Richard Obert

azcentral sports

Arizona State came in late with an offer, and Jack Smith flipped his commitment from Northern Arizona to the Sun Devils, where his father, Tracy, is the head baseball coach.

Smith, who played quarterback in his only season at Phoenix Mountain Pointe, will come to ASU as a safety, Pride coach Norris Vaughan said.

Smith signed his letter of intent on Wednesday, Feb. 10.

ASU made push to the wire on Saguaro DB Byron Murphy

"He's one of the best athletes I've had at Mountain Pointe," Vaughan said. "He's really fast."

ASU can't comment on the 6-foot-1, 175-pound Smith until it receives his letter of intent.

This is the second time Smith decommitted during the recruiting process. He originally committed to UNLV, before reopening it and then committing to NAU.

"Today I got an opportunity to compete against the best," Smith texted Thursday between classes. "I personally have always wanted the toughest challenge and ASU presented that to me.

"Whether I personally come out on top or not, I'm going to attack every day to the best of my abilities in hope of winning a national championship under Coach (Todd) Graham."

ASU football recruiting class 2016

Smith would be the 19th in ASU's football recruiting class and the fifth defensive back. ASU has converted quarterback Coltin Gerhart to safety. Gerhart also is on the baseball team.

Smith, who moved with his family from Indiana during the winter of his junior year, passed for 2,005 yards and 15 touchdowns with four interceptions. He also ran for 932 yards and nine TDs. He made second-team All-Division I, after leading the Pride to a 12-1 record, losing its only game to eventual state champion Peoria Centennial in the Division I semifinals.

Maneuvering through roller-coaster recruiting process

Reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-460-1710. Follow him at twitter.com/azc_obert.