4-star EDGE Jared Smith to visit LSU

It has been a couple of years since Hoover (Ala.) Thompson four-star EDGE Jared Smith has been to Baton Rouge, but that will change this weekend.

Smith is set to visit LSU this week for the first time since camping as a freshman, per On3’s Chad Simmons.

He is the nation’s No. 49 overall prospect, No. 5 EDGE and No. 2 recruit from Alabama in the 2025 cycle according to the On3 Industry Ranking — a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Smith currently has five official visits scheduled for this summer: Ole Miss (April 26), South Carolina (May 31), Georgia (June 7), Tennessee (June 14) and USC (June 21).

Breaking down Jared Smith’s top schools

Smith spoke about four of the schools he’s visiting back in February.

South Carolina: “I like the people at South Carolina. Coach Shane Beamer and the staff has good energy, they are fun to talk to and I had a good visit up there,” Smith said in January.

Georgia: “The standing is good with Georgia,” Smith told DawgsHQ. “I’ve been talking with Coach [Chidera] Diribe a lot and getting the home feeling from him. They’re very consistent. They want me to stay hungry, and they want me at the G. Why not commit?

“They get people to the league. That’s the end goal right? They send people to the league, so why not go to Georgia? They win National Championships, so why not?

Tennessee: “Coach Garner and Coach Chop are my best relationships there,” Smith told VolQuest.com. “They are both old-school type guys. They just got Jordan Ross there, and I know him from Vestavia, so he is a really good guy. Just the home feeling those guys bring, and the way they communicate with me every single day.

“I love the way they are trying to get guys in there that can rush the passer. That is something they think I am good at, so if I was to go there, just getting after it and rushing the passer would be nice.”

USC: “It was amazing to get out there,” Smith said about his visit to USC. “The staff made me feel special the entire visit. They all knew me, they showed me around and it was a great experience overall. USC made a great first impression and I will definitely be back.

“I talked ball with Coach Henny (Eric Henderson) and I learned a lot from him. He is coming from the NFL, he coaches Aaron Donald and he is the best to do it. We talked about how he strives for the best, how he pulls the best out of his guys and he was really impressive. Coach Henny is a guy that really knows what he is talking about and I had a great time with him.”