The guy he’s replacing, Tramel Barnes, left Utah to take a similar position in South Dakota State. Why would anyone leave a high profile program to go to the hinterlands?
Well, I’m not certain that Smith is going to be canned after this season. I’ve been on record many times on this site saying that the only way that happens is if the team craters. If the team has a mediocre season, say something like Smith’s second season at the helm, there’s no way that he gets canned because Utah would then have to eat the last two years of his six year contract.