Big visits coming, list of favorites taking shape for Christopher Smith
COLLEGE PARK, Ga. — Christopher Smith doesn't keep count of the scholarship offers he receives. He has dozens. The 6-foot, 170 pound cornerback out of College Park (Ga.) Hapeville Charter appreciates each offer, he sees each as a blessing and he is not into counting and promoting how many he has.
The top 50 cornerback in America is humble, he is gracious and he is taking it all in right now. Smith is always working out, improving his craft and trying to take his game to the next level. His length, awareness and athleticism are some of the things he has that appeal to college coaches nation wide and he is a coveted prospect out of the Peach State.
In between training sessions and competing at camps and 7v7 events, Smith is going to squeeze in some visits this spring. He knows five schools he plans to check out in the coming months.
"I will be visiting Georgia, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State and South Carolina for sure here pretty soon," said Smith. He has visited the Bulldogs and Gamecocks numerous times already due to location, but it will be his first time to see the Wolverines, Spartans and Buckeyes.
Those trips will create big news this spring, but he has bigger news coming. Smith is working on trimming his list down and naming his list of favorites in the near future. It is starting to take shape and in Aprils or early May, he plans to release his list of top schools.
IN HIS OWN WORDS...
ON FAVORITES LIST: "I have always been a guy who will give each school a chance to recruit me, so when I do release my top list of schools, any new school that comes in can still do that," said Smith. "My list will be the schools I will be focusing on, but not a final list. It has started to get a little tough, so I think cutting things down will help me. I know it is getting to be crunch-time in recruiting, so I need to really start thinking about my decision and which school I can see myself at."
ON GEORGIA: "I know a lot about Georgia because they are close to home. I already liked Georgia, but after going up there for Junior Day, it was eye-opening. They showed a lot of love to me and my dad and I really like how organized they are. They have a plan for the recruits and they showed me everything that day. It was impressive. My last visit there really showed me something."
ON MICHIGAN: "I love coach [Jim] Harbaugh's (head coach) energy and enthusiasm about coaching and Michigan. I talked to him on the phone recently and I can tell that he really loves me and that the staff really wants me up there. I have talked to a lot of their coaches already, so I can't wait to get up there and check them out."
ON MICHIGAN STATE: "I have heard great things about their facilities and I have talked to them some, so I want to see what they are about. I know they have pulled some players out of Georgia, so I want to see what it is like, talk with the coaches and just learn more about them when I get up there."
ON OHIO STATE: "I have not visited Ohio State yet, but I have heard great things about them. It has good history of producing talent and they have great interest in me. Coach [Kerry] Coombs speaks highly of me and I just want to get up there."
ON SOUTH CAROLINA: "I have been there a couple of times and I really like coach T-Rob (Travaris Robinson, defensive coordinator) and coach [Will] Muschamp (head coach) a lot. They both played defensive back, they are good coaches and I know they are some of the best in the business. I like the environment there too. Also a former player (Antoine Wilder) from my school is there and he tells me a lot of good things about them too, so that is big."
RIVALS REACTION: Smith knows some schools who will make his list of top schools, but not all. He is in contact with numerous coaches, he is doing his own research on many schools, he has his parents there to help with any questions and within the next month to month and a half, he will be ready to reveal the schools he is most interested in. Location will not matter. He is looking for the best fit, both athletically and academically. On his decision, he could go a number of different ways. He has thought about committing before his senior year or as late as signing day. A decision when he just feels right about is not out of the question either.
