{"id":48476,"date":"2023-05-12T13:00:47","date_gmt":"2023-05-12T17:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/?p=48476"},"modified":"2023-05-11T19:51:57","modified_gmt":"2023-05-11T23:51:57","slug":"keelan-smith-commits-to-nebraska","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2023\/05\/12\/keelan-smith-commits-to-nebraska\/","title":{"rendered":"Keelan Smith Commits to Nebraska"},"content":{"rendered":"

Late last week, three-star athlete Keelan Smith<\/a> committed to the Nebraska football program over schools like Arkansas, Iowa, and Missouri. As the 14th-ranked tight end in the state of Missouri, Smith becomes the latest valued high school prospect to commit in the last five weeks for the Husker program, Smith joins fellow recruits Ian Flynt<\/a> and Willis McGahee<\/a> as some of the new faces to join the class over the last couple of months.\u00a0 But what does Smith’s commitment mean for Matt Rhule<\/strong> and the rest of the staff? What are they getting?\u00a0 Here are a couple of thoughts regarding his commitment.<\/p>\n

Following In His Father’s Footsteps<\/h2>\n

For being the son of legendary Husker defensive tackle Neil Smith<\/a>, the son has a lot to live up to if he wants to emulate his father’s success. As one of the best defensive tackles that the school has ever produced,\u00a0 Neil Smith totaled 169 total tackles and 14 sacks over his career with the Cornhuskers. It was this effort that led him to an All-Pro career with the Kansas City Chiefs and the Denver Broncos.\u00a0 Now, it looks as though his son is doing the same thing, but at a different position.\u00a0 As a sophomore at Liberty North High School in Missouri,\u00a0 Smith flourished in his first season at the wide receiver position. This was shown when he caught 16 receptions for 321 yards along with three touchdowns.\u00a0 However,\u00a0 he would really show improvement in his junior season. He hauled in 50 catches for 850 yards for 11 touchdowns.<\/p>\n

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pic.twitter.com\/1SH8Rkr87V<\/a><\/p>\n

— Keelan Smith (@KeelanSmith2024) May 6, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n