story by Sam Spiegelman
Maason Smith has trimmed his list of finalists down to five schools. The next announcement he makes will be a commitment in December during the Early Signing Period.
Smith, the nation's No. 1-ranked defensive tackle, named Georgia, Alabama, Miami, LSU and Florida as final schools on Tuesday, on his 18th birthday.
"It wasn't too hard for me," Smith told Rivals. "Familiarity became a real big thing. The thing with me is that I'm starting to get down to making my decision. I'm not in a rush, but really, the past few weeks I've been trying to see where the best for me is gonna be."
On Monday night, the five-star prospect spent nearly two hours on the phone with Georgia defensive line coach Trae Scott. Smith visited Athens on his own accord back in August for a visit alongside fellow five-stars Korey Foreman and Brock Vandagriff and fellow priority Bulldogs target Terrion Arnold.
In terms of chemistry with the coaches, Georgia finds itself in a strong position entering the final few weeks of Smith's recruitment.
"I was on the phone with Coach Scott for an hour and 50 minutes last night," Smith said. "Position-wise, I would say I have good relationships with the coaches at Georgia and LSU. Those relationships are probably one and one. Coach Trae has always been there. He's always been a cool dude. He's been like an older brother to me and never like a coach. We don't always talk about ball; we talk shoes, fashion and stuff like that. With him, he's a great defensive line coach and I can't wait to see what he does on the draft this year with guys like Jordan Davis."
"You can definitely see it," Smith added, referring to Scott's impact on the Georgia defensive front.
Scott is leading the charge for the Bulldogs while Christian LaCouture heads the efforts for the in-state Tigers. LaCouture, a former LSU standout defensive tackle that is now a G.A. under Coach Ed Orgeron, has been developing a relationship with Smith dating back to his early years at Houma (La.) Terrebonne High School.
LaCouture's recent experience being recruited to LSU is a major selling point for Smith, who is going through the same thing right now.
"That's my dude!" Smith said of LaCouture. "Like Coach Scott, I don't look at Coach LaCouture as a coach. He's like a brother. The first time I went to LSU he was still playing there. He was just in my shoes. He played at LSU and he went through all that, so he really takes a burden off my back. He knows what I have to go through and what I got to do to get where I want to ultimately get. He made it to the NFL and he says I'm 10-times better than he was. That's something you like to hear and our relationship is great. That relationship is really like an older brother-little brother."
Smith took visits to Athens and Baton Rouge in the past two months. Prior to CoVid-19, Louisiana's top-ranked prospect was scheduled to visit Alabama, Miami and Florida for the Gators' spring game in April. Because of the ongoing Dead Period, Smith is relying on intel from previous visits as he prepares to make his biggest decision yet.
Alabama has a unique edge in the fact that Smith has been on-campus and has long-tenured relationships with defensive line coach Freddie Roach, who offered Smith while holding the same position at Mississippi, and defensive coordinator Pete Golding, who like Smith hails from The Boot.
"With 'Bama, the school itself is definitely great, with great tradition ... they're gonna put you on a 3.5-year plan and go in the first round," Smith said. "They need defensive linemen. Their defensive line hasn't been playing up to par and it's a needed position in a good recruiting class. Coach Freddie is the first defensive line coach I ever talked to when he was at Ole Miss. That was my first camp and visit, and Coach Pete, that's my guy ... he always calls to check on me. The structure built around Alabama's program is hard to turn down."
In terms of relationships, Miami defensive coordinator Blake Bakers recruited Smith while in the same role at Louisiana Tech and had the opportunity to host Smith on-campus last year. Miami's success to open the 2020 season -- paired with the success of their defensive line -- has been intriguing to the No. 1 defensive tackle.
Miami defensive line coach Todd Stroud has also had a major impact on the Hurricanes' pursuit of Smith.
"To be honest, I think Miami's defensive scheme fits me the best out of any school," Smith said. "The way they let their defensive line attack, attack, attack. They run consistent four-down defensive line and my relationship with Coach Baker is like any other coaches -- especially as the coordinator -- I probably have the best relationship like I do with Coach Pete (at Alabama) or Coach (Dan) Lanning (from Georgia). All three are my dudes and I talk to them all the time. Coach Stroud keeps them in a vertical setting, and with them, you know what you're gonna get and you have to try and stop it, and I like that."
Florida has been a mainstay in Smith's recruitment for more than two years and was in The Swamp for the Gators' spring game in 2019 and was hopeful to do the same this past April.
Those plans couldn't come to fruition for obvious reasons, but Smith's familiarity with the campus, the environment and relationship with defensive line Coach David Turner and head man Dan Mullen continue to loom large down the stretch.
"Coach Mullen and Coach Turner do a great job of always keeping me in the loop and keeping me included," Smith said. "They just got Jalen (Lee) from down here and they keep me in the loop with things and I keep them in the loop. It's all about building relationships and I know I can do that there and have a lot of success."
