Fab Five: Carver football 5-star DT James Smith lets his reputation speak for itself

James Smith is well aware of who he is and how he's perceived.

On the field, Smith possesses — really, cultivates — an aura of sorts. The 6-foot-4, 310-pounder from G.W. Carver is the No. 13 recruit in the Class of 2023, per 247Sports, bringing a devastating combination of power and burst to the defensive tackle position. He's the type of player any college coach would covet, and he relishes being the stuff of nightmares for helpless high school offensive linemen.

Off the field, Smith couldn't be more different, at least in his words. He's soft-spoken and doesn't much like the attention that comes with being a five-star recruit. In stark contrast to his destructive playing style, Smith's personality is downright mellow.

"I'm just chill," said Smith, the No. 1 player in the first-ever Montgomery Advertiser Fab Five, a collection of the top college recruits in the Montgomery area. "I'm actually a good person."

"Football brings something out of me."

'... Prove that I'm really that'

Smith is no late bloomer. He's been on the radar of colleges since his high school career began. Todd Dowell, who owns MadHouse Athletic Training in Montgomery and works with Smith there, noticed his high motor, mobility for his size and ability to shoot gaps, even when Smith was a freshman weighing 60 pounds less than he does now.

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At the time, Smith wasn't sure what to think. Not that he felt he was mediocre, but it came as a surprise when during his sophomore year, his coaches told him he could be one of the best players in the nation. "You gotta be ready for that reputation," he remembers hearing.

"I was like, 'OK, they said I'm this,'" Smith said. "So I'm going to go out here and prove that I'm really that."

That much he did. While still raw as a sophomore, Smith dominated at both tackle and end, with double-digit tackles for loss and sacks, as the Wolverines pitched three shutouts and allowed just 16 points per game.

Smith earned the bulk of his 20-plus offers during and after that sophomore season. He's currently down to Alabama, Alabama State, Auburn, Florida, Georgia and Ohio State as his top six schools, a group he shares with teammate Jaquavious Russaw, a five-star edge rusher.

When Dowell is asked for a comparison for Smith, two players come to his mind. One is a former Carver linemen who was a similarly-built 6-3, 320 and was nicknamed "Diesel." The other is Quinnen Williams, a former Alabama star and the No. 3 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Smith left Carver after his sophomore season to play for IMG Academy, the prestigious Florida boarding school which regularly churns out blue-chip recruits. Before Smith left, Dowell told him to take advantage of the opportunity; that IMG was the closest thing to college he'd get before college.

While Smith returned to Montgomery late in the season, transferring back to Carver, he said the experience reinforced to him that he could handle that type of environment.

'Everything about him is competitive"

The Carver team Smith rejoined this spring is a much different team than the one he departed.

In contrast to a couple of years ago, coach Marcus Gardner thinks the Wolverines have multiple Power 5-caliber prospects on the offensive line, a unit that has grown up tremendously in a short span. LeBron Merriweather, Kalari Gordon and company are capable of challenging the nation's best defensive tackle in practice.

"It used to be not a challenge for him," Dowell said. "But now, it’s more competitive and it’s a daily thing of making each other better."

That's what Smith thrives off of most.

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Smith, in many ways, is similar to Russaw, his best friend and defensive line partner. Neither is a fan of the constant college visits, interviews and hype machine that is modern recruiting, Smith in particular. "If he doesn't know you," Dowell said, "he really is not going to open up for you."

With Russaw, this demeanor extends to the field. Smith, though, turns up the volume — "not really rah-rah, but I'm going to show you," in his words — once he puts on pads and a helmet.

"He's a very intense player," said senior running back Antonio Trone, who trains at MadHouse with Smith and transferred from Stanhope Elmore in the offseason. "He does everything at 100 percent."

"James' biggest motivation is, he wants to be the best," Dowell said. "James doesn't think anybody's better than him. ... He's in-your-face. He's not a vocal guy like that either, but he's gonna push you. Everything about him is just being competitive. That's the way he does it."

Whether flexing after a stop for a big loss or trash-talking opponents in the trenches or his sheer size and speed, the intimidation factor is never low when dealing with Smith. To him, there's no other choice: that's the way football is supposed to be played.

Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@gannett.com, by phone at 334-201-9117 and on Twitter @Jacob_Shames.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: James Smith recruiting: 5-star defensive tackle set for senior season