After stating that he wouldn’t be taking coaches from Florida to Louisville, Charlie Strong took a couple of coaches with him from Florida to Louisville -- not that there’s anything wrong with that.
The former Gator defensive coordinator never said, though, that he wouldn’t poach recruits from his former school. It’s a good thing, too, because, in the case of at least one sorta commitment, that’s exactly what he’s doing.
According to the Louisville Courier-Journal, Strong has grabbed quarterback Marcus Smith and pulled him into the Cardinals’ verbal commitment fold.
Smith told the paper that he was likely headed to Gainesville until Strong came a callin’.
“If Louisville would have never been in the mix, I would have probably went to Florida,” Smith said. “But I’m glad Louisville came into the mix. I like coach Strong a lot and I really wanted to play for coach Strong. Louisville is a great program.”
Likely a big reason for Smith shifting his focus from Florida to Louisville is the fact that Strong will start the athlete out at QB.
“He wants me to play quarterback, he established that during our talk this morning,” Smith said. “To tell you the truth, I just want to play so I am good wherever he wants me.”
That being said, and given a 2010 recruiting haul littered with four- and five-star commitments, I really don’t think the Gators are going to lose any amount of sleep over Smith’s non-binding decision.