Vanderbilt has made instate recruiting a priority in the Class of 2024, as the Commodores offered yet another Tennessee standout in Chattanooga athlete Kobe Smith. The 6-foot-3 and 185-pound defender talks about his first SEC offer and more.

“It was a great experience receiving my first SEC offer. I was with my family at the time, and I enjoyed the conversation that I had with Coach Haye,” said Smith.

“Coach Haye said that he liked the way that I get after the ball and how relentless I am. I’m attending Vanderbilt’s junior day next weekend.”

This won’t be Smith’s first trip to Nashville, as the Red Bank pass rusher camped at Vanderbilt last summer.

“A couple of things that I liked about Vanderbilt while I was there for camp is how much support the community had for the school and just the campus itself was beautiful,” said Smith.

“Of course, I cant forget the football team as I watched them upset Florida and Kentucky.”

Smith is coming off a stellar junior season that landed him Defensive Player of the Year honors in his region. As a junior, Smith finished with 90 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 13 pressures, 10 sacks, 9 fumble recoveries, 8 forced fumbles, and 4 defensive touchdowns.

“My junior season went very well. I accomplished all of the personal goals that I had for myself. Although we missed the state championship by one game, I still believe we had an amazing season,” said Smith.

Despite the excellent junior season, Smith plans to improve his skillset this summer. In addition to Vanderbilt, Smith holds offers from Chattanooga and Eastern Kentucky. He’s also getting interest from Alabama, Georgia Tech, and Virginia Tech.

“This summer I’m going to work on all parts of my game. I’m getting faster, stronger, and smarter on the field. I hope to play on the offensive side of the ball next year too.”