Michigan has piled up EDGE commitments in recent weeks, today's Hello representing the fourth such post we've had to do since mid-June. The class filled up in a hurry and Connecticut 4* Jacob Smith is the final piece to that quartet. The twin brother of DT commit Jerod Smith, Jacob took his time and dabbled with other suitors before finally joining Jerod in Michigan's 2024 class. 

GURU RATINGS 

RATINGS BY SITE
247: 6'4.5/230	On3: 6'4/225	Rivals: 6'4/226	ESPN: 6'5/235
4*, 90, #234 Ovr #14 DL, #5 CT	3*, 89, NR Ovr #36 DE, #5 CT	4*, 5.8, #240 Ovr #16 WDE, #2 CT	4*, 84, #97 Ovr #14 DE, #3 CT
4.03	3.72	4.06	4.49
COMPOSITE RANKINGS
247 Composite	On3 Consensus	MGoBlog
4*, 0.9198, #211 Ovr #17 DL, #4 CT	4*, 90.52, #255 Ovr #16 DE, #6 CT	4*, #361/798 Ovr #43/90 Edges since 1990
4.20	4.05	4.03

Jacob Smith is a 4* prospect to three of the four outlets. 247 and Rivals are right in line with each other, having Smith just inside the top 250, while ESPN and On3 are on opposite ends. ESPN pegs Smith as a top 100 prospect, while On3 has him in 3* territory. The average is a consensus 4*, the 247 composite being higher than On3's consensus due to how they weight their own rankings. Jacob's rankings are not too different from Jerod's, but ESPN, On3, and Rivals are higher on Jacob, while 247 is higher on Jerod. As for the measurements, Smith is between 6'4 and 6'5 in height and between 225 and 235 according to the various sites.  

[AFTER THE JUMP: Another J. Smith defensive tweener]

SCOUTING 

As usual, we can start with EJ Holland of On3 for his quick set of takes before drilling deeper. In his commitment post, EJ was rather glowing about Jacob Smith and what he brings to this class ($): 

Smith brings the best mix of a high ceiling and a high floor in the class. He was a consistent performer on the camp circuit this offseason and was named an Under Armour All-American. Smith checks a lot of boxes and is a safe bet to have a strong career in Ann Arbor.

Smith is a frequent camp attendee so EJ has gotten to see him a decent amount and is sure that he isn't merely an unsexy, high floor sort of kid. There's a ceiling here too: 

That doesn’t mean that Smith doesn’t have an exciting ceiling. I was extremely impressed with his speed and ability to bend at the Under Armour camp in New Jersey this offseason. Smith dominated in the 1-on-1 session and flashed a ton of athleticism. 

This is a bit of a departure from Touch The Banner, who did not come away terribly enthused about Jacob Smith, differing on the athleticism (though agreeing on the bend): 

Jacob bends well, but he does not show the burst or bull rushing ability to seem like a consistently effective pass rusher. I think he is best used on stunts, where he shows the ability to get low, change direction well, and make plays in the backfield after getting freed up by scheme.

More alarming to TTB seemed to be the tweener nature of Jacob, much like brother Jerod: 

Is Jacob an edge player or a linebacker? Michigan wants him as an edge player, but Nebraska wanted him as a linebacker. Jerod is a 5-tech defensive end . . . or a 3-tech defensive tackle. ...

Where does he fit on defense? I’m reminded a little bit of Jake Ryan, who was a very good college player at Michigan, but he was kind of a quasi-defensive end and then also spent time at middle linebacker

EJ did note in his write up the versatile nature of Smith's profile, but viewed in a more positive light (with evidence that the Michigan coaches agreed): 

(Smith) played everything from EDGE to linebacker and corner and looked comfortable at all positions. Even Minter and Elston chuckled at Smith making plays at corner

Lucas Reimink of New Rivals did a full scouting report of Jacob Smith and pointed to Smith's coverage ability as the reason for his versatility, rating it very highly for a defensive lineman ($): 

One of the more impressive things about him is how comfortable he looks dropping into coverage for an Edge player. He uses his good lateral agility and good foot speed to track RBs and TEs into the flats in man coverage and can spot drop into zone coverage as well. He can even turn and run with RBs and TEs when needed as well, showing good ball skills down the field

Reimink found his athleticism solid (perhaps somewhere between EJ and TTB's evaluations) and highlighted his hand usage as something that needs to be refined to grow him as a pass-rusher: 

As a pass-rusher, he has solid acceleration to get off the ball and put pressure on the opposing OL right off the snap ... He has solid hand use but if he can improve upon that and combine good hand use with his good athletic ability, he can really develop into a dominant pass rusher down the road.

