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Guys, I caught up with another recent UC visitor, 2024 athlete Tysen Smith. He doesn't have a Bearcats scholarship offer, but I wanted to catch up with him, since he has five offers and they've really given Smith a hard look. His offers right now are from Minnesota, Indiana, Western Michigan, Toledo and Indiana State.
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Smith was at the Kennesaw State game Sept. 10 and said that was his second trip to Clifton. He also visited for a practice in the spring. Smith said he loved the atmosphere, the people he got to meet and said of UC, "It’s a great place." Assistant coach Nate Letton is the primary recruiter here, which should tell you, before I even say it, that the Bearcats like Smith as a tight end. Smith said he and Letton talk regularly and that he and his family talked to Letton for an extended bit of time before the game.
Smith is absolutely a true 'athlete,' because he's being recruited in multiple spots. UC and Toledo like him as a tight end, Minnesota and Indiana like him as a defensive end, though maybe an outside linebacker depending on a lot of factors, while Western Michigan and Indiana State like him as an athlete. Smith plays both ways, but has played more D-end than anything this season because his high school team's starting DE and backup both suffered tears in their knees. One was an ACL. Because of his size and athleticism, Smith said he's been asked to play more at DE than usual and feels like he's done well. Minnesota even switched how it's been recruiting him, from tight end to defensive end, after watching him.
It'll be a busy fall for Smith, who will be at Purdue this weekend. Every weekend coming up, he'll be somewhere, going from Minnesota, to Western Michigan, Northern Illinois, Notre Dame and Toledo. This past weekend, he was at Duke.
The position change might be the biggest reason Smith doesn't have more offers. It sounds like most schools wanna see how he handles a season at DE, though he is still playing tight end. But his school also is a run-focused offense, which doesn't help Smith's case at tight end. UC likes him, but I'm not sure if an offer will come. I hear there's some waffling. I like Smith and think he's a solid player, but coaches need to be in on a kid. We'll see if that changes once they see more film.
Full story coming.