Four-star linebacker Roquan Smith verbally committed to UCLA on National Signing Day last week, but he never sent in his paperwork. Since then, Smith has maintained that he was torn between UCLA and his hometown Georgia Bulldogs. He committed to Georgia on Friday.
Why the flip? During an interview with UGASports.com on Wednesday, Smith explained that his heart was always with Georgia but he was leaning toward UCLA to “experience something different.” Then, UCLA linebackers coach Jeff Ulbrich took a job with the Atlanta Falcons. Smith claims Jim Mora misled him about that.
“Otherwise, (UCLA is) a great school and all of this and that, but Coach Ulbrich did say that Coach Dan Quinn (now Falcons head coach) had called him the night before, but he had declined the job offer,” Smith explained. “I felt like Coach (Jim) Mora should have hit me up and said there’s potential that Coach Ulbrich may be leaving. Then, they tried to get me to go ahead and send the papers in, but I wasn’t doing it.”
Smith insists everything worked out for the best. He even claims UCLA misled him about whether they could offer what he wants to major in.
“Doing a lot of research, which I should have done earlier in the process and thank goodness I had more time, they don’t even have my major,” he said. “I was going to major in business, and the only way to get into business school out there is to be in graduate school. They didn’t (tell me that).
“…I thought they were keeping it real with me, but you know people are going to lie.”
This is nothing new. Recruits flip their commitments all the time and schools withhold information in an attempt to secure recruits. If the situation really played out the way Smith claims it did, he was wise to hold off on faxing in his paperwork. Hopefully Smith didn’t get a tattoo like this guy.
H/T Sporting News
