Smith is all in with the Florida Gators program

The Florida Gators picked up commitment number 25 on Sunday morning when defensive end Jordan Smith (6-6, 220, Lithonia, GA High) committed to Florida following his official visit to Gainesville.

Smith tweeted out Saturday night that he was having a great visit in Gainesville and Smith’s high school coach Marcus Jelks said that the visit went extremely well for Smith.

“The trip went real well, come to find out he had a lot of things in common with the coaches and some of the players,” Jelks said. “He really felt like he was connected with those guys and it felt like a family atmosphere down there. Coach Collins is actually from the same area as Jordan so they knew some of the same people and then Coach Rumph coached at my alma mater so I knew him really well.”

Jelks said that after the official visit was over that the decision to commit was an easy one for Smith as Florida was the place that Smith wanted to be.

“He decided to commit because he had a good time and he felt like it was home,” Jelks said of why Smith committed. “He just really connected with those guys and bonded really well with the coaching staff. He felt like it was the best place to be for the next four to five years.”

Florida Gators head coach Jim McElwain spoke with Smith on Sunday afternoon and the meeting was more about Smith than it was football according to Jelks.

“Coach McElwain talked to him more about life and how Gators take care of Gators,” Jelks said. “He really just sold him more on the fact that they were going to take care of him in all aspects and not just in football.”

Smith is a long athletic defensive end and Jelks said that Florida has talked to Smith about playing multiple positions on the defensive line in the coming years.

“Coach Rumph kind of looks at him as a guy with his hand in the ground because he’s going to be a big time pass rusher for them,” Jelks said. “He eventually will get to a point where he can play standing up so that he can do either or but they like his athletic ability and his ability to get to the quarterback.”

Last week Smith made news by decomitted from South Carolina but according to Coach Jelks this decision will be the final one for his star defensive end.

“This will be Jordan’s final decision as he’s early enrolling,” Jelks said. “He will be enrolling in Florida in January so he can take part in spring ball with the team this spring. I think he’s going to gain weight quickly this offseason once he starts eating the way they do and working out like they do.”

When Jelks was asked to describe Smith the Lithonia coach couldn’t say enough good things about his defensive end who will be a Gators in just a few short weeks.

“Jordan is a great person first of all and he’s going to be one of those guys that is going to be all in for the Gators,” Jelks said. “He’s going to love being a part of that program and that environment down there. He’s a high motor guy that’s big on treating guys like they’re family. Once he gains some weight he’s going to be an awesome football player.”

Andrew Spivey
Andrew always knew he wanted to be involved with sports in some capacity. He began by coaching high school football for six years before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. While coaching, he was a part of two state semifinal teams in the state of Alabama. Given his past coaching experience, he figured covering recruiting would be a perfect fit. He began his career as an intern for Rivals.com, covering University of Florida football recruiting. After interning with Rivals for six months, he joined the Gator Country family as a recruiting analyst. Andrew enjoys spending his free time on the golf course and watching his beloved Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewSpiveyGC.