TOWSON, Md. - When Brady Smith was a widely-recruited football prospect at Loyola Blakefield High School four years ago, he developed a great rapport with an assistant coach at the University of Connecticut named Rob Ambrose.

In fact, the connection was so strong that the defensive lineman came very close to signing with UConn.

"Of all the coaches that I met during the recruiting process, Coach Ambrose was my favorite," recalls Smith, a two-time All-State first team selection at Loyola. "When I verbally committed to UConn, I told him that my dream was to attend Boston College because so many of my family members have gone to BC."

His older brother, Matt, played football at Boston College and his uncle, Charlie, was the captain of the Eagles in 1965.

"Coach Ambrose knew my situation all along," said Smith. "I told him that I would attend UConn unless Boston College offered me a scholarship."

Unfortunately for UConn, BC extended the Smith family tradition with a scholarship offer that Brady accepted.

"When I told Coach Ambrose about my situation, he was disappointed but he understood," Smith explained. "I had been up-front with him all along. The head coach at UConn (Randy Edsall) was very upset with me. But, I knew it was the right decision to go to Boston College. That had been my goal."

After playing defensive end for the Eagles for two seasons, Smith left Boston College. Looking to continue his education and his football career somewhere close to home, he enrolled at Towson University.

"Towson was the right fit for me," Smith added. "I was very familiar with the area and the University was about a mile from my high school. But the most important thing was that I would be close to home and my family would be around me."

Transferring from an Atlantic Coast Conference powerhouse to a team that competed in the Colonial Athletic Association was not an issue for Smith. He said, "Football is football to me. I am just grateful for the opportunity to play and I'm really looking forward to the season."

When he enrolled at Towson, he had no idea that he would end up playing for his favorite coach.

"It was very strange for me," he says. "When Towson started looking for a new head coach, I didn't know what to expect. Then, I kept hearing Coach Ambrose's name being mentioned. I knew he was a Towson graduate and had been an assistant coach at Towson so it made sense.

"I was rooting for him to get the job but I didn't want to get too excited about it," he added. "It was really exciting for me when he was hired to be the Towson coach."

While Smith was excited about the prospect of playing for Coach Ambrose, he also had a little trepidation about playing for a coach he had spurned earlier.

"I was a little nervous when I went to his office to meet with him," Smith admitted. "But he was fine and told me not to worry about anything. He said we were now together working for the same goal. Talking to him really got me excited for the season."

Ambrose has a somewhat different perspective. He remembers, "We recruited Brady Smith very hard out of Loyola High School. Since Maryland was my recruiting area, I was the one who was recruiting him. I must have had dinner at his home two or three times.

"We knew he was interested in Boston College," he added. "But, I thought we had him. Then, at the last minute, BC came along and made him an offer. I was displeased, to say the least."

Moments after Ambrose was introduced as the Tigers' new head football coach, he returned to his new office. Brady Smith was waiting for him.

"It was very ironic," he says. "It took me four years but I'm glad to have him on our team."

Ambrose adds, "One of the great things about having Brady Smith on the defensive line is that he is a former quarterback. He played some quarterback in high school. I think it's an advantage to have a defensive lineman who thinks like a quarterback."

Smith is thrilled to be playing for his new coach. He says, "Playing for him is just what I'd thought it would be like. He knows how to push you hard and get the best out of you. I can't wait for the season to start."

When he was playing at Boston College, Smith had aspirations of playing in the National Football League. He hasn't given up on that dream.

"I was on pace to be a four-year starter at BC and the guys next to me were all getting drafted," he says. "Coming to Towson has worked out very well for me because my position coach is Canute Curtis. He played in the NFL and he is a great person for me to learn from."