North Texas Offers John Tyler’s Bryson Smith

John Tyler junior QB/ATH Bryson Smith picked up his sixth Division I FBS offer on Tuesday, earning an official invitation from North Texas.

The news was announced via the John Tyler football program's Twitter account.

Smith (5-11, 160) also holds offers from Bowling Green, New Mexico, SMU, Texas State, and Louisiana-Lafayette.

The JT standout is among the most athletic players in all of East Texas, and that was on full display at the third annual ETSN.fm + APEC Football Recruiting Combine last May in Tyler.

Smith took home quarterback MVP honors, and tested extremely well. He ran the third-fastest 40-yard dash among the 115 participants with a laser-timed speed of 4.52 seconds. Smith also had the highest vertical jump (39 inches), and finished in the top 10 in both the broad jump and bench press reps at 185 pounds.

Smith played exclusively at wide receiver for John Tyler in 2014 as a sophomore, and finished with 15 catches for 297 yards and three touchdowns.

Last season, his first at quarterback, Smith put up stellar numbers. He passed for 2,415 yards with 20 touchdowns and six interceptions, and ran for a team-best 1,421 yards and 21 TDs in 12 games.

Smith earned third-team honors on the 2015 ETSN.fm East Texas Football Super Team, and helped lead John Tyler (8-4) to the District 16-5A championship and a berth in the 5A Division I area round.

John Tyler moved up to Class 6A earlier this month during UIL realignment, and will join District 11 along with Longview, Mesquite, Mesquite Horn, North Mesquite, Rockwall, Rockwall-Heath, and Tyler Lee.

The Lions open the 2016 season at home Aug. 27 against Plano West.

Smith is the third East Texas recruit in the 2017 class to receive an offer from North Texas. Liberty-Eylau DE and Texas commit Lagaryoon Carson and John Tyler WR and Longhorns pledge Damion Miller also hold offers from the Mean Green.

UNT will be under new leadership this fall as former North Carolina assistant Seth Littrell took over head coaching duties in the offseason. Prior to his time at UNC, Littrell served as offensive coordinator at both Arizona and Indiana after a four-year stint as Texas Tech’s running backs coach from 2005-08.

North Texas, a member of Conference USA, is coming off a tough 2015 campaign, which resulted in a 1-11 finish and a mid-season firing of head coach Dan McCarney, who had been with the Mean Green since 2011.

Smith, like all 2017 recruits, can officially sign with the school of his choosing on Feb. 1, 2017.

2017 East Texas Football Players With Division I FBS Offers

• Judah Bell, Tyler Bishop Gorman, WR, 6-3, 180 — offers from Bowling Green, Houston, SMU (3)
• Lagaryonn Carson, Liberty-Eylau, DE, 6-4, 261 — committed to Texas; additional offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Baylor, North Texas, Oklahoma, TCU, Tennessee, Texas A&M (9)
• Trestan Ebner, Henderson, WR, 5-11, 180 — committed to SMU; additional offer from Kansas (2)
• Montrell Estell, Hooks, WR, 6-2, 180 — offers from Arizona State, Arkansas, Kansas, Notre Dame, SMU, Texas A&M, Texas State, Texas Tech, Tulane (9)
• Octavius Evans, Center, WR, 6-2, 186 — offers from Louisiana Tech, Texas Tech, ULL (3)
• Jordan Johnson, Hooks, ATH, 6-0, 195 — offer from Air Force (1)
• Kayce Medlock, Arp, ATH, 5-9, 186 — offers from SMU, ULL (2)
• Damion Miller, John Tyler, WR, 6-1, 189 — committed to Texas; additional offers from Houston, Kansas, North Texas, Oklahoma State; Ole Miss; SMU, Texas A&M, Texas Tech (9)
• Javontavius Mosley, John Tyler, CB, 6-1, 170 — offers from Houston, SMU, Texas State, ULL, UTSA (5)
• Bryson Smith, John Tyler, ATH, 5-11, 160 — offers from Bowling Green, New Mexico, North Texas, SMU, Texas State, ULL (6)
• Major Tennison, Bullard, TE, 6-6, 248 — committed to Texas; additional offers from Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, SMU, Texas Tech (6)