3/16/2023 football Edit

Rivals 100 DE recaps TTU Junior Day visit

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Matt Clare • RedRaiderSports

Recruiting Analyst

I write about recruiting and tell stories, been in the game for five years. Thanks for reading, please @ me with any questions because this is all intended to be interactive.

The Texas Tech coaches recently hosted several prospects for the program's first Junior Day in the 2024 recruiting cycle.

One of the prospects in town for the weekend was Melissa defensive end Nigel Smith and the Rivals 100 prospect connected with RedRaiderSports to recap his visit.

What you need to know...

...Smith received his offer from the Red Raiders on January 5th, 2022

...the four-star prospect currently lists 37 total offers from programs around the country, including offers from Alabama, Oklahoma, Georgia, Oregon and others

...the standout prospect also plays varsity basketball and is running on the varsity track this spring

...as a junior, Smith was named the District 7-5A-II Defensive Lineman of the Year and earned a Class 5A First-Team All-State selection

Relationship with TTU coaches: "I started talking with Coach (Joey) McGuire probably right after he arrived at Texas Tech. I usually talk with him, Coach (James) Lockhart and Coach (C.J.) Ah You on a weekly basis."

Junior Day visit: "It was my first visit to Lubbock and I really enjoyed it. It was great getting to meet the coaches in person, getting to know them and I was able to meet the entire coaching staff. The Tech coaches seem like real, genuine coaches and it was good getting to know them more. Overall, it was a nice and chill visit.

"Coach McGuire gave a speech to the entire group of recruits and I was able to meet with him one on one. When we talked, there was no recruiting, he really took time to get to know me and we talked about life, how things are for a college athlete."

Fit at TTU: "During the visit, I spent time with Coach Ah You and we went over some film from this past season. He showed me Tyree Wilson and how they used him in their defense. He sees me playing that role at defensive end like him and believes they could develop me as a pass rusher in their defense."

Official visit to TTU: "I did talk about it with Coach McGuire, but as of now I have not scheduled an official visit to Texas Tech."

Other visits: "I'm going to visit Texas on March 25th, Texas A&M on April 1st, Miami on April 8th and Penn State on April 15th. I have not scheduled any of my official visits yet."

Important to you: "When it comes to visits, it is really about getting to know the coaches at each program. I want to learn more about the atmosphere, the environment and how the coaches treat everyone in the program. For example, with a school like Texas Tech, I wanted to get in front of the coaches and have a conversation with them."

Other sports: "I play forward on the varsity basketball team and I'm starting to run track, so far I know that I'm running the 100m and possibly a few other events."

Currently rated a 5.9 four-star prospect, Smith is listed as the No. 75 overall prospect on the Rivals 100, the No. 9 overall strongside defensive end in the country and the No. 10 overall prospect on the Rivals Texas Top 100 for the 2024 class.