Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1491978
BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM MARCH 2023 65 2023 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY TYLER HORKA Oftentimes it's imperative to go to sleep early. Other times, it's worth wait- ing up until the 11th hour. Notre Dame's recruitment of Frisco (Texas) Reedy wide receiver Kaleb Smith was a case of the latter. Some prospects have recruiting time- lines that span dozens of bullet points. A plethora of scholarship offers, official visits, commitments, decommitments. The whole nine yards. Others are pretty straightforward. That was true of Smith until just before the very end. Smith committed to Texas Tech on Feb. 2, 2022. He didn't report offers from any other schools until one came in from none other than Notre Dame on Nov. 2, 2022. Two days later, Smith retracted his commitment to the Red Raiders. A day after that, he visited South Bend for the Fighting Irish's 35-14 upset victory over then-No. 4 Clemson. Game over. Smith took a few weeks to think things over, but Notre Dame came on way too strong at an impressionable period in his recruitment process for him to say no. He committed to the Irish on Dec. 1, 2022 and inked his name with head coach Marcus Freeman a few weeks later during the early signing period. Freeman was over the moon — shining bright, just before mid- night. You know, 11th-hour type of stuff. "We really started recruiting [Smith] heavily after the start of the season, but the more time you spend with Kaleb and his family the more you get to know him," Freeman said during his early signing period press con- ference. "I think he's a unique talent, and he had gone through some injuries, and then committed early in the process and kind of just shut it down. But then when he decided to open it up, I think we got us a special one." S m i t h i s ra n ke d b e twe e n No. 59 (On3) and No. 79 (ESPN) among the nation's top wide receivers. That leaves plenty of upside for the 5-11, 170-pound wideout. It's an upside on which On3 director of scouting and rankings Charles Power believes Smith can make up ground on Notre Dame's other three wide receiver signees in the class of 2023. "He's capable of lining up all over the formation, whether it's in the slot or outside," Power said. "He's a solid route runner and can extend for the ball. There are not many discernible holes in his game. "He's not overly flashy in one area right now, but he can come in and play a lot of different roles after a year or so in the weight room. There's a lot to like." Sometimes there isn't much to like after staying up so late. It sets one back in terms of productivity. Staying on Smith until the end of his recruitment, however? Well worth the wait. ✦ Smith is ranked between No. 59 and No. 79 nationally at wide receiver according to the four main recruiting sites, and brings plenty of promise to South Bend. PHOTO COURTESY KALEB SMITH Don't Sleep On Wide Receiver Kaleb Smith KALEB SMITH WIDE RECEIVER 5-11 · 170 REEDY H.S. FRISCO, TEXAS RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ — 59 73 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 79 102 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 71 97 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 77 77 STATISTICS • Caught 59 passes for 832 yards and 7 touch- downs during his senior year. Also had 3 kickoff returns for 119 yards (39.7 yards per attempt) and 1 touchdown plus 3 punt returns for 105 yards (35.0 yards per attempt) and 1 score. • Snagged 35 passes for 475 yards and 6 touch- downs as a junior in 2021, while also adding 8 rushing attempts for 96 yards and a score. NOTABLE • 2022 Star Local Media All-Area Kick/Punt re- turn first-team. • 2022 Texas 6-5A Division I Special Teams Player of the Year. • 2022 Texas 6-5A Division I first-team offense. • 2021 Texas District 6-5A Division I All-District second-team. • Also played baseball and competed in track and field during his prep career. RECRUITMENT • Committed to Notre Dame on Dec. 1, 2022. • Was originally committed to Texas Tech, but backed off the pledge so he could officially visit Notre Dame. • Recruited by wide receivers coach Chansi Stuckey. • Saw Notre Dame once, for his official visit on Nov. 5, 2022. 2023 PROJECTION • Smith could be a surprise freshman performer at receiver or on special teams, but he's more likely to redshirt in 2023. THEY SAID IT Former Notre Dame offensive coordina- tor Tommy Rees: "With KK [Kaleb Smith] — the smoothness and speed with which he plays is very deceiving. You watch his senior stuff, and he really slipped through the cracks. "Coach Stuckey did an unbelievable job of having a relationship with him from his previous stop and was able to keep that going. There's a great blend of polish, upside, size and speed." National recruiting analyst Tom Lemming: "He's a good ball player. He might not be at the level yet of their other three [receiver commits], but he complements them well. He's not real big but has good speed and good hands. I like that Texas Tech was after him because they know good receivers. "He's a good, solid wide receiver. He's very good for a fourth receiver in a class, especially late in the process."