Biggins:
Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco defensive back James Smith committed to Washington moments ago.
After a weekend unofficial visit to Washington, Smith decided he was ready to pull the trigger.
“I just think it was the best fit for me,” Smith said. “I told you before the visit that I really liked Washington and if things went well on the visit, I could make a decision right after and that’s what I decided to do.
“The biggest thing for me is the development I know I can get there. If you go to Washington, you’re almost guaranteed an opportunity to play in the NFL and that’s definitely my goal. No one does a better job of developing defensive backs then Jimmy Lake and I can’t wait to play for him.”
Head coach Chris Petersen made a big impact on the family as well.
“With coach Pete and the whole program at Washington, it’s about more then just football,” Smith said. “For me, that’s what really put UW over the top. Yeh I want that development but coach Pete is about making you in to a man, molding you in a better person and my mom and I loved his Built For Life Program.
“For me, that means going in to Washington and understanding life is about more then just football, it’s the degree, the networking, the alumni support and the great connections there. It’s helping me become a better person, helping me to mature and coach Pete is a guy who can do that. My mom couldn’t stop smiling the whole time there. She loved it and was all in for me to attend Washington. She was sending pics to her friends the whole time and is really excited for me as well.”
Smith said he knew right away he would be making his decision.
“The second I stepped foot on campus, I knew that was the place,” Smith said. “Washington was my dream school so actually I knew I was going to go there right when they offered me. I still wanted to visit but I knew I was going to be a Husky.
“Everything just felt right and I fit in really well there. My mom and I had breakfast with coach Lake and Will Harris yesterday and that went great. He talked to me about the scheme fit and how they see me. They love long, athletic corners there and they see my similar to a Keith Taylor or Jordan Miller. I’ll be coming in as a boundary corner and I can’t wait to get started.”
Harris narrowed his choices to the Huskies and Oregon Ducks before making his decision. Schools like Michigan, Penn State and UCLA had also offered Smith.
He's an intriguing player with a lot of upside. He played behind current Husky freshman corner Trent McDuffie and USC freshman Chris Steele last season but looks primed for a big senior year.
He has all the physical tools you could want in a young corner. He has an athletic frame, runs well, shows good ball skills and has shown a more aggressive edge to his game this off-season. He's only scratching the surface of how good he can be in a few years and should see his game take a big leap in a few years when he gets bigger, stronger and gains more game experience.