4-star EDGE Jared Smith locks in four official visits

Before the dead period kicked in early in February, Hoover (Ala.) Thompson four-star EDGE Jared Smith took visits to Georgia, South Carolina and USC. He will be back in Columbia and Los Angeles for official visits. The No. 48 overall prospect and No. 5 EDGE in the On3 Industry Ranking has locked in four official visits.

“I am taking an official visit to South Carolina on May 31-June 2, to Georgia on June 7-9, to Tennessee on June 14-16 and to USC on June 21-23,” Smith told On3.

Earlier this week, Smith told On3 that he plans to make a commitment late in the summer.

“Late in the spring is when I am trying to get my list down, then I want to commit in July or August,” Smith said. “All [schools] are the same right now. The most important thing for me is that home feeling. Relationships really matter to me, so that will be a big factor moving forward.”

Smith talks Gamecocks, Bulldogs, Vols and Trojans

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.”