Top 2019 DE Eyeing Notre Dame Return

Brandon Smith and his teammates at Louisa County High School started camp about a month. The 2019 Virginia defensive end is pleased with what he has seen thus far.

“It is going really well,” Louisa County High School standout Brandon Smith expressed. “The team is building together, chemistry is building up and everything is meshing together.”

An early one-and-done exit from the playoffs last season has been a driving factor for the standout defensive end and his teammates. Surpassing last year’s season outcome is the main goal for Smith and his team.

“We have to stay healthy,” said the Mineral, Va. native. “Towards the end last year, people started to wear down, getting shin splints and other nagging injuries that lead to injuries.”

The 6-foot-4, 220-pounder believes his team can go further this year, but two main things have to be done, “Play as a team and play confident.”

The standout defender is highly talented and has racked up 19 scholarships offers from schools like Notre Dame, Alabama, Penn State, Florida State and Ohio State among others.

Blowing up within the last year as one of the best defensive ends in the Class of 2019, isn’t on Smith’s mind. He is going into his junior season focused on making himself better, his team successful and little else.

“I want to be the best me I can be,” Smith expressed. “I plan on blocking out all the distractions and I know other players try and get into people’s heads and say stuff, but I have to be able to block that out and play my game.”

The four-star recruit, worked on his compete game, attending Nike, Under Armor, Virginia and Penn State camps.

Notre Dame being a school that has the Virginia native’s attention; he has kept in close contact with the coaching staff, especially with Notre Dame linebacker coach Clark Lea. Smith and Lea have talked multiple times with Lea expressing key advice to the promising 2019 defensive end.

“Coach Lea says to keep on being the humble person that I am and doing my schoolwork and everything else will fall where it is,” said Smith.

With the college football season fast-approaching, Smith is in talks with his parents to plan another trip to South Bend to watch a home game this season.

“I definitely am going to try,” Smith said. “The academics, the tradition and the people there are great “It is something I have to talk to my parents about to make sure everybody’s schedules line up, so we are all able to attend the game.”