Reimink also recommended that Smith add weight/muscle to improve in the bullrush: 

He has solid physical strength to bull rush as well, so he has a few different ways he can create pressure on the QB but will need to continue to add weight and strength to sustain that ability as he advances to the higher levels of football

Interestingly, Reimink wasn't as crazy about the bend... but Cheshire Academy coach Bill Mella is. He was interviewed about the Smith brothers by On3 ($): 

The first thing that really impressed me about him is he has the ability to dip under offensive linemen without losing balance. It’s really impressive. He can get on an angle that defies physics. You’re talking about a 6-foot-4 or 6-foot-5 kid that is 230 pounds. The entire length of his body is like at a 30-degree angle at full speed. 

Mella is also crazy about J. Smith galore: 

These two kids are extremely athletic. If that quarterback lines up and looks to his right and sees J. Smith and looks to his left and sees J. Smith, you’re going to have to give it a couple of different thoughts before you snap that ball

And he doesn't even know there's a Jaden Smith in the class! 

OFFERS 

Both Smiths were considered strong Notre Dame leans early in the cycle, pretty much up until the point that Jerod picked Michigan. Thereafter Notre Dame faded from the pursuit of Jacob and during the last weeks of this recruitment, it appeared that Nebraska was the main competitor for Jacob. It seems at least like Jacob was somewhat enticed, but Michigan ended up closing the deal. It always seemed likely because let's be real here, how often do twins in NCAA sports not go to the same school? 

As for the list of offers, both Smiths held offers from Alabama, but it's not clear if they were takes for the Crimson Tide. Other offers include Kentucky, Georgia, Tennessee, Ole Miss, SCar, and Texas A&M out of the SEC and Louisville, UNC, Wake, UVA, VT, Pitt, Syracuse, and Georgia Tech out of the ACC. Out west, he was offered by Arizona and USC and down home in the B1G, Smith held offers from PSU, Iowa, Rutgers, MSU, and Maryland. Both Smiths went on a ton of visits, with a very active father in the recruiting process, so this was a pretty lively list of interested programs. 

HIGH SCHOOL 

Going to C&P this section from Jerod's Hello because Seth covered it in great detail and there's nothing new to add: 

Loomis Chaffee is a world-class boarding school with a world class physical training center, and collects a ton of talent from all over the country. The world, really—remember Michigan got Alessandro Lorenzetti out of there last year. Alabama got 4-star OT Olaus Alinen this year, Miami (yest THAT Miami) is getting 3.5* TE Jackson Carver, and the RB is going to Wake Forest.

Also the Smiths aren't going to Loomis anymore, transferring with their quarterback to Cheshire Academy this semester because Loomis doesn't allow early graduation. You may remember Cheshire from such players as Tarik Black and Josh Jobe. Both schools play a spate of top New England/New York academies you may remember from Don Brown recruitments like Choate (Tristan Bounds, Manuel Biegel, Hunter Reynolds), Suffield (Kechaun Bennett, Davis Warren, Will Rolapp), Brunswick (Cornelius Johnson) and Milton (Kalel Mullings).

Based on a 2021 interview, their Marine dad has been behind the boys' training, seeing a nutritionist, reclassifying from 2023s to 2024s. A lot of lifestyle changes that Smith's Michigan teammates will encounter next year are already old hat to the twins. Up to their first sophomore year, the Smith brothers grew up in Somerset, KY, near Lexington, except for three years when their dad was stationed in Japan. He's now stationed in South Carolina, but they summered back in Somerset when not touring all the schools (again).

STATS 

Loomis Chaffee's MaxPreps page is not useful for stats, so I went hunting for the articles that featured Jerod's stats that Seth used, yet those articles did not offer any stats on Jacob strangely. I will continue this pursuit and update the article if I can find anything. 

FAKE 40 TIME 

Have not found a 40 time for Jacob Smith, as was the case for Jerod. 

VIDEO 

Junior highlights: 

More available on his Hudl page. 

ETC 

A 247 article at the time of his commitment to Michigan has a quote about Smith's fondness for Michigan assistant Dylan Roney, which is certain to not ruffle any feathers (emphasis mine): 

"He's a great guy," Smith said. "He is someone I could relate to. He is close in age to me. He's a young guy. He's not an old head that thinks MJ is the best in the world. He's more relatable, similar life experiences. You can have a good conversation with him even if it wasn't about football. You can talk to him about anything."

Hmm.

PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE 

The scouting is a little all over the place for Jacob Smith. He's seen as generally athletic, but is athleticism a real strength? Up in the air. Most evaluators agree his bend is a strength, but not necessarily everyone. Refinement of his pass-rushing and the need to bulk up further are the most commonly cited areas of improvement, though that is pretty usual for any EDGE prospect. If there's one trait that unites the scouts, it's Smith's superb ability to move laterally and drop into coverage, be it against running backs or tight ends. 

