Decision Primer: Four-star Michigan EDGE target Jacob Smith ready to make call

Jacob Smith is ready to make his decision.

The four-star Cheshire (Conn.) Academy EDGE will announce his commitment on Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET.

Smith, who is ranked as the No. 16 EDGE and No. 255 overall recruit nationally, per the On3 Industry Ranking, has a final group of Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan and Notre Dame.

Here is a closer look at where things stand.

Why It Will Be Michigan

All signs point to Michigan in this recruitment. In fact, Michigan has a 94.1 percent chance of landing Smith going into his decision, per the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine. I’ve had my prediction in since late April and still feel extremely confident in that pick. It was around that time that Michigan really took command of Smith’s recruitment. Smith visited Michigan in the spring and returned to Ann Arbor for two visits in June, including his OV. It appears staffer Dylan Roney, defensive line coach Mike Elston, defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and the rest of the staff have done enough to win this recruitment.

Why It Won’t Be Michigan

Smith is the twin brother of four-star Michigan defensive line commit Jerod Smith, which is another factor in the Wolverines’ favor. However, Jacob has always wanted to make his own decision. And that’s a big reason why he continued to take his time with the process instead of committing on the same day as Jerod. That allowed Nebraska to make a run this summer. Nebraska was the only other school to host him for a June official visit. The Huskers would give him a chance to carve his own path and have made him feel like a top overall priority. If any team can knock off Michigan in this recruitment, it’s Nebraska.

EJ’s Prediction

While Nebraska tried to make things interesting, I don’t think the Huskers did enough. As mentioned, I feel very confident in my prediction going into Smith’s announcement and would be extremely surprised if he snubbed the Wolverines. Smith has special relationships with Roney, Elston and Minter and has always dreamed of playing with his sibling at the next level. That’s going to be really tough for him to pass up. On top of that, Michigan has a great recent history of developing and producing high-level pass rushers. That was the biggest selling point from the U-M staff this cycle. Top EDGE recruits like Smith know they will have every opportunity to excel at Michigan.

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