That certainly didn’t take very long.
Late last Tuesday night, Derrick Smith tweeted that, “effective today, I would like to inform [Miami Nation], I am no longer on the University of Miami football team.” The third-year junior defensive back gave no reason for the abrupt departure, which came less than two weeks before The U kicks off the 2019 campaign against in-state rival Florida in Orlando.
Just a couple of days after tweeting his decision, Smith took to the same social-media site over the weekend to reveal that four schools are under consideration as a potential landing spot -- Florida, Illinois, Nebraska and Texas.
In the same tweet, Smith indicated that a new school will be picked at some point this week.
Decision being made next week 🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/PQpKk61lJr
— derrick smith (@derrick8179) August 17, 2019
At this time, it’s unclear whether Smith will be eligible to play immediately for his new team, regardless of which one he selects.
The Orange Park, Fla., native came to The U as a three-star member of the football program’s 2017 recruiting class. The past two seasons, Smith saw action in 25 of the Hurricanes’ 26 games and was credited with 24 tackles, 1½ of which were for a loss.
Prior to his decision to leave, Smith was expected to play an expanded role in the Hurricanes’ secondary this coming season.