Clemson in heavy contact with possible No.1 prospect in Georgia

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Wed Mar 23 09:25:37 GMT-04:00 2011

CLEMSON – The spring schedule for St. Pius X School cornerback Geno Smith is beginning to fill up, and it still remains to be seen whether Clemson will get a visit from one of the top players in the state of Georgia.

Smith has 25 offers to date, including Clemson, and has taken visits to Alabama and Tennessee and is visiting Georgia this weekend. Last fall, he attended games at Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech and Tennessee. He said he plans on attending Miami the first week in April, but also has plans to make an appearance at the Rivals.com/VTO Sports Elite 100 Showcase in Marietta, Ga., on April 9th.

“I am looking forward to the showcase, because it is an opportunity for me to go out and get better,” Smith told TigerNet. “I like to go out to events like that and compete. I still feel like I have a lot to prove.”

The slender (6-0, 165) junior registered 11 interceptions over the last two seasons, said that four schools are in constant contact with him.

"It's Alabama, Tennessee, Auburn and Florida," Smith said. "I'm usually talking with the coaches at those schools every week trying to build a relationship. I get a lot of letters and those are the top four that are always on me."

Smith did say that Clemson coaches Marion Hobby and Charlie Harbison are always in contact with him as well, and he is developing a good relationship with Harbison.

“They write me all the time, and I call them when I can,” he said. “I like Coach Harbison. He is pretty cool.”

In picking a school, he said he wants to choose one that gets players to the next level, which is one of the reasons the Tigers are still in his top tier.

“I want them to have a great academic program,” he said. “But I also want to go somewhere that is a pipeline into the NFL. I look at them, and how they develop defensive players that go on to have NFL careers and a great college career. I don’t have a preference for a conference or anything like that. I just want to go to the school that fits me best and is the right situation for me.”

He said he doesn’t have a list of leaders at this point.

“Right now, I don’t have a Top 10 or 12 or anything like that,” he said. “I am just trying to get around and see as many campuses as possible before I trim my list. I am considering everybody at this point, and trying to build relationships with all the coaches. But right before the summer begins, I should have a Top 12.”