Next Generation: Florida Cornerback Larry Smith Excited to Join Indiana's Ball-Hawking Defense

Larry Smith has never met any of his new Indiana coaches in person or ever visited Bloomington, but the 5-foot-10, 175-pound cornerback from northeast Florida is already a Hoosier through and through.

ORANGE PARK, Fla. — It's a sun-splashed mid-December day in northeast Florida, and Larry Smith has spent the better part of 30 minutes talking about why he's so excited to play football at Indiana. 

He's sitting in an office at Oakleaf High School a bit southwest of Jacksonville, and the 5-foot-10, 175-pound defensive back is a bundle of energy. Dressed in red Indiana shorts and t-shirt, the enthusiasm for his new college program knows no bounds.

He talks about Indiana cornerbacks coach Brandon Shelby, who was his main recruiter and will be his position coach next year, and just raves and raves. "That's my guy right there. Coach Shelby and I, we have a great relationship.''

Larry Smith has never met Brandon Shelby in person.

He talks about his high school career and what he's looking forward to next. He's glad to be a part of an Indiana program that  "is a top-tier program now'' and he's been watching all of Tom Allen's success closely. "Coach Allen is amazing. It's really an honor to be able to play for him.''

Larry Smith has never met Tom Allen in person, either.

But that's recruiting in 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic making all the rules. Indiana won this recruiting battle – most notably over North Carolina and Ole Miss — doing it with Zoom calls and text messages, and Smith can't wait to get to Bloomington in late May.

Bloomington. Yeah, you get it, he's never been there before, either.

"I've never met Coach Shelby or Coach Allen in person, and I've never been to Bloomington,'' Smith said. "That's all weird, but everybody is in the same boat, because there's nothing we could do about the pandemic other than get through it. This recruiting process, there was a lot of pressure on me to make the right choice, because it's a decision you can't come back from.

"I couldn't go there to look around, but they did a great job of showing me online what it's like there at Indiana. I had like three virtual visits, and they were really well done. They make you feel like you're right there.

'I'm excited to be at Indiana.''

Larry Smith of Oakleaf High School in Orange Park, Fla., signed with Indiana on Wednesday. (Photos courtesy of Oakleaf High School)

Bringing Indiana to Florida

Even though Smith, a born-and-bred Jacksonville native, has never been to Indiana, he's had plenty of people to lean on to get comfortable. He knows current Indiana safety Devon Matthews, a Jax native himself, and the two talk often. 

"I grew up around Devon, and I watched him play at Ribault (High School in Jacksonville),'' Smith said. "And when he committed to Indiana, I paid attention to him pretty close, and he tells me all about it. He loves it there, loves playing for Indiana.

"He's been getting me ready. Devon told me to stay in shape and keep my body flexible, because they'll put some weight on me when I get up there. I'm excited for that.''

Smith started at Lee High School in Jacksonville, but transferred to the much-bigger Oakleaf High School during the spring of his junior year. He played just one season there, but made an instant impact.

"When he showed up, I watched his highlight tape from Lee and he was out of this world,'' Oakleaf coach Frank Garis said. "They played Cover-3 there and he was their free safety. He was all over the field. He has great closing speed and really gets to the ball. With his mentality and the scheme that Indiana plays, it's the perfect fit for Larry.''

The 33-year-old Garis knows what goes on at Indiana pretty well because he's paying attention for a long time. He grew up in a Penn State family, so Big Ten football is in his blood. Former Hoosier Nick Tronti played for him in high school and Indiana defensive coordinator Kane Wommack coached a couple of his players when he was the defensive coordinator at South Alabama. (Wommack took the head coaching job at South Alabama this weekend.)

"I know that Indiana defense, that Indiana scheme, pretty well,'' he said. 'Indiana likes to move people around, and Larry will fit that just fine. He's really smart on the field, and whatever they throw at him, he'll be able to handle it.

"Indiana does an unbelievable job with attacking the football. I've been watching the Big Ten a long time, and Indiana is changing things. It's really cool to see Indiana become a football program now, and really turn the corner. They're doing great things right now, and they've got a great coaching staff.''

Smith has also heard a lot about life in Indiana from Oakleaf athletic director Marcus Miller, who grew up in Rochester. His father, Mark Miller, was the popular football coach at Rochester High School for 31 years.

"I grew up in Rochester and my dad, Mark Miller, was something of a legend there,'' Miller said. 'He's living down here now, and we're real close to each other. I grew up more of a Notre Dame fan, but I've played close attention to Indiana because of Tom Allen. We knew him when he was at Ben Davis and from IFCA. Larry and I have talked about all that.''

Miller has loved getting to know Smith during his time at Oakleaf.

"He's a wonderful kid, and he can flat-out play,'' Miller said. 'When I first saw him, I thought, 'Wow, he's small. He's lean. He's an Indiana recruit? But when you watch him, you know right away that he's a player. He's really something to watch. He just makes plays, all the time, and that's the best compliment you can give a player like him.''

The best compliment you can give any Indiana cornerback recruit these days is to compare him to sophomore Tiawan Mullen, a first-team all-Big Ten selection on Wednesday. Tom Allen has no problem doing that.

