June 21, 2021: 2022 three-star defensive lineman Anthony Smith (Shippensburg, PA) committed to Minnesota Monday afternoon, continue its red-hot month recruiting.
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June continues to bring great fortune to the Gophers on the recruiting front. After landing four verbal scholarship commitments yesterday, Minnesota has added one more in the form of Anthony Smith bringing its 2022 class to 13 players. Smith ranks at the No. 557 ranked player nationally in the class of 2022 according to 247sports. He ultimately chose the Maroon & Gold over a handful of high-level offers, most notably Michigan, Penn State and Michigan State. The 6-foot-6-inch defensive lineman will now look to make his mark in Dinkytown.
I’m excited to say next fall I will be going to the 612〽️!!! @GopherFootball #RTB 🚣🏾♂️🚣🏾♂️ #Committed pic.twitter.com/oXrr65pNx1
— Anthony Smith (@Anthony_Smi) June 21, 2021
Who is Anthony Smith?:
Anthony Smith is a 6-foot-6-inch student-athlete who attends Shippensburg Area High School (SHS) in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania — a suburb of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Smith reportedly already has a friendship with the only Gophers player from Pennsylvania, running back Treyson Potts.
“Trey is the only guy on the roster from Pennsylvania, and he is a down-to-earth guy,” Smith said to 247sports in a recent article. “He made the visit a whole lot better and made me think, ‘Oh, I should definitely be here.”
Smith is a three-sport athlete for SHS, competing for the basketball and track & field team on top of football. He had a quite productive junior campaign on the hardwood totaling 17.2 points per game with 8.3 rebounds and two blocks and later being named All-Conference. He was busy on the football field as a junior as well, playing a large role on both sides of the ball. From the tight end position, he scored four touchdowns last season, while adding three on the ground from lining up in the backfield. He tallied 264 total yards for the season. From his more natural defensive line position, he added 43 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, nine sacks and three forced fumbles as a junior.
He has been touted as a “wonder kid” of sorts in the Shippensburg Area. Since he was 15-years old Smith was listed at 6’7″ and much success has been expected out of him ever since.
- Scouting Report:
The first thing that jumps off the screen from Smith is his sheer size. Standing at 6-foot-6 265 pounds, he looks out of place competing on a high school football field; towering over everyone else. His highlight tape looks like that of Myles Garrett or Jadevon Clowney, given the fact that he looks like a grown man playing a bunch of little kids. As for his skill set, he will almost certainly be a defensive lineman for the Gophers, and man does he have potential. I don’t have an exact measurement for his arm length, but you can notice how long his arms are right away, and he uses them to his advantage. He plays mostly on the edge for his high school team, but I think he has the versatility to move inside. He could use some refinement in his pass rush moves, but that is expected for most players his age. I can imagine the defensive line coach Chad Wilt is salivating at the potential that Smith possesses.
**High School (Hudl) highlights
- (DEFENSE): http://www.hudl.com/v/2EZXXt
- (OFFENSE): http://www.hudl.com/v/2EZcsN
- (BASKETBALL): http://www.hudl.com/v/2DGeSv
What is Next?:
Following yesterday’s four commitments, 247sports ranks the Gophers to have the No. 28 ranked recruiting class in the nation for the class of 2022. Smith ranks as Minnesota’s second highest-ranked recruit in the class only behind Trey Bixby. As a whole, the class now looks like:
- DL Trey Bixby
- QB Jacob Knuth
- WR Kristen Hoskins
- OL Tony Nelson
- DB Coleman Bryson
- TE Spencer Alvarez
- RB Zach Evans
- WR Ike White
- CB Tariq Watson
- CB Rhyland Kelly
- WR/DB Aidan Gousby
- LB Jack Pyburn
- DL Anthony Smith.