SMU OL signee Erin Smith: 'I had to stick with my word'

North Little Rock, Arkansas, offensive tackle Erin Smith officially signed a national letter of intent to play for SMU Wednesday morning. It was a countering exclamation point for all the rumblings he had heard regarding his recruiting process, and it was the perfect opportunity for him to set the record straight.

He wasn't going anywhere. And he never planned on going anywhere.

"After I made my decision, it really wasn't that tough," said Smith, who committed to the Mustangs on June 9. "I had to stick with my word. That's where I felt most comfortable."

In a world where decommitments happen more often than college programs would want, Smith wanted to make sure he did two things with his own commitment process. First, he wanted to make sure he researched every school he was interested in.

And second, once he found the one that fit him best, and once he chose to shut down his process with a commitment, he wanted to honor his word.

The results from those were be the 6-5, 275-pound, three-star offensive tackle signing his LOI and joining a 2020 class that has tons of potential.

"You could tell they made a big leap from last year," said Smith, referring to SMU going from five wins in 2018 to 10 wins this season. "They showed a lot of improvement from one year. I'm coming in next year, so I'm hoping we have even more improvement."

Smith was recruited by offensive line coach AJ Ricker. Smith spoke highly of a recent in-home visit with Ricker and head coach Sonny Dykes.

"They made me feel like home before they came," Smith said. "When they came, it just helped to make my decision final."

And now that pen has been put to paper, Smith is ready to shine for the Mustangs. He's also ready to recruit for the program.

"Dallas is where it's at," he said. "If you want to play big-boy football, compete in a good conference and get a great education, come to SMU."