Weekend Recruiting Report

Lincoln (San Diego) athlete [player_tooltip player_id="25145" first="Herman" last="Smith"] announced his commitment to Jackson State over the weekend. Jackson State offered Smith just a couple of weeks ago and immediately jumped to the top of his list. Smith, the <a href="https://prepredzone.com/california/rankings/2021-rankings/">No. 123 overall prospect in California’s class of 2021</a> according to Prep Redzone, previously committed to San Diego State on May 19, but decommitted on September 22. He also had offers from Boston College, Fresno State, Hawaii, Idaho, Lehigh, New Mexico and San Diego State. "I’m really excited about my decision," Smith told Greg Biggins of 247Sports "I wanted to go to a HBCU (Historically Black College University) and I thought it would be the best decision for me long term. I want to get more in to black culture, that was important to me." Smith is the first California player to commit to Jackson State in the 2021 class. The school has since offered a few other California players. He is a two-way player but was recruited by head coach <a href="https://gojsutigers.com/sports/football/roster/coaches/deion-sanders/111">Deion Sanders</a> to play cornerback. https://twitter.com/sdfootball/status/1177780208595685377?s=20 <strong>East Bay lineman headed to West Point</strong> <strong>Matai Bell</strong> of Campolindo (Moraga) announced his commitment to Army Friday. He told Brendan Huffman of 247Sports that an unofficial visit to West Point convinced him that Army was the school for him. “Once I visited West Point and saw the campus for myself, I knew I was ready to become a Black Knight,” Bell told Huffman. “Once I got there, I saw first hand what a military school looks like and I value the discipline it offers to its students.” Bell was a three-star lineman according to 247Sports and other recruiting outlets. He had offers from Northern Arizona, Sacramento State and Wyoming before committing to Army. https://twitter.com/BellMatai/status/1325187344853426177?s=20 <strong>North Bay lineman stays in state</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="25212" first="Kai" last="Peterson-Davison"] of Marin Catholic (Kentfield) committed to San Jose State on Saturday. He cited his connection with the coaching staff and the school’s location as his main reasons for committing. “I felt that San Jose State was a great fit for me,” Peterson-Davison told Huffman. “I had built a great relationship with the coaches there, especially on the line. COVID played a small role, it made me feel like staying closer to home was more important than it was in the past.” Peterson-Davison said his relationship with San Jose State offensive line coach <a href="https://sjsuspartans.com/sports/football/roster/coaches/josh-oglesby/586">Josh Ogelsby</a> helped persuade him to attend the school. “Growing closer to coach Ogelsby and the staff warmed me up,” said Peterson-Davison.<span class="Apple-converted-space">  </span>“San Jose State was always one of the top options for me. After talking with my family and coach, I felt that it was the right choice.” He also had offers from Air Force, Navy and Wyoming. https://twitter.com/KaiPeterson58/status/1325296107409137669?s=20 <strong>Class of 2022 lineman commits early</strong> Offensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id="25283" first="Dylan" last="Lopez"] of Rancho Verde (Moreno Valley) verbally committed to USC Friday. Lopez is the <a href="https://prepredzone.com/california/rankings/2022-rankings/">No. 4 ranked offensive lineman</a> in California’s class of 2022 according to Prep Redzone. Prep Redzone also ranked him a <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2020/09/top-inland-empire-offensive-linemen-6-10/">top 10 lineman in the Inland Empire</a> and one of the best underclassmen lineman in the state. He plays guard at Rancho Verde but was recruited as a center by schools such as Arizona State, Colorado, Oregon State, Kansas, Syracuse in addition to USC. Lopez is a physical blocker who is athletic for his 6-foot-3, 280-pound frame. &nbsp;