Jesuit’s (FL) Joquez Smith commits to Temple

TAMPA, FL – One of the top running backs in the Tampa Bay Area announced his decision on where he’s going to play his college ball, via Twitter on Friday, and

TAMPA, FL – One of the top running backs in the Tampa Bay Area announced his decision on where he’s going to play his college ball, via Twitter on Friday, and it wasn’t too much of a surprise on where.

Jesuit running back Joquez Smith announced he is committing to Temple. He becomes the first running back to commit to the Owls for the 2023 signing class and 11th overall. For the 2021 undefeated Jesuit Tigers, Smith had his breakthrough season that led to the tailback garnering interest.

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Smith rushed for 1,976 yards on 235 attempts and scored a team-high 29 touchdowns for the 15-0 Class 6A state champion Tigers. Now Smith will return back to Jesuit’s backfield as a college committed running back alongside junior quarterback Luke Knight.

The Tigers are now playing out of a new district, 3-Metro, District 5, and are paired up with playoff contender Hillsborough, Gaither and Leto. Smith’s top game from the 2021 season came when the 5-foot-8, 190-pound running back rushed for 234 yards on 22 carries and scored three touchdowns in Jesuit’s 37-12 state semifinal win over Miami Northwestern.

Andy Villamarzo can be reached at andyvillamarzo@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @Andy_Villamarzo.