Earlier this week we detailed the plight of four-star linebacker prospect Roquan Smith. On National Signing Day, he verbally committed to UCLA but had a change of heart after finding out that the coach that recruited him might be leaving for another job. In a heads up move, Smith decided to wait to send in his National Letter of Intent (NLI) which meant that he was allowed to open his recruiting back up.
Over the past week, much has been made of Smith and his desire to not sign a NLI and instead just sign grant-in-aid papers which would give him some flexibility until he enrolled at the college of his choice.
After a long hard week and half for Smith and those that are close to him, Smith finally made his decision on Friday and he chose to stay in his home state and sign his grant-in-aid with the University of Georgia.
https://twitter.com/RoquanSmith1/status/566247972804263936
Welcome to the #UGAFamily Roquan Smith! #CommittedToTheG #Fam15 pic.twitter.com/rjvtfkUDmQ
— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) February 13, 2015
Here’s what Smith had to say via the AJC:
To begin with, I would like to thank God for making all things possible after all, it is through him that I was even blessed with the talents to play football. Secondly, I would like to thank my family and coaches for their never ending love. Through these strenuous times , they have never left my side and have always stayed true. Their loyalty is not something that can be bought only earned. But more importantly I would like thank my teammates. When I’m playing with these guys, it’s not about the accolades or the elaborate stats. It’s about the value of leadership, brotherhood, and team work… things I will forever cherish.
As you could imagine it’s been tough lately , But I am relieved to say that I am officially committed to The University Of Georgia 100%. Proverbs 16:3 says that if you commit to the lord in whatever you do, he will establish your plans. Jeremiah 29:11 says that God knows the plans he has for my life and I will trust in him through any and everything as I have always done. Once again , thank you so much to all my true supporters and my community. I will make you nothing short of proud.
Georgia originally got behind in the recruiting process due to former defensive coordinator Todd Grantham not offering him a scholarship. Smith bolsters Georgia’s recruiting class which current ranks sixth in the Nation according to 247 Sports.
Now that Smith has announced his intentions and signed his grant-in-aid it will be interesting to see if any high profile 2016 recruits follow his lead and opt to hold off on signing NLIs next season.
