Roquan Smith, who committed to Georgia on Friday, has gained national notoriety as one of the first big-time football prospects to bypass signing at national letter of intent (NLI) on signing day or after.
And when the linebacker from Macon County High spoke on the phone with almost all of UGA’s coaching staff Friday morning to tell them he was coming, Smith got some interesting feedback.
“The UGA coaches were fine with Roquan not signing an NLI — actually one of the coaches said that if his son is good enough, they’re not going to let him sign an NLI either,” Macon County coach Larry Harold said.
“I’m not going to say which UGA coach it was. You’re going to have to ask them. He was like, ‘Coach, if my son is good enough and is in the same position as Roquan, I’m not going to let him sign an NLI. I understand exactly why you’re doing this.’ They get it. So I guess the buzz is going around.”
Smith (6-foot-1, 205 pounds) signed an athletics aid agreement Friday, but famously declined to sign the binding NLI after nearly getting burned by UCLA on signing day last week.
Smith can change his mind about Georgia until he attends his first day of classes, but his coach said that won’t happen.
“His recruiting is over,” Harold said. “It’s finished. He’s ready to move on to the next chapter of his life. His family is ready to move on. It’s just a good day. Everything is finalized. He’s relaxed. Now he can finish out his high school days and report to UGA this summer.”
Smith was labeled as a “pioneer” and “revolutionist” for being one of the first elite football recruits to skip over the NLI in February. He’s rated as the country’s No. 47 prospect, per the 247Sports composite rankings.
“As you could imagine it’s been tough lately, but I am relieved to say that I am officially committed to The University of Georgia 100%,” Smith said in a text message.
Other elite recruits such as former UGA quarterback Matthew Stafford and current running back Keith Marshall also did not sign the NLI. But it was because they enrolled early, and high school midyear enrollees are not eligible to sign the NLI, per NCAA rules.
Like Smith, both Herschel Walker and former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor transformed into celebrity recruits after holding out a few months after signing day to pick a college. But both signed an NLI before the end of the signing period.
Last week, Smith committed to UCLA over Georgia in front of ESPN cameras. But he decided against turning in his NLI after reports surfaced later that day that Bruins defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich accepted a job with the Falcons.
Smith said Ulbrich had told him on the eve of signing day that he had “declined” the job offer from the Falcons, per UGASports. On Thursday, Ulbrich (now with the Falcons) declined comment to the AJC about Smith’s claim.
“After everything that Roquan had been through, he was already torn between UGA and UCLA,” Harold said Friday. “I think he did some more research. Just with UCLA so far away from home and coach Ulbrich not being there, his family and I felt more comfortable with him being closer to home.”
“Coach Richt was excited, and told him he’s just glad he’s a (Bulldog) for life. Through this process, I can really see how Georgia fans and alum are there for you forever. This decision will set up Roquan for stuff down the road, and not just the next four years.”
With the addition of Smith, UGA has 29 members in its 2015 class and moved from No. 9 to No. 6 in the national rankings after Smith signed.
Said Harold, “We just got off the phone with (assistant John) Lilly, and he said, ‘Usually Friday the 13th is a bad day. This is the best Friday the 13th we’ve ever had at UGA.’”
The director of the NLI program for the NCAA, Susan Peal, didn’t seem happy earlier this week about how Smith’s situation was playing out.
“If a prospective student-athlete only signs an athletics aid agreement, then the institution has no guarantee that student will show up for enrollment while also being recruited by other coaches,” Peal said.
“This really places that athletics team in a bad position for planning for the upcoming year if there is no binding agreement. This results in no accountability on the student’s behalf, but the institution is accountable for providing the athletics aid.
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