Smith will decide between SEC rivals
With his big announcement scheduled for Wednesday, there still is one important thing left for Rivals100 defensive back Geno Smith to do.
Pick a school.
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Smith, a senior at Atlanta St Pius X School, who is the country's No. 47 prospect and No. 4 cornerback, said Sunday he hasn't yet decided which of his two finalists - rivals Alabama and Auburn - will gain his commitment.
"I haven't made up my mind yet," Smith told Rivals.com. "Monday or Tuesday, I'll definitely have a decision. By then, I know I will. I'll think about it the next couple of days. Just myself. It's my decision."
Smith's announcement will come at 3:30 p.m. EST inside his school's auditorium.
"I talked to my coach and we decided it was best to do it before the season," Smith said.
All told, the 5-feet-11, 170-pound Smith picked up 30-plus offers. At one point, Notre Dame, Tennessee and Texas also were in the mix, but ultimately it became a two-program battle between the Tide and Tigers.
"It'll be very hard to decide," Smith said. "I really do love both schools. The coaching staffs are what really kept both schools in it."
Confirming what AuburnSports.com has reported for some time, Smith, who recorded eight interceptions in 2010, said he nearly committed to Auburn this spring.
"I was close," Smith said. "But I just wanted to make sure I made the right decision."
Auburn has been in contention for quite some time.
"That was the first school to offer me when I was a sophomore," Smith said. "I went down there with my mom and fell in love with the campus. We hit it off with Coach [Gene] Chizik … him and [assistant] coach Trooper Taylor."
According to Smith, he has visited Alabama "five or six times."
"I've built great relationships with Coach [Nick] Saban, Coach [Chris] Rumph, Coach [Kirby] Smart, Coach [Burton] Burns - all of them. I had a chance to meet the players and talk to them about the school, what they like about it and why they chose it."
According to Smith, comfort, academics and environment will be the determining factors. Although playing time is important to him, it's not likely to be part of the equation.
"Wherever I go, they're going to have great players," Smith said.
When will Smith inform the coaching staffs at Alabama and Auburn of his decision?
"Probably," he said, "on Wednesday morning."
Keith Niebuhr can be reached at kneebs01@aol.com. You can follow him on Twitter @KeithRIVALS.