Miami battling Georgia for 4-star IOL Cortez Smith with decision looming

Snellville (Ga.) Parkview four-star interior offensive lineman Cortez Smith is ready to announce his decision July 20. And he knows Miami will be a contender.

The No. 151 overall prospect in the On300 and No. 10 interior offensive lineman in the 2025 class will choose between Miami, Georgia, Georgia Tech and South Carolina the penultimate Saturday of the month and said Miami and Georgia did plenty to stand out on his official visits. Smith has visited Georgia more than twice as many times as his next most-visited school and lives about 90 minutes from Athens and has been to Coral Gables three times since the start of the year.

Smith also said he’s still considering his options, but will know his top school sooner than later.

“It’s the way they’ve communicated and expressed things and shown me how much they can help me and how good their cultures are,” Smith said of Miami and Georgia. “(At Miami), it was the hospitality and how much they cared for us there (on the visit). …At Georgia, it was a lot of different things. We didn’t do too much but sit down and talk. It was a really cool, interactive type of deal. They asked us a lot more questions in a group instead of just talking to us, then they did a lot of one-on-one sessions where we could actually talk and not just listen.”

Miami has continued to aggressively push for the 6-foot-3, 315-pound offensive guard since his visit, although Smith doesn’t believe his recruitment will be solely decided by a school’s hospitality and whether or not he feels cared for at a program. On and off-field development and opportunities will also play a significant factor.

“It’ll just really be about how they can help me outside of football,” Smith said. “But it’ll also be about how they can help me as a football player too and as a young man.”

Smith plans to shut down his recruitment after committing.

CaneSport’s Take

Smith’s proximity to Georgia continues to make the Bulldogs a tough team for Miami to beat out, but given the Hurricanes’ recent success on the recruiting trail and the trust Smith has in offensive line coach Alex Mirabal and head coach Mario Cristobal , the Canes should have a fighting chance. South Carolina and Georgia Tech are still in the mix, although I have far more confidence in Miami and Georgia’s chances.

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