Armwood foursome considers following Eric Smith to Auburn
By Luke Brietzke, Staff Writer
Posted Jul 28, 2008
Copyright © 2010 AuburnUndercover.com
Petey Smith is one of four Armwood players who plan to visit AU on Thursday
|
Auburn landed a recruiting prize last February in running back Eric Smith from Armwood High School in Seffner, Fla. The question now is how much pull he has on four former teammates.
Four rising Armwood seniors - cornerback Angelo Hadley, athlete Mywan Jackson, defensive end Ryne Giddins and linebacker Petey Smith, Eric's younger brother – will visit the Auburn campus on Thursday.
Armwood coach Sean Callahan says it’ll be interesting to watch the recruiting drama unfold.
“Mywan is Eric’s best friend and Petey’s his brother,” Callahan said. “Angelo is good friends with him. Ryne isn’t as close, but he’s still in that circle. They all have close ties with him, and that could work to Auburn’s benefit.”
Callahan said all four prospects consider Auburn among their top five choices.
“The reason is because Coach Tommy Tuberville and I have kind of known each other for many years, and he did a very good job chit-chatting with those guys,” Callahan said. “If Eric says good things about Auburn, that should help out.”
Callahan said Petey and Eric Smith are close, but that might not mean the younger brother wants to follow Eric to Auburn. Petey is being recruited hard by, among others, Alabama.
“They’re very close, but he enjoys competing against his brother,” Callahan said. “It’s very intriguing that Alabama is recruiting him very hard. It’ll be interesting to see how the whole thing turns out.”
Both Petey Smith and Giddins are on the ESPN 150 Watch List.
ESPN.com lists Alabama, Auburn, North Carolina, Illinois and Louisville as Petey Smith’s top choices, and says he’s considering Ohio State, Michigan, Miami, Florida, Clemson and Florida State.
Petey Smith, 6 feet and 240 pounds, is one of 18 inside linebackers on the Watch List and Giddins, 6-4 and 225, is one of 53 defensive ends. He is also considering Florida, Florida State, Miami and North Carolina.
Hadley, 6-1 and 185, is considered a cornerback prospect, but plays safety for Armwood. ESPN.com rates him a 74, making him the 12th-ranked corner from Florida.
Jackson, 5-11 and 170, plays quarterback in Armwood’s spread offense, but Callahan says he’ll either be a receiver or a cornerback in college. ESPN rates Jackson a 74, making him the 105th-ranked athlete in the nation. He’s also considering North Carolina, Miami and Nebraska.
