Saivion Smith is headed to Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. The former LSU cornerback announced his intentions to transfer in May. Smith has decided to take the junior college (JUCO) route, a direction that has become popular for players to take, and reestablish himself.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to put on the purple and gold, especially in front of the greatest fans in the country,” Smith expressed after publicizing his decision on Twitter. “I will always be a tiger at heart!”
Smith came to LSU as the No. 1 cornerback in the signing class of 2016. As a true freshman, Smith played in 10 games last season and ended the year with four tackles and two pass breakups. However, his playing time was limited due to the amount of talent of experienced players in the secondary in front of him such as former Tiger Tre’Davious White, junior defensive back Donte Jackson, and junior cornerback Kevin Toliver II.
Smith, former IMG Academy (Brandenton, FL) standout and five-star recruit joined the list of LSU players who transferred out of the program since the start of last season that included Chidi Okeke, Andy Dodd, and Tyron Johnson. Freshman safety Grant Delpit and sophomore wide receiver Drake Davis are both products of the academy and are expected to have prominent roles going into next season.
LSU has a reputation for heavily recruiting players from IMG Academy. Its program is growing rapidly and is becoming the centerpiece of college football recruiting. A recruiting mecca in a nutshell. Louisiana, as well as other states have lost some of its most promising in-state players to IMG Academy such as Shea Patterson (Calvary Baptist) and Dylan Moses (University Laboratory).
Smith was expected to play the role of backup to Toliver next season after a great spring camp from Toliver and compete for playing time. Toliver was a five-star recruit in his own right in the class of 2015. He exited high school ranked the No. 2 cornerback in the country and No. 10 overall player. After a slow start to his collegiate career, he has reemerged as one of the Tigers’ top defenders.
Why did Smith decide to leave LSU after only one year? With not playing much last season, it’s clear to see why Smith decided to leave. Although, there is a silver lining that lies within waiting it out as a younger player.
LSU, also known as DBU (Defensive Back University) around the country, has a rich history of producing some of the best cornerbacks and defensive backs in the past decade which includes Tre’Davious White, Morris Claiborne, Patrick Peterson, and Tyrann Mathieu. None of those players solidified their draft stocks or their legacies in their freshman years. After taking the time to learn and grow as players initially, they became all-americans, won a multitude of awards, and were all drafted with not reaching the apex of their skills until their sophomore, junior, and in White’s case, senior years.
Smith was expected to play behind Toliver next season. Hypothetically speaking, if there was an injury or other unexpected situation that occurs to the player in front of him, an opportunity would have opened up for him to play and make a name for himself.
Case in point, not playing when immediately arriving to college should not discourage young players. Every now and then, every program has some of their younger players transfer due to a lack of playing time. There’s something to be said about those who remain in the program and fight for a spot after ample time of sharpening his skills. More times than not, it tends to work out for those in the long run. Learning behind older and more polished players could be a blessing in disguise.
Luckily for LSU, Smith’s departure won’t leave the Tigers short-handed at the cornerback position. Along with Toliver, LSU has junior cornerback Donte Jackson returning, as well as freshman Andraez Williams competing for reps with the first-team defense. A promising freshman to keep an eye on is Kary Vincent Jr., freshman cornerback that signed with LSU in the spring as the No. 2 rated lockdown cornerback. It’s only a matter of time before he sees the field.
With the move to JUCO, Smith will be one of the decorated players heading into next season and will likely be a “one and done” player on that level. Going to a JUCO program means Smith would still have three years of eligibility in FBS play if he decides to return to college football’s highest level in 2018.
LSU sophomore cornerback Saivion Smith (8) crosses his arms at Tiger Stadium during the Tigers' Spring Game on April 22, 2017.
