Vols lead for ATH

Knoxville (Tenn.) Catholic athlete Harrison Smith has for the most part been pretty quiet about a favorite up to this point in the recruiting process. The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder recently alluded that the Volunteers probably stand out above the rest.

"I wouldn't say I have a complete clear cut favorite, but I like Tennessee a lot," he said. "Growing up here I've always loved going to their games. There is definitely a comfort level with them and I would say I probably have an SEC bias because the conference always seems to be the best, but I'd still say I'm looking elsewhere."

Although they stand out, Smith definitely wants to see what happens this season for the Volunteers after a difficult 2005.

"I'm very anxious to see how they rebound this season," he said. "I'm really going to watch them and pay attention to their games."

In the meantime, other schools continue to offer the Tennessee prospect including his most recent scholarships from Arkansas, Auburn, Colorado and Notre Dame. He confirmed that he did receive a handwritten offer from the Irish.

This summer at least two schools will be getting a visit from the athlete.

"I have scheduled an unofficial visit to Stanford on June 1st and I'm in the process of putting together a trip to Notre Dame sometime around then too," he explained. "Nothing else is concrete, but I'll probably head to a couple other schools also."

Last season Smith accounted for over 1,500 yards of offense and 24 touchdowns as a junior. He added 87 tackles, 11 for loss, seven interceptions and seven deflections on defense on his way to earning all-district, league, region and state honors.