"Larry can play safety, he can play corner, and he's got a lot of Tiawan in him,'' Allen said. "He just has a knack for getting to the football, and getting balls out, whether it's strips or breakups. He's a great blitzer also.''

That sounds like Tiawan, who's been one of the main faces of this Indiana turnaround.

"Larry Smith is a very, very talented football player,'' Allen said. "He just has so much instinct to him, and so much ball-making ability. He's just around that football all the time.''

Larry Smith poses with high school coach Frank Garis after signing on Wednesday

A well-bonded Class of 2021

The pandemic also has made it difficult for recruits to spend time together, but this Class of 2021 has found a way to stay close, despite not taking official visits together or watching IU games from the sidelines. It's been a weird fall.

"We have a group chat set up, and it's been a great way to get to know everyone,'' Smith said, 'David Holloman, and Jordyn Williams, they're texting a lot, and Maurice Freeman and Jonathan Grier and the guys, we talk a lot. too. It's good to get to know everybody a little bit.''

Allen said that's one thing that has impressed him the most about this group. The 14 guys who signed with Indiana on Wednesday aren't making any excuses about what the pandemic has taken away. They've bonded together through texts and the occasional phone calls, and they've been able to really enjoy this great Indiana season together. 

"One thing about this group is they are really connected, and they did that on their own. They started a group text chain, and they really bonded,'' Allen said. "They've gotten closer and closer as the season's gone on. I think having a smaller group has helped, too, and that group was pretty much all together before the season even. They stayed together, and that's an important thing.''

Smith said the constant contact with Shelby has meant a lot, too. He feels comfortable already, which is saying lot considering everything they've gone through this year.

"Coach (Shelby) always calls me and let's me see faces, so I'll fit right in when I get there,'' Smith said. "We talk or text just about every day. He's been great about making it real with me, and I like that. 

"Indiana was my last offer, actually. They fit in well with me, right from my first conversation with Coach Shelby. They were the only team that really kept in constant contact with me. We started talking in late March, and we talked a lot for about three weeks. I bet we talked every day, and I committed in April.''

Smith also likes that there's a huge Florida presence on Indiana's team, with two dozen Floridians on the roster

"Devon Matthews, I'm cool with him, he's from here. And D.J. Matthews — (the transfer from Florida State) — who's coming too, we've talked. I've known him for a minute. And T-Mullen, he's my guy. 

"Having so many Florida guys is great, because they can relate to me and we can all have a great comfort level.''

Larry Smith has defensive back skills that remind people of current Indiana star Tiawan Mullen

'Really good player, but an even better kid' 

Larry Smith took the online option for school this year because of COVID. His mother has cancer, and Larry didn't want to bring anything home. He also likes being home with his mom, so he can help her whenever he needs to.

"She's a strong woman, and she's been through a lot. But we have a tight family,'' Smith said. "She's going through chemotherapy, and she takes good care of me. I take good care of her, too. I'm an only child and she's kept a good eye on me my whole life. She's never let me get in any trouble.'' 

Garis said you would never know what Smith is going through at home.

"He never missed a practice or a game all year. Not one,'' Garis said. "And when you're around him, he's always smiling, always doing what he needs to do, always 'yes sir' and 'no sir.' He's a really good player, but he's an even better kid.

"His mom is going through a rough time. She's going through chemo, but you would never know when you talk with Larry that they're going through all that. He's always got a smile on his face. It's not like he fakes it, it's just that when he's here, he's zeroed in. He's got a great support system. His parents are great, and at our games, he's got 10-12-14 people there to watch him. That's been a nice thing to watch.''

Smith will finish out the spring semester at Oakleaf and graduate in May. Then he'll head to Bloomington to start the next chapter.

"It's funny that I'm so excited to go somewhere for the next four years when I've never even visited, but that's OK,'' Smith said. "I felt like I made the right decision in April, and when you see everything that's gone on since then at Indiana, I'm 100 percent sure that it's the perfect place for me.

"I can't wait to get there and do some things. Those are my guys now.''

Previous Indiana  'Next Generation' takeouts

Our Sports Illustrated Indiana occasional series "Next Generation'' takes a deep dive into Hoosier recruits in both football and basketball, and these long-form stories have been well-received – and well-read. Here are the previous stories written in the past year by HoosierNow publisher Tom Brew;

• CALEB MURPHY: Through trying times and heartbreak, West Washington defensive end Caleb Murphy has relied on his faith and family to get through the hard times. That's helped make him the perfect Tom Allen recruit at Indiana. CLICK HERE
• TREY GALLOWAY: Growing up as a coach's kid has some perks, but it can be trying at times, too. For Culver Academy star Trey Galloway, he wouldn't have had it any other way. It's a family affair. CLICK HERE
• ANTHONY LEAL: Going undefeated and winning Mr. Basketball are great accomplishments for Bloomington South's Anthony Leal, but it's the basketball journey with his sister that's mattered to him most. CLICK HERE

Indiana football recruiting stories

• MEET THE 2021 CLASS: Here are the 14 members of Indiana's recruiting class of 2021, with five of them set to enroll early in January. CLICK HERE
• TOM ALLEN DISCUSSES CLASS: Indiana's coach knew this would be a small class, but he's thrilled with the needs that have been filled. CLICK HERE