The rare tight end to earn wide receiver MVP honors at a Nike camp, Flower Mound (Texas) Marcus star Kaden Smith earned his invitation to The Opening, with an impressive performance on Sunday in Arlington at the Dallas’ The Opening regional.
No. 2 TE Kaden Smith has Alabama and Stanford on top
More visits to Tuscaloosa and Palo Alto are pending for the top-100 prospect.
Before showing out, Smith took some time to discuss the current state of his recruitment with SB Nation Recruiting, which currently features two schools Smith visits frequently -- the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Stanford Cardinal. In fact, Smith plans to visit both in the near future.
The academics out in Palo Alto are impressive enough for the nation’s No. 2 tight end to mention them twice when asked what he likes about the Cardinal. And head coach David Shaw’s tight end-heavy offense is another major appeal since it often features three tight ends on the field at the same time.
As for Alabama, the 6’5, 235-pounder has a tie to the school because his older sister goes to school in Tuscaloosa. But Smith also likes the offense run by Lane Kiffin, especially the willingness to use more tight ends as he continues to stockpile them for the Crimson Tide.
Smith’s recruitment is commonly seen as a battle between those two schools, with the rest just trying to catch up. However, the big tight end said that he’s still considering Texas, LSU, and that he may go visit Georgia.
A consensus four-star prospect, Smith could become the first Texas tight end to earn a spot in the state’s top 10 since Martellus Bennett in 2005.
