Tag: James Smith

Gators to get visits from these two 5-star defensive linemen in July

Things will be cooking in Gainesville for Friday Night Lights weekend at the end of July.

Now that the calendar has turned over after a busy month of June for Florida football’s recruiting staff the next big date on the horizon is the Gators’ Friday Night Lights weekend, which will be held on the final weekend of July. Among the many planning on attending the festivities are a pair of five-star defensive linemen in the 2023 class who could make huge waves in Gainesville.

[autotag]James Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Jaquavious Russaw[/autotag], both teammates at Montgomery (Alabama) Carver, are slated to join the crowd that weekend according to Swamp247. It will be the first visit, as well as one of the unofficial variety, for the two standouts to the Swamp but that has not prevented the Orange and Blue from climbing the leaderboards for the two blue-chip prospects.

The pair have already unofficially ventured to the campuses of the Alabama Crimson Tide, Auburn Tigers, Texas A&M Aggies and Miami Hurricanes during the spring and early summer, while spending their lone official visit to Athens to check out the Georgia Bulldogs on June 17.

Smith, a 6-foot-4-inch, 310-pound who is among the very best at his position, currently ranks No. 13 overall and No. 2 at defensive lineman nationally according to the 247Sports composite, while the On3 consensus has him at Nos. 6 and 1, respectively. The Tide currently holds a narrow lead over UGA on On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine at 47.2% and 40.3%, respectively.

Russaw, a 6-foot-2-inch, 230-pound EDGE rusher, is currently ranked No. 27 overall and No. 4 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite, while the On3 consensus has him at Nos. 23 and 3, respectively. Similar to Smith, both the ‘Dawgs and ‘Bama are in the hunt for the young man’s talents, but the former holds the lead in this chase with a 49.8% chance of signing him while the latter sits a bit back at 32.9%.

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Tigers cap off this past weekend with some star-studded official visitors prior to dead period

The Tigers hosted several official visitors this past weekend and we breakdown why these visits were so important.

This past weekend was a huge one for the Auburn coaching staff. It was the last chance for the coaching staff to bring in recruits before the dead period that begins on June 27. The dead period prohibits recruits from having face-to-face interactions between both coaches and players.

This past weekend the Tigers saw four recruits come in for official visits. A tandem from Montgomery, Alabama headlined the group. That is four-stars James Smith and Qua Russaw. Recently, the two recruits released their top eleven schools. Both Smith and Russaw had the Tigers in the mix. In all likelihood, the two will continue to play with one another in college. With that being said, it was essential for the Tigers to get them both on campus for official visits.

The two of them really seemed to enjoy their visit this past weekend. Just a week earlier, the two made an official visit to Georgia. Although those two schools seem firmly in the mix, Alabama is also heavily recruiting the two of them as well. I wouldn’t be surprised if it comes down to those three schools in each of their recruitments.

Another key visitor from the weekend was three-star linebacker Phil Picciotti. The Pennsylvania native is one of the Tigers’ top defensive prospects. The coaching staff will likely have their hands full in his recruitment as other schools like Penn State and Oklahoma have also received official visits. It was Picciotti’s first trip to the Plains, so he was able to see what Auburn is all about. He has been predicted for months to commit to the Sooners, but we will see how his recruitment unfolds.

Another interesting visitor was Ohio State commit Cedric Hawkins. He has been committed to the Buckeyes since January and he seems unwavering with his commitment. Jeffrey Lee of On3 reported that he remains firm to the Buckeyes. His visit doesn’t give the Tigers hope in his recruitment. It seems as if he was just trying to get a feel for the school without actually having extensive interest.

The Tigers certainly hope that the other three official visitors will evaluate their options and keep the program in contention. All three are top-end recruits that the coaching staff would love to add to the recruiting class. It will be interesting to see if any of them elect to return to the Plains for a visit in the fall.