There's plenty to like here with Jacob Smith and that coverage ability is something Michigan loves its EDGE prospects to have. He offers a little bit different of a profile than any EDGE they have in the class up to this point, not ultra raw like Elias Rudolph or Devon Baxter given the training he's gotten from his dad/HS/camp circuits, even if there is still a bit of technique work to do with him. He's also not a beefy EDGE destined for Don Brown anchor a la Dominic Nichols. Smith is someone who could be a stand-up EDGE dropping into coverage, or he could even be more of a true OLB.

There's a higher floor here than several players in the EDGE class. And compared to Nichols, the other "high floor" player in the class, the skillset differs. So Smith represents something different. Smith is also probably the most college-ready of any EDGE in this class, so there is a path to early playing time as a result. Still, the EDGE positional group is going to be rather crowded (attrition after this season will determine how crowded) once Smith arrives in the fall of 2024, so I wouldn't anticipate the fastest path to playing time. 

UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS

At four EDGE prospects, this positional group is probably done. There was discussion about Michigan being willing to take five back when Derian Mayo was on the board, so I think it's possible that if an elite EDGE prospect shakes free at some point over the final four months of the cycle, they would find room. But that's nothing but a hypothetical at this point and Michigan is not recruiting any EDGEs at this time (to my knowledge). That makes sense when you consider that they have several HSP-ish guys who could be EDGEs like Cole Sullivan and Jaden Smith. 

Jacob Smith was Michigan's 25th true scholarship commitment this cycle and 26th if you're counting likely PWO Zach Ludwig. It's a lot! But as we explained on the podcast this week, scholarship limits are fake now in the era of NIL and Michigan loading up like this will be the expectation going forward. I'd expect the class to finish around 30; I think they'd like two more DBs (one has to be a corner) and one more WR. There is still a dream of a 6th OL, but we shall see. After that, it's pretty much best player available to round out the class, seeing which players are gettable in the fall as Michigan presumably is parlaying its on-field success into a recruiting pitch. In terms of upcoming commitment dates to watch, 4.5* CB Aaron Scott makes his long-awaited decision on July 30th and 4* WR Gatlin Bair (functionally a 2026 due to his Mormon mission) makes his decision August 5th. 

THE CLASS AS IT STANDS

OFFENSE
Pos	Player	State	Stars	In a nutshell
QB	Jadyn Davis	NC	4.6⬇⬇	Smooth, accurate field general
RB	Jordan Marshall	OH	4.5⬆	Accelerates South-North
RB	Micah Ka'apana	NV	3.7⬆⬆	Well-balanced accelerator
WR	I'Marion Stewart	IL	3.9⬇	Ronnie slick/quick, #1 WR to M
WR	Channing Goodwin	NC	3.8	Chain-moving son of Jon
TE	Brady Prieskorn	MI	4.4	Colston Loveland Midwest
TE	Hogan Hansen	WA	4.1	Colston Loveland West
LT	Andrew Sprague	MO	4.2⬆	Basketballin' grow-a-Long
RT	Blake Frazier	TX	4.2⬆⬆	Athletic son of Steve
RG	Luke Hamilton	OH	4.0	Midwestern mauler
LG	Ben Roebuck	OH	3.8⬇⬇	Bigger Midwestern mauler
C	Jake Guarnera	FL	3.8	Mauler but center
DEFENSE
Pos	Player	State	Stars	In a nutshell
DT	Manuel Beigel	CT	3.5	Lengthy German via Choate
DT	Owen Wafle	NJ	4.0⬇	Little nose with bite
DT	Ted Hammond	OH	4.0	Cincy build-a-bear
DT/DE	Jerod Smith	CT	4.0⬆	Low-pads, high-motor big twin
SDE	Dominic Nichols	MD	3.8⬇	Mike Morris-ish SDE
WDE	Jacob Smith	CT	4.0	Tweener edge twin
WDE	Devon Baxter	MD	3.8⬆⬆	Super long 4-3 grow-an-edge.
OLB	Elias Rudolph	FL	4.0⬆	Former Ohian OLB type
LB	Mason Curtis	TN	4.2⬆	Long athlete moving up
LB	Jeremiah Beasley	MI	4.0⬇	Explosive hitter from Belleville
LB	Jaden Smith	NC	4.0⬆⬆⬆	Underscouted Uche/WLB
HSP	Cole Sullivan	PA	3.8⬆	Hybrid LB with crazy athleticism
S	Jacob Oden	MI	4.1	Tall son of coach