Jahmir Smith Talks Autry Denson, Early Enrollment and Signing Day
2018 Lee County (N.C.) running back Jahmir Smith has kept his recruitment low-key, including his visit to Notre Dame over the summer that led to a commitment days later.
The 5-foot-11, 195-pounder visited for the USC game but appreciated Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly, running backs coach Autry Denson and offensive coordinator Chip Long stopping by his high school last week.
“It was great to see the coaches,” Smith told Irish Sports Daily. “I hadn’t seen coach Kelly since I came for my official visit. It was just great to see him again.”
As with his recruitment, Smith kept Kelly’s visit quiet, but there was a buzz around Lee County High School once the word got out.
“A lot of people didn’t know he was coming,” said Smith. “My coaches and I were the only ones that really knew he was coming to the school. Once people found out he was coming, they started asking me about it. It was pretty cool.”
Denson has been a stable force in Smith’s recruitment, and the conversation has now turned to preparing the three-star prospect for life at Notre Dame, as the Lee County standout will enroll in January.
“I got my acceptance letter last Friday,” stated Smith. “It felt great. Coach Denson has been telling me about life at Notre Dame. He was told me about moving in and to be ready to play.”
With college a few weeks away, Smith is fired up to take the next step in his life.
“It’s exciting,” explained Smith. “I’m not nervous. I’m excited. I’m going to miss people at home. I’m going to miss the people. I’m going to miss my family and the people I hang out with every day, but I’m ready to start the next chapter. ”
Smith has already been putting in work since his season ended and he’s focused on improving specific areas of his game.
“I’m definitely been working on my size, but I have also been working on my explosiveness,” Smith said. “That’s something I am going to work on when I get there too.
“I’m at about 195-196 right now. I was 205 before the season, but you slim down. I want to be around 200. To me, it doesn’t matter what I show up at because they will put weight on me.”
Smith will take part in a Signing Day ceremony on Wednesday afternoon, and he couldn’t be happier to officially sign as he already feels a strong bond between his recruiting class.
“We are all close and in a group chat together,” Smith stated. “We talk almost every day. We’re all excited to get up there, especially the early enrollees. We have been talking about getting in shape and the workouts we will be doing.”
The Perfect Gift For Your Favorite ND Friend or Family Member: The ISD Gift Card