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Florida latest to offer 2014 CB Smith

D.J. Smith of Marietta (Ga.) Walton, a lifelong Florida fan, got a nice surprise Monday when he was told Gators coach Will Muschamp wanted to speak with him on the phone.
"After school my coach called me in to the field house," Smith told Rivals.com. "I talked to Coach Muschamp and he offered me. He told me he wants me to visit the campus. I was surprised that he wanted to talk to me. It was cool talking to the head coach of my favorite team."
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Although he has lived in Georgia for several years, Smith, a rising junior cornerback, was born in Florida and has followed the Gators since he was little.
"I watched them play growing up," Smith said. "Me and my dad used to watch the games."
Two Florida assistants have been by Walton this spring, Smith said. They certainly weren't the only coaches to stop by to get a look at him.
To date, Smiths holds seven offers, with programs such as Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan State, Nebraska and South Carolina also having pulled the trigger. Although Smith has no leaders, he said the Gators stand out. But, he added, it's early.
Who is recruiting Smith the hardest?
"It's out of Georgia and South Carolina," Smith said. "It's probably Georgia the most. I got a bunch of letters from them last week. I've talked to the Georgia coaches a couple of times. And I talked to the head coach [Mark Richt] once when they offered me. When I talked to him, it was for like 10 minutes."
Smith hopes to take several visits this summer.
"I know I'm going to Florida, but I'm not sure about the others," Smith said. "My dad is going to talk tomorrow to my head coach."
Smith was a backup the first two games of the 2011 season, but took over as a starter at one cornerback spot when the player ahead of him on the depth chart was injured. He started the rest of the season and recorded two interceptions for Walton, which was the state runnerup.
Keith Niebuhr can be reached at Keithrivals@yahoo.com. You can follow him on Twitter @KeithRIVALS.
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