The University of Louisville football team is officially making a recruiting run at a hometown offensive lineman.
St. Xavier offensive lineman Wyatt Smock is being recruited by colleges as a part of the 2018 class.
St. Xavier’s Wyatt Smock said it was a surreal feeling to hear the news Thursday that he’d landed a scholarship offer from new U of L offensive line coach Mike Summers.
“I was pretty excited, being from Louisville and living here for so long and going to St. X and being the hometown kid,” Smock said. “I couldn’t really describe the feeling. It was just goose bumps all over my body.”
The 6-foot-4, 290-pound Smock received the offer during a visit to U of L and 40-minute meeting with the coach.
Smock, who plays guard at St. X, said he’s capable of playing multiple spots on the line and that Summers likes his versatility. U of L’s staff has been in contact with Smock for several weeks, and Summers has begun to show consistent interest this month. Summers told Smock on Thursday that he likes his athleticism and the way he finishes plays.
Smock said he and Summers have a good rapport.
“I think he’s a great man,” Smock said. “I think he’s one of the best coaches and O-line coaches, obviously, in the country. I’ve heard of him for a while because he was (on the staffs) at Kentucky and Florida, and I really respect him a lot.”
The Cards’ offer came three days after Smock got his first major offer. It came from Purdue, where Smock visited last weekend. He also has early offers from Eastern Kentucky and Murray State.
Smock is the fourth player from Louisville to receive a U of L scholarship offer in the 2018 class, following Waggener cornerback Jairus Brents, Waggener defensive tackle Tahj Rice and Trinity slot receiver Rondale Moore. Bowling Green linebacker Justice Dingle is the only other Kentuckian known to have a U of L offer.
Smock is the first Louisville offensive lineman to receive a U of L offer since coach Bobby Petrino was rehired in 2014.
To be one of the few local players with a U of L offer “is definitely a sight to behold,” he said with a chuckle. “It’s pretty shocking.”
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Smock, a native of Los Angeles who moved to Louisville when he was 4, said he has been a U of L football fan most of his life.
“Living in the city, you have to applaud them and root for them as much as you can,” he said.
Smock attended U of L’s blowout victory over NC State last season, and he said the Cards’ offense is “pretty spectacular” with quarterback Lamar Jackson.
“He obviously won the Heisman, which is a big deal for the city of Louisville and definitely helps my interest in that college,” he said. “I think Coach Summers and Coach Petrino have a great plan for this year and the years to come with their offense and their defense. They’re going to be great.”
With the new offer in hand, the Cards are “definitely up there” on his list, Smock said. “Them and Purdue are really like two big schools I definitely want to play for.”
He said there is no leader between the Cards and Boilermakers. New Purdue head coach Jeff Brohm and assistant coach Brian Brohm, who are former U of L and Trinity High School quarterbacks, have recently begun recruiting him, and they also have made a strong early impression.
“I think the Brohm brothers are the best in the business, and I trust them a lot,” Smock said. “When they were at Western Kentucky, they were just great, and I think they are going to do very well.”
So far Smock said he has not thought about making an early commitment.
He said he would like to attend some Southeastern Conference summer camps, including at Georgia and Tennessee.
Smock said he also followed and liked UK growing up, but so far, the Wildcats have not yet recruited him.
Blessed to receive an offer from the University of Louisville. L's Up. https://t.co/1E0qomtggc
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Wyatt Smock (@WyattSmock) February 23, 2017View video “Junior Highlights”