Maryland OT wants to visit Auburn
Owings Mills (Md.) four-star offensive tackle Donovan Smith said Stephon Tuitt must have been confused. Tuitt, after visiting Auburn Saturday, said Smith was one of several recruits at the recent Top Gun OL/DL Camp that urged him and others to visit Auburn.
Smith was at the camp with Tuitt. The two battled in 1-on-1s throughout the event held in Williamsburg, Va. But Smith wasn't one of the ones urging Tuitt to visit Auburn. He was actually standing alongside Tuitt listening.
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"I heard the same things he did," said Smith. "I haven't visited Auburn, but I would love to, too."
Smith said it's becoming more of a possibility. He heard from the Tigers for the first time following the Top Gun camp.
"Auburn is coming into the picture now," said Smith, 6-foot-5, 270 pounds. "(Offensive line) Coach Jeff Grimes saw some video of me at the Top Gun camp and sent me a message. He was finding out stuff about me, telling me about Auburn, just getting some basic information.
"Then I talked to him and he asked me what I was looking for in a program. I told him a chance to play early, the fan base, stuff like that. He told me at Auburn I would have a shot at playing early, but that would be determined by how hard I worked when I got there. He said nothing is handed to anyone. We're building a good relationship."
Smith, ranked the No. 4 overall recruit in Maryland and the nation's No. 22 offensive tackle, said he would like to meet Grimes, and do so while on Auburn's campus.
"I can't take any more unofficial visits because football season has started, but if they would host me on an official visit, I would love to go down there," said Smith. "I'm still doing research on them, but I do know that Bo Jackson went there. He was one of the greatest to ever play. And I know I would like to visit.
"I'm highly interested in Auburn. It's all football. It is the SEC, the greatest conference in college football. I would love to play for a school like that."
Smith has several scholarship offers including ones from Virginia, UCLA, Penn State, Michigan State, Maryland, Clemson, North Carolina, Syracuse, Virginia Tech and West Virginia, among others. He could add one from Auburn soon.
Smith plans to narrow his focus to 10 schools by the end of August. Virginia, UCLA, Syracuse, Michigan State and Penn State will make the cut.
"Everyone else I'm still looking into," he said. "But if things progress with Auburn, of course they would be in there, too."
Smith is a member of the Rivals250, ranked the No. 238 overall recruit in the country.