Pahokee Pride: Is Michigan's Vincent Smith Destined for Greatness?

South Florida is best known for its sweltering heat and endless seas of sugarcane fields.

But south Florida is also known for another thing...That one thing is football.

Football is everything down in this region of Florida. For many of these small towns lost out in the fields of cane, it's literally almost all they have.

In most of the small towns in south Florida, the majority of the residents live below the poverty line. So for many young men in this area...football is their only way out.

For one small Florida town this certainly holds true.

That town is Pahokee, home of one of the biggest powerhouses the state of Florida has to offer.

If the Pahokee boys aren't off in a sugarcane field chasing down rabbits, then they are likely on the field winning championships.

Winning championships is what Pahokee is best at anyway. Three straight state titles and four titles in the past five years can be considered quite a solid run.

But all this could not be done without elite talent.

One such talent comes from a small running back by the name of Vincent Smith.

Smith has been one of Pahokee's most dangerous weapons in their title run even despite his small 5'8" 170 lbs frame. As a senior, Smith rushed for 2,119 yards and 20 touchdowns on 248 carries (8.54 ypc).

But what makes Smith so great?

For starters, his elusiveness and cutback abilities are top notch. Thanks to his small size he has an enhanced ability to avoid tackles or wiggle out of them.

Smith has the fortune of also having excellent speed and very good field vision. He is quite explosive to boot.

Smith's greatest asset is his deceptive strength. For a small kid he packs a good punch and won't hesitate to deliver a little bit of thunder to go with his lightning.

Seeing him make runs like this during spring practice just goes to show a little bit of what the freshman is capable of.

But the one thing that could be to Smith's greatest advantage, which is actually what he has been knocked on the most for, is his size.

Smith's small frame is similar to two other backs from Michigan history. Those two backs made quite the name for themselves while at Michigan, and that is why I feel confident that Smith may do the same.

Those two backs you ask?

Why those two I mentioned are none other than Mike Hart and Jamie Morris.

It wasn't but five years ago in the 2004 class when then head coach Lloyd Carr signed little three-star Mike Hart out of Syracuse, New York. Out of high school Hart, just like Smith, was knocked for being too small.

When he graduated high school, Hart was just a little taller than Smith, standing at 5'10" 175 lbs.

Hart, of course, left Michigan as the schools all-time leading rusher. But another small back, Jamie Morris, also once held that title.

Morris who was recruited to be just a kick returner almost didn't get to play running back because Bo Schembechler thought he was too small. Morris was 5'7" and weighed under 180 lbs.

Good thing Bo gave him a chance at running back since Morris ended up as Michigan's all-time leader in rush yards for a single season and career as well as career 100-yard games. He still is the single season record holder for 100-yard games and career receptions for a running back.

So what if Smith is too small?

From a historical perspective this bodes well for Smith.

The question is, can he follow in the footsteps of these other little engines that could, or will he fall victim to his size?

Only time will tell but one thing is for certain, Smith will be a player to watch for in years to come. Rich got him a good one in Smith and I'm sure Wolverine fans won't be disappointed.

Now let's sit back and watch it all unfold this fall and witness as Smith sets out on his own road to greatness.