Smiley has a leader

Jacksonville (Fla.) Raines athlete Samuel Smiley took his second official visit this past weekend, when he traveled to the University of North Carolina. The two-star prospect had previously taken an official visit to Purdue.

"It went well," Smiley said of his time in Chapel Hill.

The 6-foot, 170-pounder talked a bit about what he did during his time on campus.

"They showed me around campus,"Smiley said. "I met all of the coaches. They talked about their academics - I loved that - because they have a lot of help. They have a good social life up there too."

He was hosted on the visit by senior safety Jonathan Smith. He said the two of them spoke at length about what it is like to be a Tar Heel.

"He told me he liked it up there, that they are going to help you get better and get to the next level," Smiley said. "He said that they are good at helping you switch position because I am going to go from quarterback to corner."

Also during the visit, Smiley had an opportunity to speak one-on-one with head coach Butch Davis.

"He said they need me because they are losing some people, some corners," Smiley said. "He told me I could come in and play special teams from the start, he said that would be a good thing for me. He said I could come in and possibly not redshirt because they are going to give me a try at my position first before making that decision."

Smiley entered the visit with a top three of North Carolina, Purdue, and Middle Tennessee. He departed Chapel Hill with a clear leader.

"North Carolina is my first, my favorite," Smiley said. "They have a need for a player like me. I just think it is a place where I can have fun and get the job done."

As far as upcoming visits, Smiley is set to visit Middle Tennessee the weekend of Jan. 21st. That will mark his final official visit and he said a final decision will likely come at the conclusion of that visit.