Blue chip offensive tackle Terrance Smith finished his official visit to Rutgers, a program that was near the forefront of the Lansdale (Pa.) Catholic standout for a long time, and quickly scheduled a return trip to LSU.
He was on the Baton Rouge, La., campus in mid April but he wanted to get another look at it because he was torn between the Bayou Bengals and the Scarlet Knights but that trip sealed his decision.
Smith, who is the No. 39 player and No. 5 offensive tackle in the 2027 class, announced his commitment to LSU on Monday live on the CBS Sports College Football YouTube channel.
“When I made my unofficial, I kind of felt it,” Smith said. “I felt comfortable there and I fit with the culture really well. I was still keeping my recruitment open with the rest of my OVs just in case I changed my mind but I think that was just the place for me.”
The setup of the coaching staff was instrumental in the decision, and it goes beyond coach Lane Kiffin, offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. and offensive line coach Eric Wolford. Run-game specialist and assistant offensive line coach James Cregg and offensive analyst Na’shan Goddard, who works with the offensive line, were also instrumental in the decision.
“I think that offensive line group is one to none,” the 6-foot-6, 290-pound Smith said. “With coach Wolford being the head offensive line coach, he’s developed a lot of players in his time in the NCAA, and coach Cregg, he’s done what he’s done and he was there for the 2019 national championship team, and then coach Goddard, he is a super smart guy. He played in the league for a little bit so he knows a lot of what he’s talking about.
“When you are talking about play calling, you have coach Weis and coach Kiffin, they are calling the plays and they are probably two of the best offensive minds in the game.”
Smith told Wolford of his decision before letting the rest of the staff know.
“Everybody was super pumped,” he said. “Coach Wolf, he’s been my guy since he was at Kentucky and I could see the look on his face. When I told him, I kind of acted like I wasn’t going and then I told him I was coming, it was live. It was a good moment, amazing.”
Here is what you need to know:
WHAT TERRANCE SMITH SAYS ABOUT LSU
“The culture, the relationship I have with the guys, and the people outside of the facilities, it just felt natural,” he said.
WHO ELSE WAS IN THE MIX?
Smith had a final four of LSU, Auburn, Rutgers and Tennessee, and he made official visits to each of them. Rutgers was the program to beat heading into the spring but an April 17-19 official visit to LSU moved the Tigers to the forefront of the recruitment. He made an official visit to Rutgers May 29-31 but then came the pivotal moment for LSU. A few days later he returned to campus for an unofficial visit before he took officials to Auburn and Tennessee. Sources said Smith will get mid-to-high six figures in revenue sharing/NIL, and LSU was the early trend setter in the recruitment in that vein.
WHERE TERRANCE SMITH RANKS AS A RECRUIT
Smith has a 247Sports grade of 95, which makes him a high-level four-star prospect bordering on five-star status. He is the nation’s No. 5 offensive tackle, and the No. 4 player in Pennsylvania and No. 39 prospect in the nation. In the industry-generated 247Sports Composite, Smith is the No. 7 player in Pennsylvania, and he is the No. 14 offensive tackle and the No. 129 player in the 2027 class.
HOW TERRANCE SMITH FITS WITH LSU
LSU is starting to stack talent in the 2027 class. Smith is the fifth commitment in the last eight days and pushes the Tigers’ class to nine members. Smith is the first offensive lineman in the class, and he can play on the interior or move to tackle because of his length. He is the second member of LSU’s class from Pennsylvania. The Tigers landed Malvern (Pa.) Prep receiver Cade Cooper last week. Smith’s and Cooper’s schools are located 30 miles apart outside of Philadelphia.
WHAT WE THINK OF TERRANCE SMITH
Andrew Ivins, who is the scouting director for 247Sports, provided the following eval notes on Smith:
-Tall and naturally athletic offensive lineman with some of the best combine testing metrics in the entire class.
-Missed first half of junior campaign while recovering from knee surgery, but quickly worked his way back into the lineup and had a stellar showing at an Under Armour NEXT camp in advance of senior year.
-Owns valuable experience at both of the tackles spots and should bring that same versatility to his next stop.
-Moves with a higher pad level, but flashes impressive lower-body flexibility, which constantly puts him in favorable positions as a move blocker.
-Still learning how to time up his strikes in pass protection, but can recover with his agility and take pass rushers for a ride when he gets his hands inside.
-Likely to add a ton of good mass in the coming years as there looks to be immense bulking capabilities on a frame that has been verified at just over 6-foot-6.
-Projects as a potential multi-year starter up front for a College Football Playoff hopeful that has legitimate NFL tools.
