SpursUp Surveillance: Decision on the way for OrTre Smith, more from the Mississippi JUCO scene
Sept. 09, 2016
Decision day looming for Smith
On Sunday, OrTre Smith, the state’s top-rated 2017 prospect, will announce where he’s headed to play college ball.
SEC Country caught up with Smith last week at Wando High School in Mount Pleasant, S.C. The 4-star recruit did a pretty good job of keeping his cards close to his vest.
Relationships mean a lot to Smith, whose options are narrowed down to Clemson, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.
South Carolina coach Will Muschamp and wide receivers coach Bryan McClendon – along with the help of plenty of others in Columbia – have combined to make the Gamecocks a serious factor for Sunday’s 4 o’clock announcement.
“His energy,” Smith said, when asked what he likes about Muschamp. “I know he’s hard on his team, but his energy. He’s trying to change the program. You’ve got to start from somewhere.”
Early on in the process, most pegged Smith has a Clemson lock, in part because that’s where his mom went to play volleyball. But Tashia Green said that’s not a factor for her son.
“For all the schools, when we go there, we’re respected. We feel like we’re very important. At the beginning, it wasn’t that way,” she said. “I always say that I won’t talk about the past, because we’re past that. But, here lately, everybody has been really contacting me with emails or text messages, with him as well … they all keep in touch
“They’ve all done that really well with us, as far as treating him as a priority — some more than others, but like I said, everybody is different and everybody kind of recruits differently.”
Skinny: It’s still our stance that South Carolina is still in the driver’s seat to land the 4-star recruit.
More from Mississippi Delta
South Carolina defensive line coach Lance Thompson made a stopin Mississippi to see DL commitment Javon Kinlaw (Goose Creek, S.C.)
Kinlaw’s Jones County Junior College squad features several SEC prospects, including South Carolina WR commitment Diondre Champaigne and former Georgia S Johnathan Abram.
Champaigne, who’s from Fort Dorchester High School in North Charleston, S.C., is committed to sign with the Gamecocks after graduating from Jones County in December of 2017.
Abram, a December graduate, has a handful of SEC schools on his radar. South Carolina, right now, isn’t one of them. Alabama, LSU and Tennessee are in the mix. So is Houston.
Committed LB news
South Carolina LB commitment Eldridge Thompson, a sophomore at Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College was offered by Mississippi State on Thursday. That’s curious timing by the Bulldogs coaching staff since the two teams will meet in Starkville on Saturday night.
Fellow LB commitment Davonne Bowen was elevated to a 4-star prospect on the 247 rankings. He’s listed as the No. 18 outside linebacker in the country and the No. 240 overall prospect in the country. He’s also the No. 3 ranked player in the state.
New offer for Adams
Eli Adams, one of the top 2018 prospects in the state, tweeted about an offer from ECU on Thursday afternoon
https://twitter.com/eliadams33/status/773960874168086528
The South Pointe High School (Rock, S.C.) prospect was offered by South Carolinaearlier this spring.
SECCOUNTRY
Sept. 09, 2016
Decision day looming for Smith
On Sunday, OrTre Smith, the state’s top-rated 2017 prospect, will announce where he’s headed to play college ball.
SEC Country caught up with Smith last week at Wando High School in Mount Pleasant, S.C. The 4-star recruit did a pretty good job of keeping his cards close to his vest.
Relationships mean a lot to Smith, whose options are narrowed down to Clemson, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.
South Carolina coach Will Muschamp and wide receivers coach Bryan McClendon – along with the help of plenty of others in Columbia – have combined to make the Gamecocks a serious factor for Sunday’s 4 o’clock announcement.
“His energy,” Smith said, when asked what he likes about Muschamp. “I know he’s hard on his team, but his energy. He’s trying to change the program. You’ve got to start from somewhere.”
Early on in the process, most pegged Smith has a Clemson lock, in part because that’s where his mom went to play volleyball. But Tashia Green said that’s not a factor for her son.
“For all the schools, when we go there, we’re respected. We feel like we’re very important. At the beginning, it wasn’t that way,” she said. “I always say that I won’t talk about the past, because we’re past that. But, here lately, everybody has been really contacting me with emails or text messages, with him as well … they all keep in touch
“They’ve all done that really well with us, as far as treating him as a priority — some more than others, but like I said, everybody is different and everybody kind of recruits differently.”
Skinny: It’s still our stance that South Carolina is still in the driver’s seat to land the 4-star recruit.
More from Mississippi Delta
South Carolina defensive line coach Lance Thompson made a stopin Mississippi to see DL commitment Javon Kinlaw (Goose Creek, S.C.)
Kinlaw’s Jones County Junior College squad features several SEC prospects, including South Carolina WR commitment Diondre Champaigne and former Georgia S Johnathan Abram.
Champaigne, who’s from Fort Dorchester High School in North Charleston, S.C., is committed to sign with the Gamecocks after graduating from Jones County in December of 2017.
Abram, a December graduate, has a handful of SEC schools on his radar. South Carolina, right now, isn’t one of them. Alabama, LSU and Tennessee are in the mix. So is Houston.
Committed LB news
South Carolina LB commitment Eldridge Thompson, a sophomore at Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College was offered by Mississippi State on Thursday. That’s curious timing by the Bulldogs coaching staff since the two teams will meet in Starkville on Saturday night.
Fellow LB commitment Davonne Bowen was elevated to a 4-star prospect on the 247 rankings. He’s listed as the No. 18 outside linebacker in the country and the No. 240 overall prospect in the country. He’s also the No. 3 ranked player in the state.
New offer for Adams
Eli Adams, one of the top 2018 prospects in the state, tweeted about an offer from ECU on Thursday afternoon
https://twitter.com/eliadams33/status/773960874168086528
The South Pointe High School (Rock, S.C.) prospect was offered by South Carolinaearlier this spring.
SECCOUNTRY
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