Highly sought after sprinter Chauncy Smart, out of Auburndale High School pledged his services to Florida State on Sunday afternoon. Smart, a 5-8, 160-pound speedster, will attend FSU on a track scholarship.
“All the other visits that I’d been on, it was just different,†Smart said of FSU. “As soon as I stepped foot on Florida State’s campus, I felt like it was a home. They treated me differently than all the other schools and they showed that they cared about the athletes over there. Just with that environment, I can see myself there for the next 3-4 years.â€
In addition to being one of the nation’s most sought after track stars, Smart is also listed as a 3-star football athlete by 247Sports’ composite rankings. The NCAA however, prohibits track athletes from walking on to football teams.
As far as track goes, Smart hopes to return the Seminoles to national prominence. FSU won three straight men’s outdoor championships from 2006-08, but the 2007 title was later vacated.
“They want to get back to winning national championships,†Smart said. “For me committing there — one of the biggest track recruits in the country – it’s going to draw other track recruits there. They told me once I commit and once I get there, that’s the start of them getting back on track, to a national championship level and taking over the entire state. I just want to show them why Florida State is the best in the whole entire (state of) Florida.â€
Smart plans to major in communications at Florida State with the hope of pursuing a career in sports broadcasting. As a runner, Smart has aspirations of competing in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
“My goal is to go to Florida State and run the best times I can in my career and possibly go to the 2020 Olympics,” he said. “I’m a hard worker, I never give up. I’m just going to keep working until I get what I want or reach my goal. I’m glad to be a Nole.â€
Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson
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