Tennessee added two potential defensive backs to their 2019 class over the weekend. Four-star safety/athlete Anthony Harris committed to the Vols on Friday, and three-star safety/running back Aaron Beasley gave his pledge on Sunday. And now the Vols are finalists for another talented defensive back in the 2019 cycle.
Cam Smith is a borderline three-star/four-star cornerback out of Blythewood, South Carolina. He spoke with Rivals about his visit to Tennessee, and he stated that the Vols are in his top three schools along with both North and South Carolina.
Smith is rated as a four-star and No. 341 overall player according to 247Sports, and their composite rankings have him listed as a three-star and the No. 365 overall player. So he’s right on the borderline of a three/four-star prospect. And his offer list reflects that, as he holds offers from several prestigious schools across the country along with some smaller schools as well. Along with the three schools he listed as his favorites, Smith has offers from Florida State, West Virginia, UCF, Georgia Tech, Maryland, and others.
The 6-foot-1, 170 pound corner picked up an offer from Tennessee back on May 15th, and his recruitment has really taken off since the Vols offered him. North Carolina offered on the same day, and he’s picked up offers from Florida State, Georgia Tech, and South Carolina since. He attended a camp at South Carolina on June 6th and unofficially visited Tennessee this past weekend. He has plans to camp at both Clemson and Georgia later this week, and he’ll try to go to a North Carolina recruiting event this weekend. He plans to use his five official visits this fall, and he’s planning to use one of those to come to Tennessee as of right now.
Smith told Rivals that he ran “between a 4.4 and 4.5” second 40-yard dash time while on UT’s campus, and he worked with Tennessee cornerbacks coach Terry Fair.
A look at Smith’s film shows why teams like Tennessee have become very interested in Smith’s services at defensive back. Not only is he quick, but he’s also very physical and knows how to use his frame and length effectively. He has strong instincts and good vision in the defensive backfield, and he plays man coverage very well. He has long arms and uses them to break up passes that it looks like he won’t be able to get to in time. Smith plays receiver, cornerback, and even safety for Westwood, but he definitely projects as a corner in college.
As a junior, Smith totaled 55 tackles, 10 pass breakups, and 10 interceptions on defense. On offense, he was very efficient with his usage. He caught just 16 passes and carried the ball only 24 times, but he scored 10 times on those 40 total touches, totaling 269 receiving yards and 369 rushing yards in the process.
Smith is incredibly athletic and has a rare blend of speed and physicality at the cornerback position. If his visits at Clemson and Georgia go well, he could end up getting offers from those two programs as well.
Right now, South Carolina is likely the team to beat for Smith. But he seemed to greatly enjoy his trip to Tennessee, and the Vols are in desperate need of cornerbacks. Expect Jeremy Pruitt, Terry Fair, and the rest of Tennessee’s coaches to make Smith a priority in this recruiting cycle.
