Scouting Vol Prospect Josh Smith

Last weekend I took in a Rutherford County classic, Oakland vs. Siegel, to see if 2015 LB/TE Josh Smith lived up to his billing as one of the top junior prospects in the southeast.

I can sum up a scouting report in three words. He’s all that! Smith is a legit 6-foot-4, 235pounds and to use coach speak, he looks like you want them to look in pads.

The game was a battle from start to finish with Oakland pulling away with the victory in the 4th quarter to remain undefeated.

Smith wasn’t the only prospect on the field that night but he was the best and that included brother and Vanderbilt bound Emmanuel Smith, who was solid in his own right.

In my opinion, Josh Smith is one of those in-state prospects that you just have to land. Now, most people are saying Josh will follow his brother to Vandy but you never know in recruiting.

Josh Smith is a rangy middle backer at the high school level and that’s a good spot for him. He sees the field well, reacts and scrapes and is continuously around the football.

I see him adding weight and playing with his hand on the ground at 260 plus pounds at the next level.

Other prospects that need mention for the Panthers are a trio of juniors. Cornerback Tyler Black, linebacker Kevin Prather and offensive tackle Jack Jones are all prospects that will play at the D-1 level. Jones has already given his verbal commitment to Tennessee.

Prather (6-1,220) is a down hill thumper. I love his ability to destroy blocks in the box but he also he also has ability to sniff out screen and bubble screen passes. Kevin is as tough as they come and someone will be getting a really good football player.

Cornerback Tyler Black (5-9, 170) doesn’t have the size of a linebacker but he hits like one and had the biggest hit of the night on a wide receiver screen. He’s also a legit playmaker on offense.

Looking at some testing numbers, Black didn’t run well but there’s a lot to be said for football speed and Tyler has that. He’s a threat on offense and can lock down a wide out on defense.

It’s easy to why Jack Jones (6-4, 260) received the early scholarship offers he did. He’s raw but has a great frame and he’s worth taking the chance on. If you have an ESPN Insider account, go look at the scouting report on Jones.

There’s a lot of work left to do but the clay in which Vols o-line coach Don Mahoney gets to work with here made it easy to offer a scholarship.

Jones won’t be a wasted scholarship offer. I see him getting bigger and stronger and probably moving inside to guard at the next level.

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