Virginia Signee: Eric Smith

<strong> Eric Smith
Position: Offensive Tackle
Hometown (School): Decatur, GA (Columbia)
Height/Weight: 6'5'' 275 lbs
Committed to Virginia: 12/20/12
Lead Recruiter: Vincent Brown </strong>

Virginia lost offensive line commit Brad Henson to North Carolina in December, and immediately began searching for a replacement to fill his spot in the 2013 class. As it turns out, Eric Smith was that player. Smith, a Georgia native, chose the Hoos over North Carolina. A bit of a late bloomer, Smith had several FCS and Sun Belt offers before getting the pair of ACC offers. Smith is a mid 3-star prospect on 247Sports and a 2-star on Rivals. The Peach-State native is projected to play offensive tackle at Virginia.

Smith played right tackle at Columbia High School in Decatur, and dominated his opponents on film. Both strong and athletic, Smith was able to create big holes on the edge for his running backs, plowing defensive ends out of the way. His strength appears to be run blocking, where he can get out into space and take down defenders. Offensive linemen are the hardest to project based on film, because often times they are much bigger than the player they are blocking. On Smith's film he overwhelms smaller defensive ends on almost every play. You can see his strength and toughness though, and he seems to play a little angry. A great quality for a lineman.

Smith was a late addition to the class, but an important one. Since arriving Tom O'Brien has apparently prioritized adding depth to Virginia's offensive line, and the Hoos did a nice job doing that in the 2013 class. Smith was a nice find for the Cavaliers down in Georgia, where Coach Vincent Brown has spearheaded Virginia's recent recruiting successes. There is a ton of talent in that state, and players like Smith can slip through the cracks and go late in the cycle before they get big time offers. Like the rest of the linemen in the 2013 class, Smith will probably redshirt, and then compete for playing time down the line.

Eric Smith Highlights #72 Columbia High School Offensive Tackle (via quick6videoediting)