“Coach (Doug) Mallory from LSU had been up to the school watching me practice and then he said he looked at my highlights a lot,” said Branden Smith. “He said they were real impressed with my highlights, with the way I practice, and the leadership I have so they just decided to offer.”
Smith (5-11, 180, 4.4) was told a couple of weeks ago that he had an offer from the Tigers but it all became official on Monday when he received his letter in the mail.
“I really didn’t know if they were really going to offer but my coach told me they were,” said Smith, who reports an offer from Florida, Florida State, Alabama, Auburn, Michigan, Clemson, Oregon, and West Virginia to name a few. “Then, we got the letter in the mail (Monday) and I was very surprised and very happy.”
The 4-star cornerback from Atlanta (Ga.) Washington said he was excited about his new offer and admitted that he had always had interest in the Tigers since he lives in the heart of SEC country.
“I know LSU is a real good team and has a real good program and I am very excited about them offering,” he said. “They recruit some of the best players in the nation and send a lot of players to the NFL so that is something that hits home with me.”
When Smith mentions home the first thing that comes to people’s mind is the fact that he is basically in Mark Richt’s backyard.
Will that close proximity to Athens play a factor in his decision?
“Not really,” he said. “My decision isn’t going to be based on my home town. It’s going to be all on the coaches and players and how I get along with them at each school.”
Those who are waiting to see what Smith is going to do on the recruiting front will have to wait a while because he plans on letting things play out before he decides on anything.
In fact, we asked him if any of his scholarship offers really stood out at this point in time and after naming a few schools he went back into safe mode.
“Georgia, LSU, Clemson, Oregon, and really I could say everybody that has offered me has caught my eye,” he said. “I said that I was going to decide on my Top 5 by the middle of my senior season so right now I’m open to everybody.”
Note: Smith reports a 3.0 GPA and a 920 on the SAT. He wasn’t sure of any stats from his junior campaign.