Four-Star DL Nigel Smith II names Top 8

Four-star defensive lineman Nigel Smith II has narrowed his list to 8 schools– Penn State, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Texas, Rutgers, Georgia, and Arkansas.

The 6-foot-5, 260 pounder went in-depth on his finalists.

Penn State– I have built such a good relationship with this coaching staff. They have made it clear I’m their guy and I feel they can develop me to get to the NFL

Ohio State– Coach LJ gave me one of my first couple offers and has stayed on it for recruitment for over 2 years. Plus his history of putting people in the league is with the greats.

Oklahoma– Has made it clear since that new staff got there that I was their guy and I was the first one they offered for DE. I have built a great relationship with so many of the coaches and they had a great history of putting guys into the league at Clemson. I also really like their SOUL program.

Texas A&M– I think I fit into their defensive scheme better than a lot of other schools on top of Coach Price being a great Dline coach. I love the school, and their Aggie network.

Texas– They are a school that is on the come up now with the talent they have been getting in the portal and from commits. One of my best friends Trevor Goosby is going to play LT there and he has been on it when it comes to recruiting me. Coach Davis has great energy at practice and has coaches in the NFL so knows what his guys need for the next level.

Rutgers– They have been recruiting since my freshman year and it was a crazy story on how they even found me. But I have some family down there, enjoy every time I’m in Jersey, and coach Schiano has every connection to make you successful on top of the coaching.

Georgia– They have been dominating the past couple years obviously and I really think I fit into their defense well. Coach Scott talked about the guys he will be losing and how the 24 class is important for the DE. 

Arkansas– coach Pittman is one of the most personable and down to earth coaches there is. Coach Adams has put together a really good Dline and I love the campus and school itself.

Smith ranks as the No. 88 player in the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He also tabs in as the No. 11 defensive lineman and the No. 15 player in the state of Texas.

He currently has an On3 NIL Valuation of $105K. 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.