Rickey Smith went about his due diligence of making a college choice pretty much on his own. So when the 2021 Orlando Jones High defensive back announced Thursday he had committed to Purdue, much of the reaction began with, “You did what.”
“My mom cried and my dad just told me how proud he was of me,” Smith said. “I didn’t really communicate with Coach [Elijah Williams] like that,” Smith said. “I just felt it was the right time to make a decision. And really, I just wanted to surprise everybody, so that’s why I did it that way.