2024 four-star DL Jerod Smith commits to Michigan

The Michigan Wolverines’ 2024 class continues to add pieces in the trenches, as four-star defensive lineman Jerod Smith just announced his commitment to the Maize and Blue.

The 6-foot-3, 265-pounder hails from Cheshire, Connecticut, He was offered by Mike Elston and the Wolverines back in January. It didn’t take long for Michigan to wind up on his top-10 list, as he announced that just a couple weeks after getting the offer from U-M. The rest of his top list consisted of Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Penn State, Notre Dame, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Iowa and Texas.

Smith and his four-star defensive lineman twin brother — Jacob Smith — made a quick unofficial visit to Ann Arbor back in March and came away impressed, as he told The Michigan Insider’s Brice Marich ($).

“The trip went extremely good,” Smith said. “The highlights were how much time we got to spend with coach Elston on this visit and of course getting to see the facilities was great.

“Great school, great academics, great coaches and great players. Would be a great place to be.”

247Sports’ Brian Dohn evaluated him back in Aug. 2022 and had this to say:

Has verified size and a thick frame with ability to play at 290 pounds. Agile with an impressive sub 4.5 shuttle and sub 5.0 in 40 during camp in May. Played with low pad level and low center of gravity during in-person evals and on tape. Productive player with 12 sacks and 29 tackles for loss as sophomore. Played everywhere from nose to five-technique in 3-4 defense. Uncoils and fires off quickly at snap. Covers ground quickly in first two steps and gets up field in hurry. Shows strength and power throughout frame. Anchors well at point of attack. Can stack and shed and also fight through double teams. Active hands makes it tough for blockers to stay engaged. Very good body control. Re-directs well along line of scrimmage. Instinctual and reacts quickly. Plays with energy and effort. Can chase plays down. Has to continue to add size, mass and strength to play interior defensive line in college. Has to continue to develop technique and not rely so heavily on athleticism and strength. Has to make sure he remains assignment-oriented. Earlier contributor at a top 20 program. Early to mid round NFL draft potential.

Smith is ranked No. 270 overall, the No. 30 defensive lineman and No. 4 in his home state on 247Sports’ composite rankings for the 2024 class. Thanks to his commitment, along with four-star tight end Brady Prieskorn, Michigan now has the No. 1 ranked class in this cycle.

Check out some of his best junior season highlights below.