Smith makes the Buckeye call
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SAN ANTONIO, Texas - After a tough loss in the Orange Bowl on Friday night, Ohio State fans were given some good news on the recruiting trail on Saturday afternoon, landing the pledge of Cleveland (Ohio) Glenville safety Erick Smith. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound prospect announced his decision on national TV at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
"Ohio State is like a home away from home," said Smith on his decision. "It's the place that I always wanted to go, I just wanted to experience the full recruiting process. I always had my eyes on Ohio State."
Smith had wavered throughout the week on whether or not he would make his scheduled announcement on Saturday but ultimately chose to go through with it and picked the Buckeyes over the likes of Alabama, Kentucky, Michigan, and Michigan State, among others.
"At the last second I almost had a change of heart just because I had two official (visits) left," Smith explained. "I didn't want to commit and then take official visits. I'm not taking any more visits, I'm done."
Smith's decision came in the second quarter of the Army Bowl, right in the middle of a game in which he played very well. Smith was humble about his efforts on Saturday.
"I think I did alright," he said. "I could have made more plays. This experience of going up against top level talent every day was very nice."
Smith is commitment No. 20 for Ohio State in the 2014 recruiting class and joins fellow Glenville standout Marcelys Jones on the Buckeyes' commitment list. Smith may not be the last Tarblooder to join Ohio State's class today as Rivals100 ATH Marshon Lattimore will be announcing his decision in the fourth quarter of the game.
Smith is rated a four-star prospect by Rivals.com, the No. 3 prospect in the state of Ohio, the No. 11 safety in the nation, and the No. 122 overall prospect in the 2014 class. Stay tuned to BuckeyeGrove.com for more on Smith's pledge to the Buckeyes.
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