Jordan Smith, once committed to South Carolina, Smith changed to Florida after Steve Spurrier retired. He already has enrolled and loves life in the Swamp.

Three things to know about Smith:

1. Gators over Volunteers: After Smith back off his committment to South Carolina, it came down to Florida and Tennessee, and in early January, Smith picked the Gators. A strong relationship with Gators defensive line coach Chris Rumph was among the deciding factors. Smith has been in constant communication with Lithonia coach Marcus Jelks. "He loves it," Jelks said.

2. Stage is never too big: A high-energy, outgoing personality, Smith made his varsity debut at Lithonia as a sophomore in a region play-in game against Grady. The big stage didn't seem to bother him. "He had 10 tackles, four for loss," Jelks remembered. It was only the beginning.

3. Numbers of note: Smith had a team-high 104 tackles this season at Lithonia, despite opponents almost always running away from him, Jelks said. Smith had seven sacks, 26 tackles for loss, forced six fumbles and recovered two. Oh, he also caught four touchdowns as a tight end.

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Former Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Norman Arey died Oct. 11, 2025 at the age of 84. In addition to sports writing, Arey also co-wrote the popular "Peach Buzz" society column. (Courtesy of the Arey family)

Credit: Courtesy of the Arey family

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Members of the conversion crew take a break as the main scoreboard is lowered to the floor to be worked on as the arena gets ready for the next concert at State Farm Arena, Thursday, October 2, 2025, in Atlanta. The crew was working on creating a stage for the Friday, Oct. 3 Maxwell concert. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com