Ohio DB picks up first offers

Columbus (Ohio) Africentric safety Ryan Smoot has traveled more than 2,000 miles in the car so far this spring hitting camps, junior days and combines. So far the hard work has paid off.

The 5-foot-9, 191-pounder picked up his first two scholarship offers over the weekend and he feels like he's close to picking up other offers.

"I must say that I my recruiting has picked up in the last week, as I have been over 2000 miles to camps," he said. "On that note, I picked up my first offer from Eastern Michigan at the Midwest Elite Combine in Michigan. I then got another offer from Air Force Tuesday morning. And other schools are taking interest as well."

Other schools include teams like Colorado and Ohio, who both were impressed with him at last week's Elite Skills Camp in Cleveland.

"The coach from Colorado and Ohio both told my mentor that I had good footwork, speed, hand-to-eye coordination," Smoot, who is 5-foot-9 and 191 pounds, said. "They also liked that I have 3.4 GPA and 23 ACT. I also talked to Miami University, and they will be coming by my school soon. My hard work is really paying off."

It's easy to see why schools are interested in Smooth.

With a solid, 4.53-second time in the 40-yard dash, Smoot is a dangerous weapon on offense, but he might be even more important on defense. Last season he recorded 90 solo tackles, four sacks, forced five fumbles and recovered three fumbles.

"I'm aggressive," he said. "I attack the ball on defense. I like to hit players, that's my main thing."

His efforts earned him several postseason honors including first-team all-city and honorable mention all-district.