Four-Star EDGE Jacob Smith commits to Michigan

Four-star EDGE Jacob Smith of Cheshire (CT) Academy announced his commitment to Michigan Thursday afternoon.

The 6-foot-4, 235 pounder chose the Wolverines over Notre Dame, Kentucky, Nebraska, and others.

Smith on why he chose Michigan

“Really the program itself sold it. Just trying to conditioning. Coach Herb, the strength and conditioning coach, has produced athletes since he has gotten there. So that in itself really sells it. Also the connections it allows you to make outside of the game of football. And another big reason is because they have my brother Jerod, which we make a bigger difference together than without.

Relationship with coaching staff + their plan for him 

“My Coach is Coach Roney and we have a good relationship and can relate to each other. But all around is good and the defensive scheme fits me and I feel like me and my brother can produce on the side of the ball. and I would be an edge that would drop into coverage.”

Smith ranks as the No. 255 player in the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He also tabs in as the No. 16 EDGE and the No. 6 player in the state of Connecticut.

The Connecticut EDGE joins coach Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines’ top 5 class in the 2024 team rankings. He is accompanied by four-star running back Jordan Marshall, four-star quarterback Jadyn Davis, and others.

He currently does not have an On3 NIL Valuation publicly listed. The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets high school and college athletes’ projected annual value (PAV). The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.