Five-Star Defensive End Nolan Smith Signs National Letter of Intent

Five-star defensive end Nolan Smith, the nation’s No. 1 college football recruit according to the 247Sports Composite rankings, signed his letter of intent to Georgia on National Signing Day.

Smith putting pen to paper continues the positive momentum for the Bulldogs, who were the national runners-up last season, signed the No. 1 recruiting class in 2018, nearly won their second straight SEC Championship and now have received a letter of intent from the best player in the class of 2019.

Smith, who’s listed at 6-3 and 232 pounds, also received offers from Alabama, Clemson, Penn State and Tennessee, among other schools. The Savannah, Georgia native committed to Georgia on January 29, 2017, and National Signing Day confirms he’ll go north for college after attending IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

Smith recently took his official visit to Athens on December 7, when several other Georgia commits were also on campus. He had previously taken official visits to Tennessee (November 16), Alabama (November 23) and Penn State (November 30).

Alabama defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi and former Alabama offensive coordinator Mike Locksley also visited Smith on November 28 as the Crimson Tide made a late push to flip the highly coveted defensive end from Georgia.

The five-star defensive end has verified measurables of a 4.55 40-yard dash, a 4.08-second shuttle run and a 42-inch vertical.

Smith had 47 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks this fall for IMG Academy.

There could potentially be a significant number of snaps immediately available for Smith next season at Georgia. Defensive end Jonathan Ledbetter (51 total tackles) and outside linebacker D’Andre Walker (45 total tackles, 7.5 sacks) are in their final year of eligibility.

Smith’s NFL player comparison is Chicago Bears linebacker Khalil Mack, according to 247Sports. Comparing a high schooler to Mack, a three-time Pro Bowler and the 2016 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, is obviously a lofty comparison, but it speaks to Smith’s potential.