Keelan Smith via Twitter
2024 Husker Signee Analysis: Wide Receiver Keelan Smith
When a kid commits to a school, the typical recruiting fan will look at two different things to determine how excited they should be. The first, of course, is whether they have four stars attached to their name. The other thing fans want is for other prominent programs to have already offered as well.
If said recruit doesn't check at least one of these boxes, they're usually filed away as under-the-radar or even reaches by fans who always know more than coaches.
This was the case with Liberty (Mo.) North High School star Keelan Smith. When the 6-foot-2, 205-pound Smith committed in early May, his lone offer was from in-state Missouri. Sure, UCLA and Iowa also extended offers, but those seemed blanket in nature. There wasn't much communication from either school after the initial offer was made.
Some Husker fans were more excited to get back into the Kansas City area than they were with Smith himself. Some even questioned if it were nepotism-driven.
As most know, Keelan's father is Neil Smith, one of the best players in program history who also has his name on the stadium. Neil was an All-American at Nebraska in 1987 and was chosen with the No. 2 overall pick by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 1988 NFL Draft. He played 13 seasons in the NFL and was a six-time Pro Bowler and first-team All-Pro in 1993. He was chosen to the 1990s All-Decade Team and finished his career with 625 tackles and 104.5 sacks. Smith also won two Super Bowls with Denver in 1997-98.
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Keelan's older brother, Ne'land, was also a walk-on wide receiver at Nebraska from 2016-2017.
More than any other commit, Keelan Smith completely changed the narrative surrounding him after a dominant senior season.
Smith was on the radar of the previous staff. He visited campus a few times as a sophomore, attending the March 5 Junior Day and the 2022 Red-White spring game. He started getting more attention after Mickey Joseph took over as interim head coach during his junior year.
That fall, Smith was named first-team all-district after he caught 50 passes for 850 yards and 11 touchdowns playing a hybrid wide receiver/tight end role. He was invited to attend the Illinois game in late October 2022 and was offered a scholarship by Joseph. Smith and Joseph bonded quickly, and an eventual commitment was likely.
After Joseph wasn't retained in any capacity, Smith wondered if the ship had sailed with his dream school.
Nebraska’s assistant director of player personnel, Keith Williams, was retained by Matt Rhule and was a bridge between Smith and the new staff. The two sides connected in February 2023, and his recruitment got a restart. He received interest and took spring visits to Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa and Kansas State, and also started hearing from Kansas. But other than Missouri, he never really gained any traction with those programs.
Keelan was back in Lincoln on April 18 to watch a spring practice a few days after he posted updated results in the weight room: 345-pound hang clean, 320-pound bench press, 460-pound squat and a 40-inch vertical. jump.
Neil Smith never shied away from nudging his son toward his alma mater, but he also made it a point to let Keelan know it was completely his decision to make. Nebraska had meant a lot to Keelan for a long time, but when it came time to choose his college, finding the right fit came first and foremost, ahead of any emotional ties from his father or past connections to the previous staff.
Smith connected quickly with receivers coach Garret McGuire and maintained a strong relationship with Keith Williams. Ultimately, he was sold by Matt Rhule’s relaxed, down-to-earth disposition and the family environment he was fostering throughout the program.
Smith committed to Nebraska on May 5 and returned to campus three days later with his parents to celebrate his commitment and iron out his official visit date.
The Smiths decided on the weekend of June 23-25 for his official visit, but Keelan was on campus the week before with a couple of teammates, specifically trying to peer recruit four-star edge Jayshawn Ross.
While prepping for his senior season, Smith spent the summer participating in track workouts and lifting weights. He didn't run in any meets but used them more as speed training. He also worked with a personal trainer three times a week.
He was a man among boys this past fall. Despite receiving extra attention from defenses, Smith finished his senior season with 74 receptions for 1,268 yards and 17 touchdowns. He helped lead Liberty North to its first-ever state championship, finishing with 133 yards and two touchdowns in the 6A title game against Christian Brothers.
Keelan earned first-team all-state accolades and was named offensive player of the year by the Missouri Football Coaches Association. He was also a finalist for the Otis Taylor Award, given to the top wide receiver in Kansas City. Smith was named the Missouri High School Football Player of the Year by MaxPreps and also made the outlet's second-team All-America unit as a tight end.
When he initially committed, some theorized Smith would be a defensive athlete and eventually play the Jack or Rover position in Tony White's 3-3-5 system, depending on how he filled out. That's not going to be the case.
Smith is being brought in as a receiver. Much like Quinn Clark, Smith could (and is open to) slide out to a hybrid tight end role if that's where his body takes him.
He enrolled early and has gotten a head start with winter conditioning and will try to make enough progress during spring ball to put himself in position with a strong summer camp to get into the rotation this fall.
I'm looking forward to seeing how he develops. He was a traditional hand-in-the-dirt tight end as a sophomore before having his role expanded. He was lethal in the hybrid receiver/tight end role with Liberty North, where he played different receiver spots and at H-back. He probably projects to a similar role in Nebraska's offense.