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Florida defensive coordinator visits two 5-star recruits

Both of Florida’s defensive coordinators have now paid these two recruits a visit. Will the Gators be able to get them on campus?

Florida’s coaching staff has remained busy evaluating talent over the last couple of weeks, and co-defensive coordinator/defensive line coach [autotag]Sean Spencer[/autotag] is no exception. Coach Chaos was in Alabama on Tuesday to visit a pair of Carver High (Montgomery, Alabama) recruits, according to 247Sports.

He stopped by Madhouse Fit to see five-star defensive lineman [autotag]James Smith[/autotag] and four-star edge [autotag]Jaquavious Russaw[/autotag] in action. Neither has made it to Gainesville yet, but sending out the co-defensive coordinator is a pretty strong indicator that Florida is pushing to get them in town for a visit. UF’s other co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach [autotag]Patrick Toney[/autotag] also paid them a visit a week ago.

There’s no timeline for a decision just yet, but Florida won’t be considered a serious contender until they get the defensive duo on campus. Other Southeastern Conference programs such as Alabama, Auburn, Georgia and Texas A&M are better positioned to land the pair of elite recruits.

Another team to watch out for in the hunt for these two is Miami. The Hurricanes hosted them on March 21 and 22 after getting into the race late with a January offer. The Gators are still waiting on extending an offer, but that’s likely just a timing thing and will come once they get on campus for a visit.

Smith is the No. 15 recruit overall in the class of 2023, according to the 247Sports composite, and is the No. 2 defensive lineman as well. Carver is No.37 overall and No. 5 among edge defenders.

While it’s not guaranteed, these two seem likely to follow one another throughout the recruiting process. Both are among the most-coveted recruits in the country, so expect Florida to keep pushing over the summer.

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Five-stars James Smith and Qua Russaw are potentially a package deal

Are James Smith and Qua Russaw destined to become a packaged deal for the Crimson Tide?

There have not been many more star-filled classes from the state of Alabama than the class of 2023. In fact, 10% of the top 100 in the On3 Consensus Rankings hail from the state of Alabama, an incredible number considering the population of the state.

Two of those prospects, [autotag]James Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Qua Russaw[/autotag] are high school teammates and may even be a package deal for their college destination.

Smith is a powerful and athletic defensive lineman prospect while Russaw is an explosive athlete from his EDGE position. Both five-star prospects are within the top 25 of the 2023 class rankings and could potentially be instant impact players.

Recently Smith spoke with On3 and had the following to say.

“The only difference is Qua has Oklahoma on his list and I have Jackson State on mine. The other 10 schools are the same. We are basically looking at the same schools. I’d say there is a 70-75% chance we go to the same school when we sign.”

Currently, Smith is favored to land with the Tide according to On3’s RPM while the Georgia Bulldogs are the current favorite for Russaw. It looks like it could be a two-team race for the potential Smith-Russaw package deal.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow the recruitment of both Smith and Russaw.

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Texas among top schools for two five-star prospects in the 2023 class

Texas has a chance to land five-star defensive line teammates Qua Russaw and James Smith.

The Longhorns haven’t had a legitimate pass rush since the departure of Joseph Ossai to the NFL. Continue reading “Texas among top schools for two five-star prospects in the 2023 class”

5 in-state prospects to watch in the class of 2023

5 in-state prospects that Alabama fans should be watching out for in the class of 2023!

The early signing period for the class of 2022 brought plenty of excitement to the Crimson Tide. Nick Saban and the Tide brought in one of the most impressive classes in the country that currently ranks second just behind Texas A&M.

Even with all the excitement that surrounds the class of 2022, it is never too early to look at some of the top prospects that Alabama will be chasing after for the next year or so.

Today we are going to look at five players from the state of Alabama that all Crimson Tide fans should familiarize themselves with.

 

Titans’ Jon Robinson explains how he comes up with rookie nicknames

Jon Robinson has dubbed UDFA punter James Smith, “Keith Urban.”

