Florida football recruiting: Linebacker Nick Smith commits to Gators

The Florida Gators’ massive recruiting weekend — about which much more on Monday — produced its first commitment on Saturday night.

And it didn’t even come from a player on campus, as 2017 linebacker Nick Smith committed to Florida one week after his official visit to Gainesville, announcing the news on Twitter with a rather well-written letter.

Smith hails from the Dr. Phillips High in Orlando that produced Alabama Crimson Tide turned Green Bay Packers safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Alabama turned Colorado State Rams running back Dee Hart, both of whom went to Alabama when Jim McElwain was there. And he is a three-star prospect per the 247Sports Composite — but, well, look at this highlight film and see if it screams “three-star” to you.

Smith is Florida’s third linebacker commit for the 2017 class, joining early enrollee James Houston and commit Ventrell Miller, and he probably completes Florida’s haul at that position. The Gators remain in the mix for Texas linebacker Levi Jones, but Jones is thought of as a Florida State lean, and is spending this weekend in Tallahassee on an official visit.

Smith’s commitment swells Florida’s class to 15 commits for the 2017 recruiting cycle — and that number is only likely to rise, perhaps as soon as later Saturday night.