EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – In front of a packed library at Franklin High School, Shay Smith signed his National Letter of Intent to play football at UTEP on Friday.
After a stellar senior year at Franklin High School, where Smith passed for 1,750 yards, rushed for 1,195 yards, and recorded 32 total touchdowns, the dual-threat quarterback will head to UTEP to play for Scotty Walden, who was named the new head football coach last month.
“I feel what coach Walden brings to the table, that’s what wanted me to go over and commit to UTEP,” Smith said on Friday. “I just want to play for him right now. I feel like he was the right choice for me. They gave me the opportunity to play quarterback, so I took the chance to commit to them.”
Smith was given a full ride to UTEP as a quarterback. It’s an opportunity the product out of El Paso, Texas is ready to take full advantage of.
“I’m truly humbled for this opportunity. I’m just ready to get up there and try my best to represent this school and the city of El Paso,” Smith said. “There’s a bunch of good people here in El Paso and that’s why I chose to stay here. It felt like home to me.”
Shay will follow his father’s footsteps. Shay’s father, Paul Smith, played running back at UTEP from 1996-1999. He rushed for 1,259 yards and 12 touchdowns in 1999. He was selected in the fifth round of the 2000 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers, playing eight seasons in the NFL (2000-2007) with the 49ers, Detroit Lions, St. Louis Rams and Denver Broncos.
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