Rumors travel in strange ways. Once wideout Isaiah Hazel flipped his commitment from West Virginia to Maryland, a few random tweets caused immediate consternation among Mountaineer fans. Those tweets suggested that Hazel’s flip would ultimately cause Osita Smith to join him in Maryland’s 2019 class. However, Smith never wavered on his commitment to the Mountaineers and has signed with West Virginia.
Smith confirmed several times that he was “100% committed” to West Virginia. Good thing, too, because the Mountaineers always need help in the secondary. Smith now headlines a West Virginia class that features multiple blue-chip corners and safeties.
At 6-5, 205, the 247Sports composite lists him as the number 26 safety recruit in the country. He also had offers from Cincinnati, Purdue, and Temple.
Smith returned punts and played receiver and safety in high school. His return skills are apparent from his senior season highlights reel.
He also displays good concentration and hands at wideout. But, more than anything else, he shows tremendous instinct at safety. Watch as he finds his way through blockers and into the backfield repeatedly.
Smith has the talent to play any of the three safety positions in Tony Gibson’s defense, but our guess is that he ends up playing spur. Barring anything unexpected, fans should anticipate hearing Osita Smith’s name often the next several years in Morgantown. He might even make his way into our five biggest surprises list in the coming years.
