Jesuit DE Brad Smith, ranked No. 87 on the Times’ HomeTeam 100, has decommitted from USF and pledged to attend Lehigh, his father said Tuesday.
Smith was one of three Tigers seniors, including Cameron Ruff and Robby Garcia, who were planning to play at USF for since-fired head coach Skip Holtz. It wasn’t immediately clear Tuesday night why he decided to change his commitment.
A three-year starter at Jesuit, Smith finished his high school career with 142 tackles and 26.5 sacks. He was chosen as the Tigers’ defensive MVP for 2011 and followed that up with 57 tackles and 10 sacks this fall.
Smith also had offers from major-college programs like Boston College, Duke and Air Force as well as offers from the likes of Furman and Lafayette.
Lehigh, a private school of about 4,800 students in Bethlehem, Pa., competes in the Patriot League of the Football Championship Subdivision level. The Mountain Hawks went 10-1 but were denied a spot in the FCS playoffs after failing to win their third straight league title.
Also, Jesuit DB Tim Foley received offers in the past week from Stetson and Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts. Those are his fourth and fifth offers.