Smith getting closer to a decision

Moreno Valley (Calif.) Rancho Verde offensive lineman Tyron Smith, arguably the top player at his position out West this year, has narrowed his list of colleges down to two and will likely be making a commitment within the next two weeks.

Smith, 6-5, 265 pounds is a big time prospect and can make a strong claim to being the top overall player in the West this year. As good as he is now, and he was the best OL we saw during the entire NIKE Camp tour, what we really love most about Smith is his upside and how much room he has to get better.

When you watch Smith, you see a player that is still learning about technique and how to play the game. Physically, he's off the charts and his overall strength and athleticism are superior to any other linemen we've seen. Once he gets to college and starts working with a true line coach, as we said, his potential can't me measured.

Smith spent last weekend in Arizona with several members of his team and checked out both Arizona and Arizona State.

"They were both cool," Smith said. "ASU was more of a strongman competition and Arizona was like a real camp where he did drills. I liked Arizona better between the two, I was really comfortable and got along well with all the coaches. The only schools I'm really looking at right now are Arizona and USC."

The Trojans will have their chance to impress Smith when he attends their Rising Senior camp next week.

"It starts June 21 on Thursday but I don't think I'll be able to attend that day because of summer school," Smith said. "So I'll be going on Friday and that should be a lot of un. I really like USC a lot, they have been my top school for awhile now.

"I just like the way the coaches talk to me over there. Plus when I'm on campus, it feels like a big family and I love the intensity of the practices. They have also been recruiting me harder than anyone else although Arizona is right there too in that department.

"My plan is take this camp in and then I should be ready to make a commitment by the weekend. I'm looking forward to getting the decision out of the way so I can turn my focus to school and then I don't have to worry about it during my senior year. I'm taking two summer school classes now and I just had a 3.1 GPA my last semester so I'm doing a lot better there. I'll be taking the SAT in the summer and I'm studying hard for it so I'm confident I'll be good to go."