Magnolia RB picks up first offer

Brooklyn (Miss.) Forrest County Ag running back J.J. Smith has been referred to as one of the top players in the Magnolia State without a scholarship offer. He has now picked up his first offer and while it isn’t from a major conference school, those could be on the way soon.

“I recently got an offer from Louisiana-Monroe,” Smith said. “I have also been getting calls from Ole Miss, Marshall and West Virginia. I think that Ole Miss and West Virginia could offer soon. They have both been recruiting me really hard.”

At 6-foot-0 and 193 pounds, Smith is an excellent athlete with a 4.42-second 40-yard dash time and a 36-inch vertical leap (all official NIKE Camp numbers). As a junior, he was named all-area, all-division, and was selected to the all-MVP team in the division, after rushing for more than 1,700 yards. He accounted for 27 total touchdowns, including 19 rushing, four passing, three receiving, and one punt return for a score.

“My top four schools right now are West Virginia, Ole Miss, Louisiana-Monroe and Marshall,” Smith said. “I have not been able to go to any games this year, but I am planning on trying to go to the Ole Miss-Tennessee game and I also plan on going to a Louisiana-Monroe game.”

So far through six games this season Smith has rushed for just over 1,000 yards and 14 touchdowns.

“Staying at home is not something that really matters that much to me, I just want to feel like home,” Smith said. “I would like to be able to get some playing time, by the time I am a sophomore. I also want to make sure that I get along with the coaches.”