Lineman Gary Smith III Picks Duke

Three star chooses Blue Devils over Virginia Tech

Three-star defensive tackle Gary Smith III committed to Duke on Sunday afternoon.

Head coach David Cutcliffe celebrated the news on Twitter, saying, "Getting BIGGER Getting BETTER!"

WHAT!!! BANG BANG DUKEGANG20!! Getting BIGGER Getting BETTER! 🏈👊🏻⚡️

— DAVID CUTCLIFFE (@DavidCutcliffe) November 3, 2019

Smith chose the Blue Devils over Virginia Tech. He took an official visit to Duke the first weekend of October, watching the Blue Devils' wild game against Pitt. Two weeks later, he took his official to Tech for the Hokies' six-overtime win over UNC.

DREAMS➡️REALITY 😈🖤 #Dukegang pic.twitter.com/3mD7mihgl9

— Gary Smith III (@whynotgs3) November 3, 2019

Smith played on the interior of both lines in high school. He was rated the No. 62 offensive guard in the class by 247Sports. It appears that Duke plans to use him at defensive tackle at the college level.

The 6-foot-2 310-pounder from Shelbyville, Tennessee's Central High is able to overwhelm opposing linemen with power. In one highlight clip, he simply tosses an offensive lineman to the side to tackle a running back.

Smith also has good pursuit speed, allowing Central to use him at defensive end as well. l. In addition to his physical skills, Smith has a nasty streak, continuing to pursue a play until the bitter end, whether that's muscling a defender far out of the play or driving a ballcarrier backward until he's able to strip the ball away, as he did in two separate clips on his highlights.

Smith also had offers from Florida State, Wake Forest, Ole Miss, South Carolina and Kentucky.

Smith is the 13th member of Duke's class of 2020. He's the third defensive tackle, joining three-stars Michael Reese and Aeneas Peebles. He would also be Duke's third offensive lineman if he sticks on that side of the ball.