Michigan lands commitment from four-star DL Jerod Smith

Four-star Cheshire (Conn.) Academy defensive lineman Jerod Smith announced his commitment to Michigan on Tuesday, becoming the third prospect at his position to join the two-time reigning Big Ten Champions this cycle and second from the state of Connecticut.

Smith is the second addition for the Wolverines on Tuesday with Top 100 Rochester (Mich.) Adams tight end Brady Prieskorn pledging earlier that day. Michigan is now tied with Wake Forest for the most 2024 commitments (14).

Smith chose Michigan over offers from Notre Dame, Nebraska, Alabama, Kentucky, Georgia, Tennessee, Penn State, Iowa, Penn State, South Carolina, Michigan State, Miami, Ole Miss and Texas.

“I mean, Michigan has been doing a really good job,” Smith told The Wolverine. “They’ve been to the College Football Playoff for the past two years so they’ve been consistent with winning too. The way they’re turning that program into a powerhouse for football is great. I think of it as a really good school because I’ve only heard things about it.”

At 6-foot-2.5 and 255 pounds, Smith is ranked as the No. 316 overall prospect in the country, No. 28 defensive lineman nationally and No. 4 junior in the state of Connecticut, according to the On3 Industry Rankings, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Michigan pulled the trigger on offering Smith three months ago during the January contact period.

Smith, along with his brother, 2024 four-star EDGE Jacob Smith, each visited Ann Arbor in March to watch spring practice. Michigan defensive line coach Mike Elston also traveled to Cheshire Academy earlier this week to kick off the spring evaluation period, which led to the Wolverines gaining heavy momentum.

“It was great,” Smith said when he received the offer. “I was thankful for (the Michigan offer) and I’ve been waiting on it for a while. I like the way that they produce their players so they’re pretty high on my list. Ever since colleges were allowed to text me, (Michigan) has been in contact since.”

Smith has an On3 NIL Valuation of $34K with 4,600 combined followers on Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. The On3 NIL Valuation is an index that looks to set the standard market value for both high school and college-level athletes. The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.

Rounding out Michigan’s 2024 recruiting class are Top 100 Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day quarterback Jadyn Davis, Top 100 Cincinnati (Ohio) Archbishop Moeller running back Jordan Marshall, On300 Austin (Tex.) Vandegrift offensive tackle Blake Frazier, On300 Kansas City (Mo.) Rockhurst offensive tackle Andrew Sprague, offensive tackle On300 Harper Woods (Mich.) High defensive back Jacob Oden, On300 Nashville (Tenn.) Ensworth linebacker Mason Curtis, On300 Bellevue (Wash.) High tight end Hogan Hansen, consensus four-star Avon (Ohio) High interior offensive lineman Luke Hamilton, three-star Lakewood (Ohio) St. Edward offensive tackle Ben Roebuck, three-star Cincinnati (Ohio) St. Xavier defensive lineman Ted Hammond, three-star Wallingford (Conn.) Choate Rosemary Hall defensive lineman Manuel Beigel and three-star South Park (Pa.) High linebacker Zach Ludwig.