Gamecocks still on top for Shi Smith after Alabama visit

When a prospect receives an Alabama offer and visits Tuscaloosa, the competition has to be worried. It’s not easy to compete with those championships and all that tradition.

So when South Carolina lean Shi Smith of Union County met with Nick Saban and company last Friday, it could have led to more than just a little concern.

The Class of 2017 wide receiver said this week that Muschamp and the Gamecocks have nothing to fret about.

Smith said South Carolina is where he wants to go but is “going to wait until mid-season of my senior year” to commit.

“I see that they are lacking at receiver position so I want to come down and start as a freshman and be the man down there,” Smith said.

With that on his mind, Smith was obviously excited about the news this week regarding quarterback Jake Bentley’s decision to enroll at USC this summer.

“When I go down there me and him be together and we were talking and he was like if I come he’s going, so I guess he’s already going,” Smith said. “I’m going.”

Smith will be at USC’s spring game Saturday.

As for the Alabama visit, Smith spent time with Saban and got the lowdown on how he would fit in with the Crimson Tide.

“He was like, there’s not a certain role I would play because I’m an elite player and I would play everywhere,” Smith said. “It was nice. When they offered I told my dad about it and he was shocked. He didn’t believe me at first.”

Smith said he’s also talking to Oklahoma and he’s getting some mail from Clemson and North Carolina. He said he’d like to go back to visit Clemson and North Carolina but he hasn’t talked to coaches from either in awhile. Smith said he schools he talks to the most that are showing him the greatest interest are USC, Alabama, Oklahoma and Kentucky.

Smith said USC and Alabama are 1-2 on his list at this point.

Georgia DB visits again

DB Yusuf Corker of Stockbridge, Ga., was back at USC Thursday to watch practice and he got more of a recruiting pitch from Gamecocks secondary coach and defensive coordinator Travaris Robinson.

“The visit went great,” Corker said. “I had fun trying on the jerseys again and watching them practice to see how Coach T-Rob coaches or teaches his players. They are recruiting heavily on defensive backs in 2017 and he said that they need me here in South Carolina whether it’s at cornerback, safety, nickel or dime.”

Corker has had USC as one of his favorites since visiting in February and this visit further solidified the Gamecocks’ position with him.

“I am very high on South Carolina,” he said. “I love the place, campus, dorms and coaches.”

Corker is on spring break so he’s making several visits this week. He was at Auburn and Tennessee earlier in the week and this weekend he will see North Carolina, NC State and Duke. After these visits Corker plans to make a top 5 or top list from his 25 offers. Georgia and Tennessee are his most recent offer. He’s looking a summertime decision.

Jamyest Williams takes in USC

DB Jamyest Williams of Decatur, Ga., is doing the Palmetto State double-dip this week by visiting both USC and Clemson. He was in Columbia Tuesday to watch spring practice and tour the campus and he will be at Clemson Saturday for the spring game.

“I think I can really go in there and compete for a spot,” Williams said after scouting out the Gamecocks’ secondary, especially the corners. “I see they need some DBs and a couple of pass rushers so it would be big for me to go in toward that role and start something new and just turn the program around and bring guys along. They (Will Muschamp and Travaris Robinson) tell me they really need me as I can see and I can come in there and change the program.”

Williams said he also visited the academic center and talked with a business professor, and he also saw the dorms.

Williams visited Georgia last Saturday and this Saturday he plans to revisit Clemson. He was there in early March to watch practice and like at USC he’s getting a strong message from the Tigers.

Williams has not formulated a favorites list yet but will do that this summer. He said USC, Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State, Southern Cal, Notre Dame, Florida State and Tennessee are schools coming at him very hard and he doesn’t have a leader at this point.

Notes

▪  USC OL target Viktor Beach of Fort Myers, Fla., will visit NC State and North Carolina this weekend and South Florida next Saturday.

▪  TE Drake DeIuliis of Charlotte was at USC’s practice Thursday. He’s also visited Georgia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and Duke.

▪  North Augusta DE Tre Lawson was offered Thursday by Mississippi State.

▪  Mississippi State offered Pendleton DE Brad Johnson Wednesday night.

This story was originally published April 8, 2016 at 2:08 PM with the headline "Gamecocks still on top for Shi Smith after Alabama visit."