Smith made a name for himself in June

Aidan Smith's June may not have been quite as good as Stephen Curry's, but Northwestern's quarterback commit certainly made a name for himself this month.

The only quarterback Northwestern is expected to take in the Class of 2016 wasn't much more than a blip on the national radar back on June 1. But after strong showings at the Rivals Quarterback Challenge Finals and the IMG 7-on-7 National Championships, the Ft. Wayne (Ind.) Carroll product has seen his profile skyrocket among recruiting analysts.

Smith outplayed some of his higher-rated counterparts by finishing fourth out of 14 signal callers at the Rivals Quarterback Challenge at M&T Bank Park in Baltimore.

Rivals recruiting analyst Josh Helmholdt was particularly impressed by Smith's arm, saying he could have easily finished even higher.

"An argument can be made that, from beginning to end, Smith put together the most consistently impressive performance," Helholdt wrote in his recap of the event's top performers. "What hurt him, however, was that while he threw very few poor passes on the day, the 6-foot-3, 188-pound passer did not make enough perfect passes that hit the pocket and scored additional points…. Smith threw the best-looking ball on the day, though, and had a very strong showing."

Ironically, just behind Smith in the fifth spot was Deuce Wallace, the quarterback who decommitted from Northwestern in April in order to pledge Vanderbilt.

Smith also received high praise from Rivals recruiting analyst Mike Farrell at the Challenge, winning the "Spin It" award for throwing the prettiest ball.

"His last throw was as strong as his first and he showed he could really zip the ball, perhaps better than anyone in the Five-Star Challenge portion of the event," Farrell wrote in his review of the challenge. "Smith didn't win the Challenge and struggled a bit during the footwork and processing portion, but there's no question he throws a pretty ball."

When Smith returned from Baltimore, he got the biggest accolade of all: an offer from his dream school, Northwestern. Smith got his offer from the Wildcats on June 7 and committed the very next day to become the fourth NU commitment in a dizzying 24-hour period.

Smith followed up on his decision by leading his 7-on-7 team, AWP Sports, to the IMG 7-on-7 National Championship at Brandenton (Fla.) IMG Academy over Father's Day Weekend. Although his team also features four-stars Auston Robertson and Austin Mack, the two highest rated prospects in the state of Indiana, it was Smith who received some of the highest marks.

"Smith was beyond impressive," wrote Rivals recruiting analysts Rob Cassidy and Woody Wommack. "He led his team to the event's championship and looked nearly flawless doing so. He has a strong-enough arm but really shines in his drops, where his feet remain light. His delivery is deliberate and his accuracy is solid. Northwestern may be getting a steal in Smith."

Despite being relatively unknown prior to the event, Smith's performance boosted him to the top of Cassidy and Wommack's list of top offensive performers for the second day of the tournament.

"Smith came into the event without the fanfare of some of the other quarterbacks that headlined the tournament," they wrote. "That didn't stop him from stealing the show. The Northwestern commit was a technician all weekend. He rarely threw behind his receivers and showed a knack for finding his second and third options in a hurry."

AWP Sports teammate and fellow Northwestern commit Ben Skowronek praised his future quarterback's playmaking abilities.

"He's a great athlete," said the three-star receiver. "He's a big kid, a lot of people just don't think he's that great an athlete… but he can make some plays on his feet. He has a really strong arm. He's always carrying around a football, always watching film, talking football. He's really obsessed with the game."

Smith's footwork accounted for 329 yards and six touchdowns on the ground during his junior year with Carroll. He also notched 1,505 yards and eight touchdowns in the air, leading his team to an 11-1 record.