35 Days to Miami Football: LB Mike Smith 2018 season preview
Mike Smith was one of the most versatile players on the Miami football team in 2017. Smith was a backup linebacker and also played fullback as needed. With two fullbacks on the 2018 roster, Smith will solely play linebacker in 2018.
Playing in all 13 Miami football games in 2017 Smith accumulated 23 total tackles and a half tackle for loss. Smith should be one of the leaders in the locker room this season. He is a fifth-year and redshirted as a Freshman in 2014.
Smith came to Miami as a 6’2 210 pound outside linebacker. He played high school football at legendary Miami Northwestern. Among the many Miami football players to come from Northwestern includes former Hurricanes quarterback Jacory Harris.
Coming out of high school Smith was the 402nd ranked player in the country, the 33rd ranked outside linebacker and 52nd ranked player in Florida. Smith was recruited by Miami great Micheal Barrow who was the Hurricanes linebackers coach from 2007-13 under Randy Shannon and Al Golden.
Despite entering his redshirt Sophomore season in 2016 Smith was passed on the depth chart by true Freshmen Shaq Quarterman, Michael Pinckney and Zach McCloud.
The new coaching staff headed by Manny Diaz on defense went with their own guys. Smith has played in all 26 games during Diaz’s tenure overseeing the defense.
The best game of Smith’s career came last season against Georgia Tech. He finished with six total tackles and his lone half tackle for loss of 2017. Smith was consistent early in 2017 but tailed off some later in the Miami football season.
Smith recorded a solo tackle in the first seven games of 2017. The only two games he failed to record a tackle in 2017 were against Florida State and Pittsburgh.
Smith did not have any solo tackles in the final five games of 2017. He did combine to make six assisted tackles in the last five games of the 2017 Miami football season.
Miami’s new Outside Linebacker Coach Jonathan Patke spoke with the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson earlier this month about the Hurricanes linebacking core. He said that Smith will be the primary backup at both the Mike (middle) and Will (weakside) linebacker positions in 2018.
"“He will be swing guy between the MIKE and WILL…He’s our third best linebacker [with (Zach) McCloud now dubbed a striker]. He even played some SAM last year. Once Zach comes back, we will tell Mike Smith to concentrate on MIKE and will.You see him being a physical linebacker that likes to hit and tackle inside the box. That’s what he does well. At times, he was a little slow diagnosing things but he came around this spring. He really had a good spring.”"
The striker is a new position that was created by Diaz and Patke this Spring. It was partly created when McCloud missed most of spring practice with an injury. Striker was also created to play to Miami’s depth in a deep secondary.
Mark Richt has spoken extensively about the importance of depth on the Miami football team. Richt believes Miami’s lack of depth played an extensive role in the Hurricanes losses in the last three games of 2018.
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The injuries were more on offense last season. Even though he will not start, Smith is a vital member of the Miami roster in 2018. He will likely see extensive time at linebacker to give Quarterman and Pinckney rest. Smith should also play a lot of snaps on special teams.