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Swainsboro (Ga.) 2027 four-star linebacker Ja’bios Smith made his first-ever trip to Gainesville for Florida’s spring game, and walked away not only with an offer, but also impressed with what he saw and heard.
“The highlight of my visit was being offered by Coach [Billy] Napier,” said Smith. “He told me that they loved how I play and wanted to let me know that I had a scholarship offer to the University of Florida.”
The 6-foot-3, 200-pounder already held offers from the likes of Florida State, Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee before the Gators and Texas A&M joined the mix on Saturday.
Not only did the offer from Napier help positively position the Gators, but also what he heard from the linebackers coach and saw on the field went a played a part as well.
“I talked with Coach [Robert] Bala before the game, he was just telling me some things to look for while watching the game, and we spoke again afterwards. We spoke about the positives and negatives from the game and how I would be used there. The linebackers flew around. They play fast and are physical; that’s my style of football. They love to run and hit, and so do I.”
It isn’t just the UF staff putting in work with Smith. 2025 signee, early entry freshman safety Logonza Hayward has also been in contact.
“I spoke with Lagonza Hayward prior to me coming; he’s from close to where I’m from, and we played against each other, so I’ve been in touch with him about Florida,” explained Smith. “He loves it there and told me that I needed to come play with him.”
It was also noticed by Smith that with 50,000 fans in the seats, the Gator Nation showed up and showed out on Saturday.
“The atmosphere was amazing. I really enjoyed it. It was my first time in Gainesville, so it was a great experience in the Swamp.”
When asked which of his visits to this point have stood out to him, Smith replied, “I’ve been to South Carolina a few times, I really love their coaching staff. I went to Georgia a couple of times. I love their culture and how competitive everything is there, plus my high school teammate Demello Jones is there, so I like the idea of playing with him again. I’ve been to Alabama, I love their program and coaches as well, I’ve been to Florida State, I really like their coaches and players, and I haven’t been to Tennessee yet, but they are actively recruiting me and I’m looking forward to my first trip to Knoxville hopefully really soon.”
With so much time remaining until he has to make a college choice, up next for Smith is getting on as many campuses as he can.
“I don’t have anything set in stone yet as far as dates of schools I’m going to visit coming up, but I know I’m going to go to South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Florida State, and I’ll definitely be back down in Gainesville for sure!”
Those upcoming visits will help him formulate his first leaderboard.
“Right now I’m open, I like who likes me, and these upcoming visits will allow schools to separate, and I’ll have a better idea of a top list coming out of the summer.”
Smith is the No. 163 rated prospect in the nation according to the On3 Industry Composite.
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