That offer was contingent upon SAT scores. When Smith got the scores back he made the call. He said Coach Bailiff told him, "I've been waiting on your call. We're real excited to have you as a Rice Owl!"
Rice continues to solidify it's numbers in the trenches, this time adding another defensive lineman in Michael Smith, a 6-1 272 pound defensive tackle from Bay City, Texas. Smith was 1st Team All-District 24-4A as a junior. He had 75 solo tackles and 6 sacks last year in 2006.
Smith had camped at several places this summer including Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, Texas State and UH. Rice was the first to extend an offer and Smith jumped on it. He's yet another verbal gained by Coach Craig Naivar - who also has garnered verbals from John Gioffre and Eric Ball.
I caught up to Mike in Bay City tonight to get a quick update from him. I asked how he felt about his commitment and he had this to say,"It feels really good to have my commitment out of the way so I can focus on the upcoming season. We have a new coach this year so the attitude is a lot different. This summer I've been working out and watching a lot of film to get ready."
The Owls have 8 known verbal commitments. Pledges are non-binding until a recruit signs a letter of intent.
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