Louisville football is in the top five for a monstrous 4-star offensive tackle, but can the Cards come from behind to land his services?
If you’re a Louisville football fan, the name Kolby Smith probably strikes up great memories. The former star running back turned suave position coach was one of the bright spots in the Bobby Petrino era.
Now, a new “Colby” could be entering the fold for the Cards in the form of 2021 offensive tackle Colby Smith.
The 6’7,” 295-pound left tackle from Reidsville, North Carolina has turned heads not only because of his size but excellent agility in the trenches.
Smith is ranked as high as the No. 138 player nationally and 19th-overall offensive tackle in the 2021 class, and he is apparently extremely high on the Cards.
On Thursday, Smith dropped his top 5, and though he has not taken any visits to Louisville, he has the Cards on his shortlist along with North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and NC State.
Thank you to everyone that has helped me along the way to this point and THANK YOU to every single one of the schools that believed in me enough to offer me!! It means the absolute world to me! These are my final 5 schools🙏🏼🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/0aOGv05hW1
— Colby Smith (@BiGShoW1212) April 16, 2020
Here’s what 247Sports National Recruiting Editor Brandon Huffman had to say when evaluating Smith:
"Long arms and lengthy frame with room to add more weight. Not a natural bender but shows decent flexibility. Good feet that he keeps moving in his blocks with good leg drive. Needs to show more consistency in delivering the initial punch instead of waiting to engage the defender. Projects as multi-year Power 5 starter and third-day NFL draft selection."
The comparisons to future first-round NFL Draft pick and former Cardinals Mekhi Becton are obvious. Smith is already 6’7,” and right at 300-pounds, and he has room to grow into a massive specimen on the edge.
Perhaps it appears that the Cards are in on Smith late, but the staff identified him very early on in his recruitment. Now Louisville linebacker coach Mark Ivey was the first on the scene for Smith dating all the way back to his freshman year, and Scott Satterfield and Appalachian State extended an offer 10 months prior to his first power five offer.
That means that this Louisville football coaching staff has had the longest-standing relationship with Smith, and his would-be offensive line coach and offensive coordinator Dwayne Ledford was only an hour and change down the road at North Carolina State.
The Cardinals are the only team in Smith’s top five that have not gotten an in-person visit, and with the current state of recruiting, it doesn’t look like that is going to be coming anytime soon. With that being said, it’s clear that Smith values his relationship with the staff, which will be key coming down to the wire.
Louisville’s staff was in on Smith during his freshman year. Perhaps four years later, things will pay off in a major way for the Cards.