After racking up 857 receiving yards and 10 TD’s as a junior, it appeared that Mason Smith would have a future as a collegiate wideout. And to be fair, he still very well might.

But when the UTEP staff got the opportunity to watch the Edmond (Okla.) Deer Creek product in a camp setting, they came away with a different vision of what Smith could be at the collegiate level. The Miners extended him his very first FBS offer, but not as a receiver. Instead, Scotty Walden and company want him at outside linebacker.