Maason Smith has trimmed his list of finalists down to five schools. The next announcement he makes will be a commitment in December during the Early Signing Period.
Smith, the nation's No. 1-ranked defensive tackle, named Georgia, Alabama, Miami, LSU and Florida as final schools on Tuesday, on his 18th birthday.
"It wasn't too hard for me," Smith told Rivals. "Familiarity became a real big thing. The thing with me is that I'm starting to get down to making my decision. I'm not in a rush, but really, the past few weeks I've been trying to see where the best for me is gonna be."
On Monday night, the five-star prospect spent nearly two hours on the phone with Georgia defensive line coach Trae Scott. Smith visited Athens on his own accord back in August for a visit alongside fellow five-stars Korey Foreman and Brock Vandagriff and fellow priority Bulldogs target Terrion Arnold.
In terms of chemistry with the coaches, Georgia finds itself in a strong position entering the final few weeks of Smith's recruitment.
"I was on the phone with Coach Scott for an hour and 50 minutes last night," Smith said. "Position-wise, I would say I have good relationships with the coaches at Georgia and LSU. Those relationships are probably one and one. Coach Trae has always been there. He's always been a cool dude. He's been like an older brother to me and never like a coach. We don't always talk about ball; we talk shoes, fashion and stuff like that. With him, he's a great defensive line coach and I can't wait to see what he does on the draft this year with guys like Jordan Davis."
"You can definitely see it," Smith added, referring to Scott's impact on the Georgia defensive front.
Scott is leading the charge for the Bulldogs while Christian LaCouture heads the efforts for the in-state Tigers. LaCouture, a former LSU standout defensive tackle that is now a G.A. under Coach Ed Orgeron, has been developing a relationship with Smith dating back to his early years at Houma (La.) Terrebonne High School.
LaCouture's recent experience being recruited to LSU is a major selling point for Smith, who is going through the same thing right now.
"That's my dude!" Smith said of LaCouture. "Like Coach Scott, I don't look at Coach LaCouture as a coach. He's like a brother. The first time I went to LSU he was still playing there. He was just in my shoes. He played at LSU and he went through all that, so he really takes a burden off my back. He knows what I have to go through and what I got to do to get where I want to ultimately get. He made it to the NFL and he says I'm 10-times better than he was. That's something you like to hear and our relationship is great. That relationship is really like an older brother-little brother."
Smith took visits to Athens and Baton Rouge in the past two months. Prior to CoVid-19, Louisiana's top-ranked prospect was scheduled to visit Alabama, Miami and Florida for the Gators' spring game in April. Because of the ongoing Dead Period, Smith is relying on intel from previous visits as he prepares to make his biggest decision yet.
Alabama has a unique edge in the fact that Smith has been on-campus and has long-tenured relationships with defensive line coach Freddie Roach, who offered Smith while holding the same position at Mississippi, and defensive coordinator Pete Golding, who like Smith hails from The Boot.
"With 'Bama, the school itself is definitely great, with great tradition ... they're gonna put you on a 3.5-year plan and go in the first round," Smith said. "They need defensive linemen. Their defensive line hasn't been playing up to par and it's a needed position in a good recruiting class. Coach Freddie is the first defensive line coach I ever talked to when he was at Ole Miss. That was my first camp and visit, and Coach Pete, that's my guy ... he always calls to check on me. The structure built around Alabama's program is hard to turn down."
In terms of relationships, Miami defensive coordinator Blake Bakers recruited Smith while in the same role at Louisiana Tech and had the opportunity to host Smith on-campus last year. Miami's success to open the 2020 season -- paired with the success of their defensive line -- has been intriguing to the No. 1 defensive tackle.
Miami defensive line coach Todd Stroud has also had a major impact on the Hurricanes' pursuit of Smith.
"To be honest, I think Miami's defensive scheme fits me the best out of any school," Smith said. "The way they let their defensive line attack, attack, attack. They run consistent four-down defensive line and my relationship with Coach Baker is like any other coaches -- especially as the coordinator -- I probably have the best relationship like I do with Coach Pete (at Alabama) or Coach (Dan) Lanning (from Georgia). All three are my dudes and I talk to them all the time. Coach Stroud keeps them in a vertical setting, and with them, you know what you're gonna get and you have to try and stop it, and I like that."
Florida has been a mainstay in Smith's recruitment for more than two years and was in The Swamp for the Gators' spring game in 2019 and was hopeful to do the same this past April.
Those plans couldn't come to fruition for obvious reasons, but Smith's familiarity with the campus, the environment and relationship with defensive line Coach David Turner and head man Dan Mullen continue to loom large down the stretch.
"Coach Mullen and Coach Turner do a great job of always keeping me in the loop and keeping me included," Smith said. "They just got Jalen (Lee) from down here and they keep me in the loop with things and I keep them in the loop. It's all about building relationships and I know I can do that there and have a lot of success."