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Rivasl100 DE Nigel Smith enjoys Texas visit, has UT as a top school

Nigel Smith plans to cut his list down to eight schools in the coming weeks.
Nigel Smith plans to cut his list down to eight schools in the coming weeks. (Rivals.com)

The Texas Longhorns hosted some of their top recruiting targets on Saturday for a Longhorn spring practice and a cookout that followed. One of the top players in attendance was Rivals100 defensive lineman Nigel Smith.

It was the first time Smith was able to take in a Texas practice and he said it was an enjoyable experience, including getting to see how defensive line coach Bo Davis teaches his players.

“Definitely one of my highlights was getting to see coach Davis’s coaching style,” Smith said. “He’s really aggressive. If you’re not doing it right, he’s going to keep doing it until you get it right. He’ll get onto you, but once you get it right, he’ll congratulate you. He’s high energy. I like that.”

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Smith said he picked up some new tips from watching Davis that he’ll integrate into his workouts at Melissa. Following the time on the practice field, Smith spent a lot of time with Davis in the football offices, and Davis let Smith know that he’s a priority for the Longhorns.

“We all talked, sat in his position room, talked to him and was able to catch up with him,” Smith said. “Really he just let me know he believes I can come there and play as a freshman because he’s going to be having guys that are graduating soon. He thinks I’m the type of guy that’s good enough, works enough to be a big part of their defense even as a freshman.

“It’ll be big time because he really made a big statement about them going to the SEC and leaving a legacy for yourself. If you come here, you can be one of those guys that helps bring Texas to the SEC.”

There’s been some thought that the Longhorns’ move to the SEC will bolster recruiting along the defensive line more than any other position due to that league’s reputation for putting out elite players in the trenches, and Smith said he can see that being a valid point.

“I can definitely agree with that. I feel like SEC is dominant when it comes to defensive linemen and producing them to go to the league,” Smith said. “The SEC is the closest thing to the NFL, and just the powerhouses you’ll be playing, if you’re able to produce and make plays at the highest level in the SEC people will notice.”

Smith has a busy upcoming recruiting schedule, with stops at Texas A&M on April 1, Miami on April 8 and Penn State on April 15. Smith currently has 16 schools he’s still considering, but that number will be trimmed down soon.

“I’ll have a top eight pretty soon, cutting it down to half. Then I’ll decide where I want to take my officials,” Smith said.

After last weekend’s visit, the Longhorns should have a good shot of making the upcoming cut.

“Texas will definitely be a strong player when it comes to my recruiting process,” Smith said. “They’ve been recruiting me very consistently for a long time now. I’d say they’re one of my top schools.”

The 6-5, 260-pound Smith is a four-star prospect and checks in at No. 75 on the Rivals100.

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