Gamecock target WR OrTre Smith getting love from Clemson
[SIZE= 14px]JUNE 21, 2016 BY [/SIZE][SIZE= 14px]PHIL KORNBLUT[/SIZE][SIZE= 14px] [/SIZE][SIZE= 14px]Link:[/SIZE][COLOR= rgb(102, 102, 102)] [/COLOR][SIZE= 14px]sportstalk[/SIZE]
OrTre Smith
WR OrTre Smith of Wando may have slipped down the Clemson recruiting board a little earlier in the year when the Tigers were looking really good with some other receivers, but he and his mother found out Friday just how high he is now on that same board following a meeting of about eight hours on at Clemson on Friday.
The Clemson stop was the second for Smith on what is a critical tour of schools he’s considering. Earlier in the month he and his mother went to Georgia and USC and Saturday Smith and his godmother checked out North Carolina. At Clemson the Smiths wanted to know exactly where they stood in the minds of Dabo Swinney, Jeff Scott and Tony Elliott and his mother said they left with a clear picture.
“The most important thing to me was the academic support and they were able to sit down and talk with OrTre about different majors and what type of support they actually provide to the student-athletes,” said Smith’s mother Tashia Green, a former Clemson volleyball player. “We talked with Dabo for about an hour and fifteen minutes talking about where we started in recruiting to where we are now. Everyone knows that we felt that Clemson had kind of slacked off on OrTre for a good bit and they were able to explain things and also be more apologetic about what happen because they know there was a lack of communication at some point. I’ll say that they made up for it because they were very thorough about what they wanted, where they wanted him and his purpose. It was just interesting to hear it come from Dabo saying exactly why OrTre is priority, why he is important to Clemson. Just put everything on the table.”
And Ms. Green said they understood what Swinney and company had to say and are moving forward with the Tigers.
“OrTre is okay. OrTre is definitely okay. He feels better as far as hearing it from the horse’s mouth, so to speak, what the situation is. Just speaking to Jeff and finding out where he fits as a wide receiver and knowing that they are definitely recruiting him 100% as a wide receiver because, of course, you hear the rumors about OrTre being a tight end here and there. We just got everything out in the open. I said in the beginning, not just for Clemson but for every school, when we meet from this point on it’s about being truthful and honest because I’m going to hold each and every one of them to their word. I retain a lot. I’m trained to retain. I believe that’s what the case is. I think that everybody has kind of laid things out on the table as far as Clemson and we’re good to go.”
Ms. Green said her son had a good visit to North Carolina as well, a visit that was very similar to Clemson’s in terms of finding out where he would fit in with the Tar Heels as a wide receiver, and he was satisfied with what he heard. He did not participate in the camp at UNC on Saturday because he was resting an ankle injury so he would be ready for practice this week.
Smith will take a visit to Notre Dame in July. Wednesday he will release his short list of top schools with no favorite and he the plan is for him announce on his birthday September 11th. Some of his other offers are Louisville, Florida State, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, NC State, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Ole Miss and West Virginia.
“He likes something different about every school,” Ms Green said. “He likes all of the coaches. Now they are going to have to work hard and he’s going to have to work hard to see who builds that better relationship. He’s told the coaches, ‘It’s in my gut. When my gut tells me this is where I need to be then this is where I need to be.’ He told Dabo that and that was funny, and he said, ‘I definitely understand.’ And ‘Tre is a praying little man, and he said, ‘I pray every night. It’s going to come to me. I’m going to make the right choice.’ ”
As the process winds down, Ms. Green said she and her son will be acutely aware of what’s going on around them with their schools related to receiver commits and the continued interest in him.
“We’re definitely going to see who wants him more,” she said.
[SIZE= 14px]JUNE 21, 2016 BY [/SIZE][SIZE= 14px]PHIL KORNBLUT[/SIZE][SIZE= 14px] [/SIZE][SIZE= 14px]Link:[/SIZE][COLOR= rgb(102, 102, 102)] [/COLOR][SIZE= 14px]sportstalk[/SIZE]
WR OrTre Smith of Wando may have slipped down the Clemson recruiting board a little earlier in the year when the Tigers were looking really good with some other receivers, but he and his mother found out Friday just how high he is now on that same board following a meeting of about eight hours on at Clemson on Friday.
The Clemson stop was the second for Smith on what is a critical tour of schools he’s considering. Earlier in the month he and his mother went to Georgia and USC and Saturday Smith and his godmother checked out North Carolina. At Clemson the Smiths wanted to know exactly where they stood in the minds of Dabo Swinney, Jeff Scott and Tony Elliott and his mother said they left with a clear picture.
“The most important thing to me was the academic support and they were able to sit down and talk with OrTre about different majors and what type of support they actually provide to the student-athletes,” said Smith’s mother Tashia Green, a former Clemson volleyball player. “We talked with Dabo for about an hour and fifteen minutes talking about where we started in recruiting to where we are now. Everyone knows that we felt that Clemson had kind of slacked off on OrTre for a good bit and they were able to explain things and also be more apologetic about what happen because they know there was a lack of communication at some point. I’ll say that they made up for it because they were very thorough about what they wanted, where they wanted him and his purpose. It was just interesting to hear it come from Dabo saying exactly why OrTre is priority, why he is important to Clemson. Just put everything on the table.”
And Ms. Green said they understood what Swinney and company had to say and are moving forward with the Tigers.
“OrTre is okay. OrTre is definitely okay. He feels better as far as hearing it from the horse’s mouth, so to speak, what the situation is. Just speaking to Jeff and finding out where he fits as a wide receiver and knowing that they are definitely recruiting him 100% as a wide receiver because, of course, you hear the rumors about OrTre being a tight end here and there. We just got everything out in the open. I said in the beginning, not just for Clemson but for every school, when we meet from this point on it’s about being truthful and honest because I’m going to hold each and every one of them to their word. I retain a lot. I’m trained to retain. I believe that’s what the case is. I think that everybody has kind of laid things out on the table as far as Clemson and we’re good to go.”
Ms. Green said her son had a good visit to North Carolina as well, a visit that was very similar to Clemson’s in terms of finding out where he would fit in with the Tar Heels as a wide receiver, and he was satisfied with what he heard. He did not participate in the camp at UNC on Saturday because he was resting an ankle injury so he would be ready for practice this week.
Smith will take a visit to Notre Dame in July. Wednesday he will release his short list of top schools with no favorite and he the plan is for him announce on his birthday September 11th. Some of his other offers are Louisville, Florida State, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, NC State, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Ole Miss and West Virginia.
“He likes something different about every school,” Ms Green said. “He likes all of the coaches. Now they are going to have to work hard and he’s going to have to work hard to see who builds that better relationship. He’s told the coaches, ‘It’s in my gut. When my gut tells me this is where I need to be then this is where I need to be.’ He told Dabo that and that was funny, and he said, ‘I definitely understand.’ And ‘Tre is a praying little man, and he said, ‘I pray every night. It’s going to come to me. I’m going to make the right choice.’ ”
As the process winds down, Ms. Green said she and her son will be acutely aware of what’s going on around them with their schools related to receiver commits and the continued interest in him.
“We’re definitely going to see who wants him more,” she said.
