MORE: Purdue adds Florida athlete Rickey Smith to 2021 class | 2021 Purdue commitments

Purdue’s 2021 recruiting class grew to nine verbal commitments with the pledge on Tuesday of Orlando safety Rickey Smith.

The 6-2, 190-pound Smith picked the Boilermakers over offers from the likes of Miami (Fla.), Ole Miss, Missouri and West Virginia, among others.

Smith plays at Jones High, a 5A school with roughly 1,600 students in an eight-class Florida system. The Fightin' Tigers went 13-2 in 2019, losing to powerhouse Northwestern High (Miami) in the 5A state title game.

GoldandBlack.com spoke with Jones High defensive coordinator Andrew Anderson to get the low-down on Smith, who has yet to visit Purdue.