TE Ismael Smith Flores commits to Nebraska, sees versatile role in offense
Nebraska has landed a commitment from tight end Ismael Smith Flores. The three-star tight end from Arlington (Texas) Martin seemed destined to be headed for Iowa. That was until his high school head coach, who talked Flores into playing the game of football his senior year, took a position at Nebraska and offered his former player.
Ismael Smith Flores says it’s the people at Nebraska that makes it special
“It was definitely the coaching staff for me,” Flores said. “Everyone that is there showed me a lot of love and they were all very genuine. Another big thing was Matt Rhule. He’s turned around every collegiate program he’s been at so I have a lot of confidence in him.
“Also, it’s the fan base at Nebraska and their culture. Those fans deserve everything that is coming their way. I want to be part of that, want to be part of that culture, be part of that re-branding, and win some games for the Nebraska fans.”
Nebraska can see a significant role in Flores moving around and creating mismatches. What’s more is that the Nebraska staff says that there is a plan to put multiple tight ends on the field together, so there is a significant need for players in the tight end room.
“They see me moving around the field a lot. Nebraska says that they can see me lined up differently and being able to stretch the field for them. I can also be a guy that can stay in and make some blocks. They called it more of a flex tight end. Coach likes to run a lot of 12 and 13 personnel so Nebraska is going to use a lot of tight ends.”
Flores and his teammate, Jeremiah Charles, were late to get to Nebraska because of a basketball game on Friday night. Charles and he left for Nebraska on Saturday morning and joined the group about time for lunch.
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“On Saturday, we got to meet all of the coaches and eat lunch,” Flores said. “Then we got to tour the new facility. That’s really nice. We ate again and then got to spend some time with our host.”
Nebraska picked the right guy to put Flores in touch with as his host. Flores knows that things are still settling in Lincoln, his host wasn’t sure who all of the new people were, but he could convey that he liked the changes around the program.
“My host was Thomas Fidone, the tight end. He told me that he is liking things up there right now. Today is the first day that everyone is getting back on campus and he said that people are still figuring everything out. He’s met some of the coaches and he’s still getting acclimated to things.
“Fidone said that he’s met coach Wager and coach Rhule. He says that they are good people. He said that he’s still trying to figure out everyone else.”
The next day, Flores said that he and Charles were doing the things they missed on Saturday morning.
“On Sunday we learned about academics, NIL and did the photoshoot,” Flores said. “We ate dinner that night. They fed us a lot up there.”
Reunion between Ismael Smith Flores and Bob Wager
There was a bit of a reunion moment for Flores and coach Wager while on the official visit and Flores quickly understood why coach Wager made the move to work with coach Rhule.
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“It was crazy because I used to see him every day at Martin and seeing him at Nebraska didn’t seem real. I thought it was funny, but it was great seeing him again. He told us that they’re building something special at Nebraska and that Matt Rhule has done it at all of the other schools he’s been at.”
Coach Wager and Flores have a unique bond. Wager had to ask Flores to come out and play his senior year and understand the big picture. Wager has essentially recruited Flores before and now he’s recruiting him again.
“He wants to coach me bad,” Wager said. “Coach Wager knows me better than anyone else. He’s seen me since the first day I played the game. He knows me and he knows what I need to work on. There is potential there for me that he wants to work with and develop.”
Nebraska surprises, facilities are the best that he’s seen
This was the first opportunity for Flores to visit Nebraska. He said that there are obviously some stereotypes going into visits anticipating what you will see.
“It was funny because what I thought I knew about Nebraska was that there wasn’t anything up there. That it was mostly cornfields. But, we got up there and it was cool. It was snowing and coming from Texas we don’t see that so I was geeked to see that. And Lincoln was a great town, had a great feel to it.”
The visit went well for Flores to commit, but he said that the visit was perfect. Schools that Flores had visited before Nebraska didn’t compare too well after he saw what Nebraska was building.
“It was a “10” for sure,” Flores said. “The best thing was being able to check out the new facilities that they are building. That thing is massive. Every school is going to tell you that they have the best facilities in the nation, but it’s really looking like Nebraska is about to have that.
“I have been to Iowa and Rutgers before and that’s what you do when you take these visits; you compare and you contrast. That was a big difference to me between the visits to those schools. Nebraska is just crazy.”
