Christopher Smith on Georgia commitment: 'Why not represent the home team?'

At last, Georgia’s 2018 recruiting class has some life after it gained a commitment Monday.

Christopher Smith, a three-star cornerback out of Hapeville Charter Academy in Atlanta, announced on his birthday that he pledged to the Bulldogs. The announcement for Smith wasn’t expected to come until later in the summer.

Along with a host of prospects, Smith attended Georgia’s G-Day spring game on April 22, and the last trip to Athens provided reassurance and he knew that he was best fit for the Bulldogs.

“All of these schools were on the same level for me,” Smith said. “After my last visit to Georgia, I sat and thought that if all of these schools were on the same level, why not represent the home team? I gave (Georgia head coach) Kirby (Smart) the call last Monday, (April 24).”

Smith will join his teammate William Poole once again at the collegiate level, after both of the defensive backs gave their pledges around the time of Georgia’s G-Day spring game in successive seasons. Poole may not have actively pushed Smith to join him in Athens but it’s something that they’ll now be able to look forward to.

“It’ll be great, but I haven’t really had the time to think about it much,” Smith said. “I’ve only mentioned it to him once. I think we have the potential to contribute a lot to this team.”

Smith is not rated as one of the nation’s top prospects on numerous recruiting sites, but he did collect a total of 54 tackles, seven pass break-ups and five interceptions. In addition to solid performances at recruiting camps such as The Opening Regionals, in which he was awarded with a defensive MVP award, those numbers caught the attention of programs across the nation.

Consequently, those that have been influential in developing Smith’s game believe he will soon be on everyone’s radar.

“I feel people will start noticing that he’s one of the best in the country,” said Kevin Pope, Smith’s defensive coach at Hapeville Charter. “He has tenacity when he breaks on the ball, and his foot speed and ability to transition with fluid hips stand out because it is a rarity at his age.”

Georgia now has three pledges for the 2018 class as Smith joins three-star outside linebacker Donovan Georges and the nation’s top place-kicker and punter, Jake Camarda. The Bulldogs have suffered multiple decommitments and have lost two of the best in-state prospects – four-star defensive end Brenton Cox and five-star quarterback Emory Jones – to Ohio State.

The latest addition gives the Bulldogs a momentum boost as they try to rival the third-best recruiting class a season ago.

“I’m trying to recruit Trey Dean, Marquez Ezzard and Kearis Jackson for sure,” Smith said. “I’m taking it easy right now, just throwing it out there. I tell them, ‘We’d love to have you,’ and things like that.”

In regards to Smith’s recruitment, the in-state product envisions being completely set on Georgia, despite National Signing Day being nine months away.

Prior to his announcement Monday, Smith had recently narrowed his list to six schools: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State and South Carolina.

“I may not visit anywhere else,” Smith said. “No other visits are scheduled at this time, but I may visit if a new school starts recruiting me. I am 100 percent committed to Georgia.”

Georgia will have two players from Hapeville Charter on its roster if Smith stays true to his commitment. The Bulldogs have created a pipeline with the South Atlanta program and are also actively recruiting four-star defensive end Kingsley Enagbare for the 2018 class.

Smith received his offer from Georgia on Nov. 16, 2016. Then his recruitment began to amplify as he compiled a list of 30 scholarship opportunities. Although having interest in multiple SEC and Big Ten programs, there was something unique about a visit to Athens.

“We are extremely proud of our son,” Chris Smith Sr. said, the father of the Bulldogs’ newest pledge. “He had a lot of options to but in the end he chose to stay home and do something special at Georgia. It just felt right (for us). We met a lot of great people on the recruiting trail, but it just felt right at Georgia.”

This story was originally published May 3, 2017 at 11:59 AM with the headline "Christopher Smith on Georgia commitment: 'Why not represent the home team?'."