A family recommendation brought Kobe Smith to South Carolina football.
The defensive tackle out of the Atlanta area had at one point been committed to Kentucky, all the way through Christmas of his senior season. But he left Mark Stoops’ class, and the pull of the Gamecocks’ newest coach went deep.
“My uncle used to play under Muschamp at Auburn, around 2007 and stuff,” Smith said. “I felt like this was the best place for me. I wanted to play under him since my uncle played under him.”
His progress in Columbia has been slow and measured, but in Year 3 in the program, Smith has developed into a reliable option with a defined role.