PSU Class of 2013: Welcome, Jordan Smith

After the unprecedented sanctions came down against the Penn State football program last July, the outlook on the 2013 recruiting class was foggy at best. It was unclear how many of the current commits would be exploring other options, and how many new players would be willing commit to a program with a competitive disadvantage and no chance of playing in a bowl for the first three seasons of their college career. H.D. Woodson defensive back Jordan Smith helped silence some of those doubts by committing to his dream school just weeks following the that day in July that sent shockwaves through the Penn State program.

Smith is a welcome addition for a team that was one or two injuries from a complete catastrophe in the defensive backfield in 2012. As an early enrolle, he has the opportunity to compete for playing time immediately, and at the very least be a "break glass in case of emergency" player during his true freshman season. Smith has solid size for a DB, standing at 5-11 and weighing in at 185 pounds. Based on some of the footage of Smith's high school career, he has excellent speed, strong football instincts and is not afraid to step up and hit someone in the mouth when the opportunity arises.

Smith is from the same area as former Penn State greats Derrick Williams and Navarro Bowman, and even trains with Roman Morris, father of Stephon Morris. Based on Roman's work with his son, Smith appears to be in good hands with someone who understands how to teach the position.

Smith is listed as a three-star prospect by Scout, and received two-stars from Rivals. He received scholarship offers from Kansas, Colorado and Hawaii and also garnered interest from Georgia, Vanderbilt and Illinois. Like nearly all Penn Staters from the Beltway area, he was recruited by Larry Johnson Sr. and newly-minted defensive coordinator John Butler.

Welcome to Penn State, Jordan.