2021 S Jaylin Smith "Definitely" Wants To Visit Notre Dame

The name’s the same, but the player, the location and the spelling are different.

Notre Dame has recently reached out to Jaylin Smith‍, obviously not that Jaylon Smith.

This Jaylin Smith is a safety in the Class of 2021 from California.

“Recently, a couple of their recruiters followed,” the 5-foot-11, 185-pounder from Bishop Alemany explained. “Aaryn Kearney followed me and then he hit me up.

“We just had a good conversation and we picked it up the next day. He told me he liked me film and it went from there. He asked for my transcripts, we talked about that. It was just a good conversation.”

Smith recently landed his first offer of the process from USC and was excited to hear from a school in the Midwest like Notre Dame.

“It shows that I’m on my way to something totally good,” he said. “It’s a blessing just showing that I can go anywhere and be able to perform. I was just happy.”

He knows a little bit about Notre Dame.

“A lot of great players went there, it’s a very traditional school, a lot of national championships, a lot of guys who won Heismans,” he said. “It’s just a great school overall.”

He said he’d “most definitely” want to visit.

“I would definitely want to get out there and see how the school and campus is,” said Smith.

The Mission Hills, Calif., native was excited about the offer from the Trojans.

“It was really a blessing,” he said. “I was just flying under the radar and keeping my head down and working. My mindset going in was not to chase offers, it was about perfecting myself before other people could see me and getting better every day. It’s only up from here, that’s just my mindset.”

Smith said college scouts like his versatility at strong safety.

“I can come down and cover and also be a force in the run game,” he explained. “I tell them my stats and they say, ‘OK, he’s a solid tackler who can come downhill and play one-on-one in the passing game.’ I can also play offense too.”

Smith, who could play running back and receiver on offense, has also received interest from schools like Arizona, Oregon, Oregon State, Florida and Washington State among others.

He won’t need to make a decision for a while, but Smith, who hopes to major in either Zoology or Criminal Justice, already has an idea of what he’s looking for in a college.

“Good education and a good home foundation for me. Leaving home, I will want to go somewhere that feels like home. A great environment, great people, I’m just looking for somewhere I can call home.”