Myles SmithRed Bank High School lineman Myles Smith has committed to play for East Tennessee State, which will return to college football competition this year.
“I can’t wait to be a part of the family. I like the atmosphere the coaches have established up there. They make you feel at home,” Smith said Thursday afternoon.
During visits to Johnson City, Smith met several former Chattanooga-area players, including Austin Gatewood from East Hamilton and Jajuan Lankford and Kahlil Mitchell from South Pittsburg. He was originally recruited for the Buccaneers by Teddy Gaines, a former University of Tennessee standout, but was then handed over to new ETSU offensive line coach Erik Losey.
A former All-American at Western Kentucky after transferring when ETSU dropped its program, Losey played his high school ball at Soddy-Daisy.
ETSU is going to get Smith in his best years, Red Bank coach Chad Grabowski said.
“The kid’s just 17 and hasn’t yet hit his (physical) stride,” Grabowski said. “He could be a phenomenal football player when he grows into his frame and loses some of his baby fat.”
Smith is currently 6-foot-4 and 300 pounds and was one of the Lions’ team leaders.
“It was great to see how he helped on the buy-in (from the players) with the new coaching staff,” Grabowski said. “He’s a good kid, a good leader, a great student. He did a really good job for us and he made tremendous improvement from practice last spring through the season.”
Smith is qualified academically, currently holding a 3.96 grade point average and having posted a 23 on the ACT.
“The coaches have told me to just keep running and lifting,” he said. “They haven’t told me an ideal weight, but if I continue training and gain weight it isn’t bad weight.”
Smith has immediate goals that include being a four-year starter whether at guard or center.
“I’ll go with the mindset of doing the best I can from sunrise until I go to bed,” he said.
Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him at Twitter.com/wardgossett.