South Jersey high school football recruit profile: Salem senior Amare Smith
Each week, the South Jersey Gridiron Gang will introduce high school football fans to a local senior that has been overlooked during the recruiting process.
Amare Smith
High school: Salem
Age: 16
Position: WR/OLB
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 185 pounds
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Résumé: Three-year starter at linebacker … Totaled 27 sacks in 20 games between his sophomore and junior campaigns, including a school-record 19 last fall … Finished 2021 with 103 tackles, a team-high 6 forced fumbles and 5 recoveries, and also had a pick-6 … Has 4 sacks and 11.5 tackles in two games this season … Three-sport athlete averaged 11.3 points and 10.3 rebounds on the hardwood last winter and was the South Jersey Group 1 champion in the 100-meter dash (10.98 seconds) in the spring.
Grade-point average: 3.8
40-yard dash: 4.38
100-yard dash: 10.5
Bench press: 205
Squat: 365
Dead lift: 315
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Current offers: Long Island University, Temple and Bryant
Watch the film: Aug. 27 vs. Camden; Sept. 17 vs. Pleasantville; Dec. 5 vs. Woodbury
2021 evaluation: “Last year, he definitely showed great flashes coming off the edge,” head coach Montrey Wright said. “He had a lot more bend in his game. He did a good job covering as well, catching interceptions, stuff like that. That was something that we wanted to add more to his game, show coaches he can drop back in coverage. When we did that, he added more to his arsenal.”
What college coaches have told Smith: “They like my speed. … They wanted me to get bigger, gain more weight (he played at 170 pounds last season).”
What college coaches have told Wright: “It’s figuring out what position he would play as far as (defensive back) or linebacker, but a lot of schools don’t know he’s only 16 (turns 17 on Sept. 23). He’s still growing more. He’s a 16-year-old senior. That’s some of the conversations we’ve had with coaches. It’s mostly been about what position, but once he’s in a program, he’ll put on a tremendous amount of weight and he’ll get bigger and faster. Once he actually lands in that program, the coaches, they’ll understand where we’re coming from.”
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What position does Smith want to play in college? “I definitely feel I’m a linebacker. I consider myself a linebacker. … (However), I am open to a switch.”
How has Smith improved over the offseason: “I wanted to show different moves off the edge against people, use more moves and being consistent,” Smith said.
What does Smith see as his greatest attribute: “Definitely my speed. I like to use my speed on the edge and stuff and I’ve heard (offensive) tackles actually after the game say like, wow, you’re so fast. How you so fast? That’s really my strength.”
Are you surprised Smith hasn’t received more interest? “I am,” Wright said. “… He has the pedigree behind him (his uncle played at the University of Cincinnati, his father played at Monmouth and his mom played basketball at Salem Community College). It’s about coaches finding out who Amare Smith is and I think they need to open their eyes more and see this kid is a special talent.”
What Wright is asking of Smith in 2022: “To continue to stay focused like he is staying focused. You have a chance to be legendary.”
Josh Friedman has produced award-winning South Jersey sports coverage for the Courier Post, The Daily Journal and the Burlington County Times for more than a decade. If you have or know of an interesting story to tell, reach out on Twitter at @JFriedman57 or via email at jfriedman2@gannettnj.com. You can also contact him at 856-486-2431. Help support local journalism with a subscription.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Recruit breakdown: Closer look at Salem linebacker Amare Smith
