Miami football: 5 most underrated players in Miami Hurricanes history

2. Mami football underrated players: Willie Smith

Not many schools have the lineage at tight end that the Miami Hurricanes have. Jeremy Shockey, Kellen Winslow II (off the field issues aside), Greg Olsen, and Bubba Franks are just some of the greats to play in South Florida. However, before all of them, Willie Smith was the great tight end to play for “The U”.

We all remember Bernie Kosar’s time with the Hurricanes, but he wouldn’t be as good without Willie Smith. He was a consensus All American in 1985 and was way ahead of his time. He was built like Rob Gronkowski at a time where he was asked to be Trey Burton. However, his talent could not be ignored and he became one of the first great tight ends.

When Smith left the Hurricanes for the NFL, he held a multitude of records. He had the most receptions in a single season, the second-most yards in a single season, he still holds the single-game receptions record (12 against Maryland in 1984), and the second-most career receptions.

Smith may have been past in terms of notoriety, he wasn’t past in terms of impact on the field. He might be the best tight end in the history of this program, yet he comes up late in the discussion when Hurricanes tight ends come up.

It’s honestly curious what would become of Smith if he actually stayed in Miami for his final year of eligibility. He decided to turn pro, but he wasn’t taken until the 10th round. He claims he thought one of his coaches told the NFL about a failed drug test. Either way, his NFL career flamed out pretty quickly. If he stuck around with Jimmie Johnson one more year, he might have been one of the best receivers in college football history. Now, he gets to be on this list.