Welcome aboard! Really good size and we can always use quality DL. Welcome to BBN!
Yahtzee - Nicholas Smith, 3*, 5.6, DT from GA
- Thread starter gamecockcat
- Start date
We can hold the Smith family reunion this year. It will save on travel for the family.
Smith is either 6-6 or 6-7 and 255. Said to be a physical player. Coaches think he is similar to Deon Walker? Just a hundred pounds lighter. But can see him eventually hitting the 300 mark in our program. Not ranked real high but the kind of guy with his body and mentality that could end up a very good player at the DT position.
I can’t see the the Deonne Walker comp…dude was 100 lbs heavier and still quick for an interior DL…it will take him two years to get close to that big snd see if his quickness holds
Always fine reaching on DLine as they are hard to come by
Always fine reaching on DLine as they are hard to come by
Comparison is closer to Calvin Taylor. A project that will take years to develop.
UK always needs guys who understand they need to develop and are willing to spend 2-3 yrs doing so
Pic of Smith on the home page shows a guy with thin legs. Good thing is he'll be an early enrollee so he'll get a jump start on S&C.
Don't see the comparison with Walker or Taylor. Walker was much more developed when he arrived, Taylor had only played one year of HS football when he signed. Compares more favorably to Rybka IMO. Needs a RS year to gain strength/weight but Smith will be a player before he leaves.
Don't see the comparison with Walker or Taylor. Walker was much more developed when he arrived, Taylor had only played one year of HS football when he signed. Compares more favorably to Rybka IMO. Needs a RS year to gain strength/weight but Smith will be a player before he leaves.
It would be interesting to know why Stewart saw some similarities between Walker and Smith. One thing may be the edge that both play with. Have not seen Smith play but according to him he plays 'viciously.' Not sure about him being a 'project'. 247 ranks Smith as the 99th best defensive lineman in the country. He is a three star that competes in a loaded football state at Georgia. And even though he is not ranked real high in Georgia it has been reported that his talent level is not that far off with a lot of the better players in that state.
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TOS has free film. I like to say he plays "angry." If he can get a little stronger and a little bigger he can be a player. Early enrollee so that'll help. Needs a RS year of S&C in my uneducated opinion.
It would be interesting. To be fair, Coach Stewart has not publicly said there are similarities between Deone and Nicholas Smith. This is coming through second hand reporting. He may have said it to the player privately, but we don't know that is completely accurate. For years, UK's coaches have told edge LB prospects that they have similarities to Josh Allen. It is wise and sensible to give prospective recruits a positive narrative about what they can accomplish at UK with hard work and development. If it was said, it might suggest that Coach Stewart envisions Smith filling out and eventually moving inside to play 3-tech (Deone plays 3-tech).
If Coach Stewart used Deone as an example or as a goal for Smith, I have no problem with positive recruiting in that way. But I think Javeon Campbell is a better physical comp for Smith from our (fans) point of view. Both are long-framed prospects who will need to add good weight and probably will. Going back in history, a young Art Still might be a good physical comp for Smith. But Smith may not even know who Still is.
This is an unheralded prospect I wanted badly.
I attended the 2019 Citrus Bowl, but have watched it on YouTube, several times.
The TV color man made repeated reference to Money Ball, and how Stoops had developed players who had physical traits that, standing alone, gave them a statistical edge.
Calvin Taylor might have been considered too tall by some coaches, but had repeated blocks of opponent passes because of his extreme length.
Stoops has always stressed length, and has recruited to it, his team being a leading example of corners at 6’ 2” or taller, and tall defensive linemen.
Penn State entered the 2019 Citrus Bowl with roughly 3 times as many Blue Chip recruits, rated as 4 Star or above, than Kentucky then had.
But that 2018/19 squad was the finest example of Stoops’ overall philosophy. His was the heaviest and tallest defensive line in college football, that year, and behind them were three cornerbacks standing 6’ 3” or taller. Mix in the near-Superman qualities of Josh Allen, and that was one damn-nasty defense.
Projection of future success is tough, but Nicholas Smith sure looks like a player who can use his height/length to great advantage, if he is willing to put in the time and effort to gain good weight and strength.
I attended the 2019 Citrus Bowl, but have watched it on YouTube, several times.
The TV color man made repeated reference to Money Ball, and how Stoops had developed players who had physical traits that, standing alone, gave them a statistical edge.
Calvin Taylor might have been considered too tall by some coaches, but had repeated blocks of opponent passes because of his extreme length.
Stoops has always stressed length, and has recruited to it, his team being a leading example of corners at 6’ 2” or taller, and tall defensive linemen.
Penn State entered the 2019 Citrus Bowl with roughly 3 times as many Blue Chip recruits, rated as 4 Star or above, than Kentucky then had.
But that 2018/19 squad was the finest example of Stoops’ overall philosophy. His was the heaviest and tallest defensive line in college football, that year, and behind them were three cornerbacks standing 6’ 3” or taller. Mix in the near-Superman qualities of Josh Allen, and that was one damn-nasty defense.
Projection of future success is tough, but Nicholas Smith sure looks like a player who can use his height/length to great advantage, if he is willing to put in the time and effort to gain good weight and strength.
This is literally true, and I don't think Stoops has gotten nearly enough credit for his innovative concepts of talent evaluation and positional development.
Absolutely correct, and well said.
He sure does. And, judging by Smith's public statement, I think he understands exactly what he needs to do in Lexington to pursue his football goals. He is blessed with the long frame and the athletic talent to compete in multiple sports. He has chosen a program whose coaches understand how to utilize those physical assets. Now he needs to work hard, add more good weight, and stay healthy.
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