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Florida Atlantic loses Rashad Smith to Syracuse within a week

The Owls seemed to have the nation's 135th outside linebacker tied up after his visit to Boca Raton on Jan. 15. Then within the week, a blizzard happened, and before FAU could react Syracuse had taken their commit.

By Ryan Lynch
Charlie Patridge's staff seemed to have Rashad Smith locked up... until they didn't.
Charlie Patridge's staff seemed to have Rashad Smith locked up... until they didn't.
Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

The Florida Atlantic Owls were set to continue their recruiting success with the official visit of Rashad Smith, a three star outside linebacker/safety out of Homestead, FL, on January 15th.

Smith seemed content with his commitment to FAU, which he made after the Owls became the first team to offer him a scholarship on March 13, 2015. Despite having offers in hand from Bowling Green, Temple and Syracuse, it looked as if he was set to take his talents to Boca Raton and join the recruiting class of 2016.

While Smith was preparing for a visit to Syracuse on Jan. 22 (less than a week after being in Florida), a major blizzard hit the Northeast part of the United States. There was snow aplenty, which affected most teams within the storm's grasp, in terms of hosting and visiting recruits.

While FAU was not feeling the effects of the storm (other than a brisk chill), they would soon get hit with a devastating cold shoulder from up North. Smith de-committed from the Owls today and committed to the Orange, announcing through Twitter that he was done with the recruiting process.

As the 135th ranked outside linebacker in the nation by 247sports.com, this is a monumental loss for Charlie Partridge after seemingly having Smith locked up. Now as one of Syracuse's #DomeDudes, the Owls feel all their work go down the drain to a team that stole away their recruit in barely over a week.

This loss raises a larger question for FAU fans. If coaches like Dino Babers can use their Carrier Domes and chrome domes in the backyards of G5 teams, this will make recruiting that much harder for these programs going forward.

Smith should be fine, as obviously he saw something in going from sunny Florida to one of the snowiest places on the east coast. As a New Yorker-turned-Floridian, my biggest tips to him would be to invest in a good jacket, be prepared for class not to be canceled due to weather and to get ready to be stuck inside for long periods of times.

It already looks like he took the first piece of advice:

Welcome to the terrordome of recruiting, Owls fans. It isn't pretty.

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