Arkansas St. commit plans an SEC visit

Prattville High School has one of the most successful football programs in the state and the southeast. It is also one of the most talented football programs in the state and the southeast. With all the talent that hits the field on a yearly bases at Prattville, players can get lost in the shuffle. Though it may be late, cornerback Cedric Smith is quickly being found.

Already committed to Arkansas State, Smith is not anonymous. However as his senior film has been distributed, some big names have emerged with serious interest in the aggressive defensive back prospect.

Since committing, he has picked up offers from Memphis, Western Kentucky, Northern Illinois, Southern Illinois, UAB and others. Recently, Illinois and Kentucky have been added to his list, with more SEC schools coming on.

"All the interest started after the state championship," Smith said. "I had a great state game. I got one big hit that caused a fumble and I got three pass breakups and an interception."

Just this week, Smith has been in heavy communication with some major programs.

"I talked to Joker Phillips from Kentucky," he said. "And I talked to the new head coach at Memphis and I talked to the recruiting coordinator at Ole Miss."

Auburn is another school that has been in communication with Smith. After falling out of contact with Smith during the season, the interest from the Tigers has picked up recently, much to the delight of Smith.

"I thought about Auburn earlier in the season but they didn't make the move," he said. "That's where I really wanted to go but they didn't come at the right time. I'm committed to Arkansas State right now but if I get a better offer, that's where I'm going."

If Auburn were to be the school that gave him that better opportunity, Smith would likely jump on it.

"My family members were Auburn fans and everyone else was Alabama fans so I was an Auburn fan since like 2007."

Despite the interest, Auburn has yet to offer a scholarship to Smith and set up an official visit. SEC West foe, Ole Miss hasn't yet offered either, but the official visit it is set. Smith will be heading to Oxford on Jan. 29 for an official visit. He has also talked to Southern Miss, Auburn and LSU about potential visits though nothing has been scheduled.

As a senior, Smith had 58 tackles and three interceptions. With teammates Nick Perry and Sam Gibson going to play the defensive back position in the SEC at Alabama and LSU respectively, Smith certainly proved this fall that he is more than up to the task himself.

"I'm a very aggressive cornerback," he said. "I'm very good at coverage. Whatever you want in a corner, that's me."