It was back on January 27th that quarterback prospect Zin’tayvious Smith took his official visit to West Point, whereby and according to the product of Red River High School in Coushatta, Louisiana his decision came down to two schools … Army and Navy.
Actually, Smith had initially committed to the Midshipmen back in September 2021.
“Yes, I was between Army and Navy,” said the 5-foot-11, 172 pounder, who also held several other smaller offers.
The Visit & The Decision
Smith shared with GoBlackKnights.com his experience on campus, which was his first time ever visiting the historical institutions.
“I basically told Coach (Cody) Worley that West Point felt like home to me,” declared Smith. “The players and coaching staff all had great personalities and were good people. I told him like the service academies are 10-year decisions and not 4 to 5 and I felt West Point was the best place to spend those 10.”
“I’ve spoken to Coach (Jeff) Monken and he told me he was excited and thrilled that I joined the brotherhood and that he couldn’t wait for me to get on campus this summer,” added Smith, who actually committed to Coach Worley on Monday, January 31st and whose recruiting has been handled by both Coach Worley and offensive coordinator, Brent Davis.
This is what Smith had to say about the final push that lead him to his college decision.
“The deciding factors were the coaches and the players,” he stated. “The coaching staff is fairly young so they are much more related to the players and staff, plus they show a great knowledge to the game and the players were very relatable and had great personalities. It was the winning culture at West Point that made me say yes.”
“They talk and joked around like people who I grew within my hometown and they were themselves and cool people and that something I wanted to be around.
Positionally speaking, Smith is eager to live up to the expectations of the coaching staff.
“I had many talks with the staff and they see me playing QB,” said Smith, who is one of several key quarterback commits in this 2022 class. “I’ve been at this position since the game of football was brought to me and they didn’t see any need to try and change that.”
The incoming QB noted that he had the opportunity to view several Black Knights’ games on TV, which makes him even more excited and optimistic regarding his choice of schools.
“Yes I watched the Wake Forest game, Navy game, and Missouri,” he declared. “I loved the offensive play from the games I saw, I like how Army is opening up the playbook more and getting in more gun. I feel I’m a great fit for the offensive, I’ve been in the triple-option before so I know the ins and out. I have a good nature of making guys miss in space plus I’m great at the play-action so it all is a great fit.”
Bringing To The Table
In 2021, Smith and his teammates at Red River High School were 8-4.
The dual-threat QB registered 2,670 passing yards for 30 touchdowns while rushing for 625 yards (92 carries) and 11 rushing touchdowns, where he was named All-State.
Smith, who is a welcome addition to the 2022 recruiting class, holds a 4.2 GPA and will be starting his Army West Point career at the prep school.
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