‘20 BC Commit Korey Smith (ILB) Highlights and Evaluation

Boston College signed a wrecking ball disguised as a linebacker to their 2020 recruiting class.

Korey Smith is a 6’1, 235-pound stud from The Peddie School in Hightstown, New Jersey. A downhill runner, Smith’s film is unique in that the type of offenses he faced aren’t typical high school offenses. Usually, high schools these days are reliant on either the spread or misdirection in order to exploit any weaknesses of the defense.

A good portion of Smith’s film was him simply beating a climbing lineman, running downhill to the ball and punishing whoever the ball carrier was. This style of play is becoming increasingly rare, with so many teams opting for the spread.

As defensive guys, we HAVE to adjust to the offense. Having somebody like Smith at ILB, who's had success against power offenses, is still valuable in college.

When your linebacker is used to taking on those big pulling guards, it keeps your entire defense flying downhill; As opposed to flowing sideline to sideline, which is what spread offenses want.

Here’s why he should be a solid contributor to the BC defense very soon. 

Strengths

Violence - Doesn’t matter who it is, Smith will hit him up. He’s bringing everything he’s got with him on every play. A real banger if I’ve ever seen one.

Feet - Smith times his burst to the ball really well, keeping his opponent guessing. Offensive lineman are taught to get a feel for how fast linebackers read and react. Smith levels the playing field, using his smarts to keep them (OL) guessing. 

It's the game within the game. The more you throw off your opponent’s timing, the easier everything else becomes.

Tackling - Not only is he delivering a violent blow every time he tackles, but he’s also wrapping up and grabbing cloth.

At the next level, ball carriers will be bigger, faster, and just flat out better. Linebackers that build the fundamentals first, (downhill flow, proper tackling form) are often the same ones that have their career’s extended beyond college.

Boston College Recruiting Big Picture

Smith is one of five defensive signees for BC's class of 2020, and the lone linebacker. 247 has them ranked around 9th in the whole ACC. With a solid history of player development, it’s looking like business as for the Eagles.