TE Smith is still waiting

West Deptford, N.J. tight end Zach Smith is still without an offer, but interest is picking up for the Garden State prospect. Who has been in touch with the 6-foot-3, 210-pounder?

"Recently I've been talking to Maryland, Syracuse, Rutgers, Vanderbilt and a few Division I-AA schools," he said. "I was very impressed with coach Fisher at Vanderbilt, Perry at Delaware, Donovan at Maryland and Galiano at Rutgers. They were all great guys that were easy to talk to.

"Nobody has offered at this time, but everyone keeping in touch wants to see how I develop this summer and check out my tape. I'd say I'm pretty wide open right now, but I like Rutgers a lot. They are a great school and I know and love a lot of the coaches there. They also have tremendous facilities and it's a great location."

With so many schools showing interest in Smith, what is he looking for out of a school?

"I really am looking for an academic school so that I have something to do after football," he said. "Athletically I want an offense I fit into and will find some playing time also."

Recently Smith looked to improve his stock by attending the Elite College Combine.

"I thought it went very well," he said. "I ended up with a 4.6-second 40-yard dash and a 4.4-second shuttle. I was pretty happy with those times, although I thought my 40 could have come down a little more. As for the one-on-ones, I thought I did great running good routes and I got good separation from the defenders."

This summer the New Jersey tight end plans to attend camps at Vanderbilt, Maryland, Rutgers and Delaware. He is still in the process of scheduling a couple more.

Last season Smith earned first team all-Group II, all-conference and all-South Jersey honors after hauling in 16 receptions for 315 yards and one touchdown.