A signing week surprise came on Saturday for Mel Tucker and his staff, earning the commitment from 5-star kicker and punter Garrison Smith. Smith is a native of Norwalk, Ohio.
Smith will be coming to Michigan State as a preferred walk-on and will have a chance to earn the scholarship Matt Coghlin will leave behind after next season.
Excited to be a Spartan!!!🟢⚪️🟢⚪️ #GOGREEN #Relentless #COMMITTED pic.twitter.com/yQ6uaZCOsi
— garrisondsmith2021 (@GSmith2021) January 30, 2021
Smith is ranked as the no. 13 punter in the nation and no. 19 kicker by the Kohl’s Kicking Camps rating system, both giving him 5-star status in their rankings. Smith is also ranked by the Kornblue Kicking system which favors him more, ranking him as a 5-star and the no. 7 kicker in the nation.
Kohl’s and Kornblue are two of the biggest recruiting services that specialize in ranking specialists (kickers, punters and long snappers).
It is yet to be known if Smith will be on campus as a kicker or a punter, but nonetheless will be a welcomed addition to the Spartan family.
Michigan State has had problems at the punter position ever since Jake Hartbarger graduated and will need to replace senior Matt Coghlin after the 2021 season.
