Recent visit has UT high on the list of LB Tyanthony Smith

Tyanthony Smith has been a busy man this fall as far as recruiting visits go. The standout 2024 linebacker has attended games at Texas A&M, LSU, Baylor, Houston, TCU and he’s made two stops at Texas. Most recently, Smith was in Austin when the Longhorns hosted TCU and he came away impressed with the way the UT defense played in a close loss.

“When I came up there, I knew what the Texas defense was all about. I knew this Texas defense, so that’s what I really came to see, how they’d do against an undefeated team,” Smith said. “They did really well for the most part.

“I was watching the d-line and linebackers, how they work. (Jaylan) Ford and (DeMarvion) Overshown – I’ve been watching those two. I kind of see myself in both of them.”

Smith is keeping an open mind at this early stage of the recruiting process but said the Longhorns are a school he’ll heavily consider.

“Texas is fitting in. They really fit in a lot. After they offered me in the summer, I hadn’t spoken to them that much. As the season went on, they’ve shown a lot of love,” Smith said. “I went up there and it was all positive vibes. I’m really considering Texas.”

During his most recent trip to Austin, Smith got a little time to connect with a couple members of the Texas coaching staff.

“Coach (Jeff) Choate spoke to me a little bit. Coach Sark, I talked to him on the sideline. He said he was happy to see me,” Smith said. “There really wasn’t a message this time, more just them checking on me. There wasn’t really any motivational thing, just saying nice to see you, glad you’re here. We’re just building the relationship. “

The 6-1, 201-pound Smith doesn’t have any favorites yet, but does have an idea of how he’d like to see his recruitment unfold.

“This spring, that’ll be really when my recruiting starts happening. I plan on being on campus at the end of my senior year, try to graduate in December. So I’d say next August, I should be narrowing everything down, top five maybe.”

If he was to formulate a top five right now, Smith says the Longhorns would definitely make the cut.

“Texas would be in the five. Not just because it’s in Texas. It’s not too far away from home and I like what they’re doing with their program,” Smith said. “I don’t know exactly where they stand in my top five, but I know they’d be in that top five.”