Roquan Smith, a four-star outside linebacker who is ranked as the 47th-best prospect in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite ratings, committed to UCLA Wednesday morning. Ranked the fifth-best outside linebacker in the country and the fifth-best prospect in the state of Georgia, according to the composite ratings, Smith has a 0.9764 rating overall.
Blue chip Roquan Smith commits to UCLA, but will he sign?
The four-star outside linebacker announced Wednesday morning he’s going with the Bruins.
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Update: Hold on a minute here ...
BREAKING: Despite announcing his commitment to #UCLA, 4* LB Roquan Smith tells me he has not reached final decision, has not signed LOI.
— Jake Reuse (@ReuseRecruiting) February 4, 2015 Just talked with Larry Harold. Roquan Smith has NOT sent his LOI in yet. The two are about to meet to figure things out.
— Ron Seibel (@RonSeibel) February 4, 2015 Keep an eye on this one.
It came down to four teams for Smith, but he chose UCLA over Michigan, Texas A&M and Georgia. It truly was a national offer list for Smith, who also had offers from Alabama, Michigan State, Florida State, Wisconsin and USC.
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He made his choice with flair, eliminating cards representing “Michigan University” and Texas A&M before holding up his UCLA gloves.
He chose to take his official visits to USC, Georgia, Michigan, A&M and UCLA. The Bruins got the last official visit on the weekend before National Signing Day.
Smith’s high school career was filled with accolades, and he was invited to the prestigious Nike “The Opening” showcase. Smith is considered a very athletic outside linebacker, and he stands at 6’2, 205 pounds. Smith hails from Macon County High School in Montezuma, Ga.
You can read Smith’s scouting report from SB Nation’s Bud Elliot, who raves about his speed and range:
”Smith is one of the most athletic linebacker recruits in the country. And he needs to be, because at 6’2 and 201 pounds (Atlanta Nike Camp measurements), he is not very big. The first thing Smith will need in college is a lot of time in the weight room. He simply must get stronger at the point of attack.
”But top schools that typically prefer bigger players are after Smith because he has the athleticism to make up for his marginal size.
“Smith shows fantastic closing burst in the open field, chasing down ball carriers and either making the tackle, or turning them back inside to pursuit. It seems that players consistently underestimate his closing speed.”
