MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Steven Smothers’ high school coach says the standout receiver “probably had 15 offers as freshman,” but West Virginia ultimately won out because of proximity and its history of developing skill players.
Anthony Burgos, coach at Franklin High School in Reisterstown, Md., discussed the Mountaineers’ four-star commitment on Wednesday night’s edition of MetroNews “Sportsline.”
“Tavon (Austin) was a big guy here in the Baltimore area and somebody that Steve watched play,” Burgos said. “But I think they do have a couple of different things about them as far as what they do with the ball. Tavon did a lot more coming out the backfield where Steven has really tried to develop himself as a pure wide receiver.”
An electrifying player at 5-foot-10, 165 pounds, Smothers is coming off a four-touchdown performance in last year’s state championship game. He is being pursued by programs such as Florida State, Alabama, Ohio State, Penn State and Nebraska, though Burgos sensed WVU was the frontrunner “for some time now.”
Two of West Virginia’s signees last February, Jordan and Jacquez Adams, were high school teammates of Smothers. That meant repeated trips to Morgantown, where all three could be reunited next year after Jacquez completes a season at prep school.
“Location was pretty big. I think (Smothers) want people to be able to come see him play,” Burgos said. “We’ve been up there several times and the ride has turned into nothing—we drive up and drive back.”
Watch the entire interview with Burgos above.