Syracuse Football: Get To Know Your Orange Man - #45 Jerome Smith

Let the Gettin' To Know continue as we get to know Jerome Smith.

Player: Jerome Smith

Number: #45

Position: Running Back

Year: Junior

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 213

Hometown: Bear, DE

High School: Pencader Charter

2011 Stats: Smith saw playing time in all 12 games last season, garnering 37 carries for 134 yards and a touchdown. He scored the touchdown in the Pitt game, which was his best of the year (10 carries, 56 yards). In fact, Jerome saw his touches increase as the season wore on. Maybe some of that had to do with wear and tear on Antwon Bailey as well as PTG's injuries, but certainly Smith earned his spot.

2012 Projections: With Bailey gone, it's now Jerome and Prince Tyson Gulley's show. And so far, Smith is in the driver's seat. He's the No. 1 RB on the depth chart, ahead of Gulley, the injured Steve Rene and the enigmatic Ashton Broyld. Chances are that Smith and Gulley still have some sorting out to do and we'll see both on them on the field when the season begins. From there, one will likely step up to claim the bulk of the carries.

How'd He Get Here?: Smith attended one of SU's one day camps, which led to a scholarship offer, which he quickly accepted. Jerome chose Syracuse over Wisconsin.

What'd Scout/Rivals Say?: Scout gave Smith a 2-star rating, while Rivals was a bit more generous, and deemed him a 3-star recruit.

Money Quote: "They told me they like to call all their running backs super backs so they can do everything...Whatever that means, I'm ready to do it." - Smith after being recruited by SU. He's beginning to figure it out, too.

Links of Wonder: Smith is a prolific tweeter and finds a balance between motivational tweets and calling out his teammates.

What Does Marrone Think?: "When you watch the film after the game, there are some of the challenges that we have in how fast the development of Jerome Smith will be if he gets more carries? Where he's gone from last year to this year is really a credit to him and Coach (Tyrone) Wheatley and the other backs in the room. The more competition you have, the better chance of have of players rising to the occasion." - 10.24.11

Interesting Nugget O'Interest: As a high school senior, Smith rushed for 1,334 yards and 16 touchdowns on 193 carries as well as posting 36 tackles and four sacks on defense. He was busy.

Let Us Get a Good Look At You: Jerome gets some pub in this video about the RB depth chart last season...