Tennessee Titans general manager Jon Robinson is a fan of giving out nicknames to rookies, and that’s especially true with the lesser-known ones on the roster.

Nicknames for players in general are very common, and anytime you hear Robinson or head coach Mike Vrabel speak, chances are you’ll hear some semblance of a nickname for players they talk about, rookie or not.

Robinson, who spoke at the Rotary Club of Nashville recently, explained how he comes up with nicknames for first-year players, using undrafted free-agent signings Blake Haubeil and James Smith as two examples.

Robinson revealed that Haubeil, who played his college ball at Ohio State, is known as “The Buckeye”, while Smith is known as “Keith Urban”, a singer-songwriter who, like Smith, is Australian. (H/T Emily Proud of WKRN).

Haubeil is set to compete for the starting kicker job at training camp, while Smith is just hoping to secure a spot on the practice squad with the great Brett Kern also on the roster.

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5-star defensive lineman visiting Auburn on Tuesday

Five-star defensive lineman James Smith from Carver High School in Montgomery is set to visit Auburn on Tuesday.

June has arrived and with it on-campus visits are permitted again.

Auburn is starting the month off with a big one from five-star defensive lineman James Smith who is visiting the Plains on Tuesday.

Out of Carver High School in Montgomery, Smith is ranked the No. 3 defensive lineman and No. 6 overall player in the 2023 signing class.

From 247Sports scouting report on the 6-foot-3, 270-pound playmaker:

Physical young defensive lineman who could fit multiple fronts, but likely projects best to 3-tech in an even look. Possesses requisite size/frame. Consistently flashes vs. the run and as a pass rusher. Bull in a china shop who made plays as a freshman with size, strength, tenacity. Impressive closing speed relative to size. Physicality really stands out for such a young prospect. Technical development and improved body control could make for truly elite front-line defender. Early returns suggest impact high-major potential with early-round NFL Draft ceiling.

According to Auburn Undercover, Auburn also expects Smith teammate Jaquavious Russaw, a three-star edge rusher, to visit the Tigers on Tuesday as well.

Ohio State offers No. 1 DT in 2023 recruiting class

The Ohio State football program has extended an offer to the top defensive tackle in the 2023 recruiting class, James Smith.

If you follow Ohio State recruiting at all, by now you know that it is putting together another fantastic class for 2022. It’s currently rated as the No. 1 class in the country, and the Buckeyes continue to add to it.

But in the world of big-time college football recruiting, the next cycle is always on tap and in-stream, while the current class is still being assembled. That’s exactly what happened on Wednesday when Ohio State extended an offer to the No. 1 defensive tackle in the 2023 class.

James Smith is out of Montgomery, Alabama, and ranked as the No. 3 overall player in the class according to 247Sports. He is listed at 6-foot, 3-inches, 270-pounds, and already has offers from the likes of Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, Penn State, and Tennessee.

It’s too early to know where Smith stands in his recruitment, but you have to believe the home state Crimson Tide will factor in hard as things progress. It’s obviously way too early to get excited one way or another, but as things become more clear, we’ll be all over it.

Ohio State football 2022 recruiting commitment tracker

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Michigan State Football offers 2023 top-ranked DT James Smith

The Spartans are pursuing one of the top-ranked players in the 2023 recruiting class.

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Can Michigan State Football go into Alabama and recruit one of the top recruits in SEC country? That’s precisely what Mel Tucker and his crew will try to do with 4-star defensive tackle James Smith, the top-ranked DT of the 2023 recruiting class.

Smith is 6’3″, 270-pounds, and plays for Carver High School in Montgomery, Alabama. He is currently the No. 3 ranked player in the 2023 class and the No. 2 ranked player in Alabama by 247Sports.

He is currently being recruited by Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Penn State, Texas, Tennessee, Florida State, and many more so this will be a dogfight for the Spartans.

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