Emmitt Smith explains why he considered playing for Auburn before ultimately picking Florida

Legendary running back Emmitt Smith made quite a name for himself at Florida, where he turned one of the Gators' best statistical careers into an equally impressive stint in the NFL.

But Smith, who cameoed on the SEC Network's "SEC This Morning" show on Monday, explained why he would have gone with his next-favored school, Auburn, had he not joined Florida's football program.

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In the recruiting process leading up to the running back's decision, Smith explained that Tigers coach Pat Dye made a commitment to the now-Hall of Famer that he wanted Smith to have the Heisman, making him the focal point of the offense.

"When I was coming up, Bo Jackson had just won the Heisman a couple years ago, years before that" Smith said during his appearance. "And Auburn's Pat Dye had committed to me: 'Here's the campaign. Here's what we're going to do to get you the Heisman. Because we want you to have the Heisman.'

"Auburn took pride in running the football, and they were on grass. So that was one motivating factor for me as well, but Auburn would have been the school."

Smith's freshman season at Florida was in 1987, two years after Jackson won the Heisman Trophy. Though he never replicated Jackson's feat (he finished ninth in the Heisman voting as a freshman, and seventh as a junior), his decision to sign with the Gators ultimately proved fruitful.

After just three years in Gainesville, he left as the Gators' all-time leading rusher with 3,928 yards (a record Errict Recht narrowly broke just four years later with 4,163 yards). He also left as the Gators' all-time leader in rushing touchdowns, notching 36 in three seasons. He was also a First-Team All-SEC every season, won SEC Most Valuable Player in 1989 and is a member of the Florida Football Ring of Honor. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006.

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Smith was drafted with the 17th overall pick of the 1990 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys, where he played from 1990 through 2002. He currently holds the NFL record for rushing yards (18,355) and rushing touchdowns (164). He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010.

Despite missing out on Smith, the Tigers didn't come away empty-handed: Dye and Auburn won at least a share of the SEC championship in each of the three seasons Smith played at Florida.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Emmitt Smith explains how Pat Dye recruited him to play for Auburn