WATCH: Harrison Smith talks about his path to the Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings safety recently talked about how he fell in love with the game of football and how he grew as a player at Notre Dame.

Five seasons into his career with the Minnesota Vikings, Harrison Smith has already established himself as one of the best safeties in the NFL. Anyone looking for proof of that can look at the last two Pro Bowl rosters and see Smith’s name on included on both of them.

At 28-years-old, Smith is really just entering the prime of his career and that should be a scary thought for the rest of the league. Since 1988, no safety in their first five seasons on Minnesota’s roster has had more total tackles or sacks than the amount Smith has accumulated in the last five years.

But before he became the great Vikings safety that is today, Smith got his start in football at a young age. The Minnesota safety recently sat down with Fighting Irish Media and talked about the the path that the sport has lead him down over the years.

It is interesting to hear about how he almost chose to attend the University of Tennessee instead of Notre Dame. Smith may not be a member of the Vikings today if not for the skills and tactics he picked up as a member of Notre Dame’s football team.

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Minnesota’s fans are very thankful that his path eventually lead him to being a member of their favorite team’s roster. With Smith on the field, the Vikings know that their defense is being lead by one of the best players in the NFL.