Last Saturday night, the country watched as unranked Arizona State University took down fifth-ranked University of Washington. There on the sidelines stood Jake Smith, watching his own potential future play out before him.

 

Smith, a class of 2019 receiver from Notre Dame Prep, has had college offers flooding in over the last month. From schools such as Wisconsin, UCLA, Penn State, and more, Smith has racked up 13 Division 1 offers. One of the sweetest came just a few days ago, when Arizona State finally threw its hat in the ring and extended an offer.

 

“It just feels different knowing it’s your hometown, knowing I can stay home if I want to,” said Smith, “I could be a hometown hero one day.”

The day after receiving his offer from ASU, Smith traveled mere miles from his home in Scottsdale to Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe.

 

“We’re proud of him,” said head coach George Prelock. “When it works out for a great kid like Jake, you’re just extremely proud of him.”

 

Smith and a few of his teammates were invited to visit ASU the day of the game against UW. The visit was “very welcoming,” said Cade Bennett, a defensive lineman for NDP.

They were invited to tour the brand new athletic facility at Sun Devil Stadium before the game started. The boys were impressed by the caliber of the athletic facility, which is part of ASU’s $268 million stadium renovation. “It’s probably the nicest there is,” said Bennett

Smith called the new facility “awesome” multiple times. 

 

Coaches such as offensive coordinator Billy Napier, assistant head coach John Simon, and head coach Todd Graham took time to meet with Smith during his visit. Though he wouldn’t call it special treatment, Smith said the coaches “definitely paid attention to him,” and rightfully so.

Eight games into the season, Smith has accumulated 761 rushing yards and 644 receiving yards. He’s averaging two touchdowns a game, totaling 19 for the season, according to maxpreps.com.

 

Soon after the tour of the facility, after all the meetings and the introductions, they headed to the game. What would be a more perfect end to a college visit than a big win? Rushing the field was the cherry on top.

 

ASU defeated UW in a shocking upset. Smith got to experience it all from the sidelines. “Being up close to all the players, seeing what it’s like – it was great,” he said. “It definitely gave me a feel of what it’s like to be in front of 60,000 people, it’d be really cool to play there.”

 

Once the scoreboard signaled the end of the game and officials safely made their exit off the field, ASU’s student body rushed the field in waves of black, maroon and gold. “I was one of those that rushed the field. I was pushing the players around, pushing everyone around. It was a fun celebration,” said Smith with a smile.

 

While Smith denied any comment as to whether this visit has influenced his college decision in any way, 247sports.com has reported that his interest level for ASU is higher than the 12 other colleges he has received offers from.