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Jaylon Smith (LB Green Bay Packers)

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Scout $ - Smiths Note Buckeye Intensity

4/3

Interview with Jaylon's dad by Trieu....Loved the intensity of practice & said Rod is doing really well. Says Jaylon really enjoyed his visit & will be visiting Notre Dame on Friday. No timetable for a decision.
 
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Jaylon Smith impresses from the get-go

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No player looked better from check in to the final whistle than Ft. Wayne (Ind.) linebacker Jaylon Smith. The most impressive player on the defensive side of the ball all day, the top recruit more than lived up to his billing as a playmaker by dominating one-on-ones against running backs and looking like a safety picking off passes against wide receivers.

"It's a nice challenge to get out here and compete," Smith said.

With offers from Alabama, Oklahoma, Michigan, Ohio State and USC among a coast-to-coast list of powerhouses, Smith has been focusing less on recruiting and more on training so far this spring. Things are picking up slightly with spring ball staring up, which has allowed the talented linebacker to take in a little more of programs than he has in the past.

"Everything is going good, it's flowing and I'm just really relaxing," he said. "I'm getting out to see some schools and training everyday trying to get back into shape."

Smith showed up to camp in a Notre Dame hat and had St. Paul (Minn.) wide receiver and Irish commitment James Onwualu expanding on all of the positives that would come with a commitment to the school. While Smith has visited South Bend several times already and most consider the program his leader, he insisted the attire didn't mean anything.

"I have a hat for every offer I have," said Smith. "I think it's 21 right now if I'm not mistaken. It's just a nice experience to have this opportunity at picking a school to go to. Notre Dame, they're a pretty good school right now and close to home."

Distance from home is always an issue with players and their families and it appears it will be one for Smith unless the comfort factor at a school is too much to overcome it.

"It is a bit of a factor," Smith said. "Everybody would like to stay home but I'm just going to go where it best fits me. If that means taking a visit to Florida and committing there, I'd do that. It really depends on what I feel in my heart."

The 6-foot-3, 200-pounder is still sorting out who and when he is going to visit colleges over the next couple of weeks but has to work around the camp circuit while doing so.

"The 21st I was going to go to my brother's game at Ohio State or Notre Dame's game," Smith said. "I won't be attending those two because our (7-on-7 travel team) will be down in Pittsburgh for a tournament. No others that I'm sure of. I know I'll go to the (Indiana) spring game next week and be there."

Smith did return from Ohio State recently and was impressed with what the Buckeyes showed him. One thing that the Buckeyes can offer that nobody else can is the chance to play with his brother, Rod Smith, but that will not be a huge factor in where Jaylon decides to go.

"It was a good visit, there was a very nice intensity there," he added. "I could tell that Urban (Meyer) is really getting ready to change things there. (My brother) tells me what he sees and why he chose to go to Ohio State and things like that. But he's really just being a brother."

Having a family member that has gone through the process has proved invaluable for Smith when dealing with the coaches that call every week.

"It's good that he went through the experience because now that I'm going through it's not new to our family," Smith said. "We know how to approach it and know who's lying and who's telling you what you want to hear.

"I just want to take football out of the situation and figure out what is best for me. I want to set myself up for life because there's going to be a day where football is going to be over. I have to put myself in the best position because of that."

An August decision appears to be in the cards for the 2013 linebacker as Smith wants to focus on his senior season and his high school team's quest for a fourth straight state championship.
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http://www.cbssports.com/collegefoo...dwests-best-comes-out-for-adidas-invitational
 
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ESPN - Jaylon Smith out of the shadows

4/9

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- As he made his way home from a celebratory meal following the biggest win of his career at the time, Jaylon Smith could not wait to see his brother. He was the person he wanted to talk to most.

Rod was nowhere to be found, though. He had not come home. There was just no way he was going to let little brother, Jaylon, a freshman, rub Fort Wayne (Ind.) Bishop Luers' 14-8 win over heated rival Paul Harding in his face. Jaylon played linebacker as the Luers defense bottled up the Harding offense and star senior running back Rod.

