A consensus four-star and top-230 national recruit … ranked as the nation’s No. 96 prospect by ESPN, No. 99 by Rivals, No. 142 by 247Sports and No. 227 by On3 … regarded as the No. 7 strongside defensive end in the class by Rivals, No. 16 defensive end by ESPN and the No. 21 defensive lineman by On3 and No. 23 by 247Sports … rated as the No. 15 recruit in Texas by ESPN, No. 17 by Rivals, No. 23 by 247Sports and No. 41 by On3 …. selected for the 2024 All-American Bowl … guided the Melissa Cardinals to a 10-2 record and 6-1 district finish his senior season … named the 2023 District 7-5A-II defensive MVP … helped lead team to an 11-3 overall record and a district title for the second year in a row as a junior … boasted an impressive junior season with 103 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and one defensive touchdown … named the District 7-5A-II defensive lineman of the year and to the Texas Sportswriters Association Class 5A All-State First Team his junior season … a 2022 MaxPreps Junior All-American … recorded 66 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, 10 sacks and three forced fumbles as a sophomore … the unanimous defensive lineman of the year his sophomore year and co-defensive newcomer of the year his freshman year in District 7-4A-I … also plays basketball …. father (Nigel Smith Sr.) played basketball at SMU from 2000-03 … chose Oklahoma over Alabama, Ohio State, Penn State, Texas A&M and others.