R250 DB down to Vols, Cocks
Despite planning to take official visit to South Carolina and Tennessee later this month, Rivals250 and Marietta (Ga.) Walton defensive back D.J. Smith said over the weekend that he'll be announcing his college decision on Jan. 13.
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He has offers from teams all over the Southeast, Smith said only two schools are still in the mix for his services.
"I've narrowed it down to two of them - Tennessee and South Carolina," Smith said. "I'm going to decide then I'm taking my officials coming up."
The nation's No. 123 overall player had been strongly considering Clemson, but said his desire to play in the SEC eliminated the Tigers from the discussion.
"I thought it over with myself and I just told myself that I wanted to play in the SEC," he said. "I want to play with the best of the best, so I cut Clemson out. I think my best opportunity to play early is at either South Carolina or Tennessee."
Smith said his plan is to visit South Carolina on Jan. 17 and then Tennessee on Jan. 24. It remains to be seen if he'll still be able to visit both schools assuming he sticks to his commitment date of Jan. 13.
Both of Smith's finalists are nearing capacity with their recruiting classes, but he said both that both have told him still has a spot available.
"Tennessee is still telling me they want me a lot because they need some more defensive backs," Smith said. "I know they have a bunch of big recruits and they've been encouraging to join them there."
South Carolina is offering Smith the opportunity to crack the rotation early in the career, and because of room in the class, it appears as if the Gamecocks are the favorite.
"They have come on strong because they're losing a lot of players," Smith said. "They're losing like two in the draft and one off a knee injury, so I can come in and play early."
The one wildcard in the process could be Miami, which Smith said is still trying to get him to take an official visit in late January.
"Miami wants me to take an official down there but I'm not sure," he said. "I'm thinking about it."
Smith added that he's taking his visits after announcing his commitment only to see reinforce that he makes the right decision.
"I'm just trying to see which one I have more fun at and which one I feel more at home," he said.
Woody Wommack is a Southeast Region football recruiting analyst for Rivals.com. You can click here to follow him on Twitter.
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