"I was going to jump on him, talk some trash," Jaylon Smith said laughing.

There were plenty of Big Brother-Little Brother moments in that game, too, in which Rod got the best of Jaylon. Significantly smaller than his current 6-foot-3, 215-pound frame as a freshman, an injury forced Jaylon to move to fullback in that game and block his 6-3, 230-pound brother as he crashed the line of scrimmage from his safety position. Rod showed no sympathy for his brother.

"He just threw me on the ground and said 'Get your (blank) up,'" said Jaylon, leaving out his brother's expletive from that not so brotherly exchange.

But despite the win and starting at Indiana power Bishop Luers as a freshman, Jalen was still squarely in Rod's shadow, who was a four-star running back ranked No. 56 in the Class of 2010 ESPNU 150 and now plays at Ohio State.

"He was looked at as Rod Smith's younger brother," said Mike Ledo, president of AWP Sports Performance where Jaylon trains.

It was not until this past season as a junior did Jaylon, an ESPNU Watch List prospect and one of the country's most sought-after linebackers, felt like he emerged from Rod's lengthy shadow.

There was a specific moment too when he knew it. That was when Jaylon picked up offer No. 8, which exceeded the number of offers his brother had. Smith now has more than 20 offers from programs such as Alabama, Florida, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State and USC.

"It showed I can be as good as him," Smith said before he paused and reconsidered his comments. "It showed I can be better, too."

He still leans on Rod for advice when it comes to recruiting, though. Having witnessed the process up close a few years ago, Jaylon knows what to look for in a school and what to look for in a coach.

"It's an advantage for me because our family has been through the whole recruiting process," Smith said. "We know who's talking crap, who's not telling the truth, who's just talking to get you there."

And Smith passes that on to his teammates at Luers and AWP Sports. Ledo first talks about Smith's character and willingness to help those around him before he talks about his 4.4 speed or his edge rush or any of the other numerous qualities that make Smith one of the country's best.

There is not much reason for Smith to attend combines or camps at this point. Colleges are already drooling over him. His presence gives others -- coaches, media, scouts -- a chance to see his teammates and allow them to receive the attention they need to reach the level he is at.

"Now it's really just about helping my fellow teammates get exposure if I'm there," Smith said. "I'm just having fun. I'm getting ready for my senior year, and then it's off to college and being the little guy."

Just like the old "little brother" tag, though, it won't take long for Smith to rid himself of that label, too.
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Notre Dame football: Smith set to visit ND again
By TYLER JAMES - Follow me @tjamesisr South Bend Tribune
May 12, 2012

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Fort Wayne junior running back Jaylon Smith is one of Notre Dame's top targets in the current recruiting cycle. Smith plays for Bishop Luers High School. (The News-Sentinel/CHAD RYAN / August 19, 2011)

Notre Dame will have another opportunity to impress one of the top targets in the 2013 football recruiting class this weekend.

247Sports.com national recruiting writer Steve Wiltfong reported Friday that Fort Wayne, Ind., linebacker Jaylon Smith would be making an unofficial visit to Notre Dame this weekend.

"Notre Dame's in outstanding shape for him," Wiltfong said of the 6-foot-3, 202-pounder from Bishop Luers High. "I think they're the team to beat. This visit only can help them lengthen their lead."

The visit will mark Smith's third trip to South Bend this spring. This time, Wiltfong said, Notre Dame will have the chance to focus on Smith without a large number of visitors or spring practice to worry about. Smith is making the visit with his father.

"I think they're really going to show Jaylon all the bells and whistles that the Notre Dame football program has to offer," Wiltfong said.

The strongest competition for Smith comes from Ohio State, where Smith's older brother, Rod, plays running back. Jaylon Smith is ranked by 247Sports.com as the No. 1 outside linebacker and No. 6 overall prospect in the country for his class.
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http://www.southbendtribune.com/sports/sbt-20120512sbtmichb-01-04-20120512,0,7947950.story
 
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