitchell, WR, Las Vegas (Desert Pines)
- Darrius Smith, RB, Pearland, Texas (Glenda Dawson)
- David Watson, OT, Tucson (Amphitheater)
