New Tider
Justin Smiley

Birthday: 11-11-81
High School: SE Bulloch
HS Mascot: Yellow Jackets
HS Coach: Ron Flott
HS Position: OG, DL
HS Number: 78
AL Number: 78
Official Visits: Alabama, Florida, South Carolina
Second Choice: Florida
Committed: 1-16-2000
Roommate To Be: Wesley Britt

Smiley has excellent quickness and strength. As a junior, he graded at 80 percent on blocking efficiency and he was an All-Area pick. As a senior, he graded 91 percent on blocking efficiency.

Smiley has a 23-inch vertical jump, and he bench presses 350 and squats 550.

Tom Lemming rates Smiley the nation's 95th-best prospect. He's rated the No. 31 offensive lineman in the nation by Rivals 100. And he was an Atlanta Journal Southern 100 pick.

His cousin Dusty Ziegler played at Notre Dame and for the Buffalo Bills.

What Experts Say about Justin Smiley

Allen Wallace: "His excellent work ethic and nasty on-field demeanor made him an SEC favorite. Comparable to Dusty Ziegler, a former SuperPrep All-America."

Tom Lemming: "Tough, aggressive and agile."

Forrest Davis: "One of the top-rated offensive linemen in the nation. Great speed and quickness. Runs exceptionally well. Forrest Davis Recruiting Annual 1st Team All-South."

Q&A with Justin Smiley

TI: Last summer it appeared you were going to South Carolina. But throughout the fall it looked like you were headed to Florida. Then you ended up at Alabama. Talk about the how the recruiting process evolved for you.

JS: South Carolina was the first school to offer me a scholarship. That fired me up and I committed to them last summer. Nothing against them at all, but after the season they had [0-11] I decided that I really didn't want to go to a program that was struggling.

For quite a while I was leaning to Florida. I thought that's where I was going. When things started getting real hectic during recruiting -- I was getting a lot of phone calls and stuff -- I put a message on my answering machine that I was committed to Florida.

I wasn't going to visit Alabama because I was afraid that someone might talk me out of going to Florida. I actually canceled my visit to Alabama, but Coach Swinney and Coach Callaway asked me to at least visit. They said that if I visited Alabama, they would not pressure me or ask me to come to Alabama. They were honest and genuine. They never pressured me or asked me to come to Alabama once during the visit. I appreciated that.

TI: What finally sold you on Alabama?

JS: It just felt like home, you know. I loved Florida and everything, but Gainesville was just a little too fast for me. I just felt like Alabama was the place for me.

When I went up there [Alabama] to visit they took me hunting. That's the kind of things I like to do. I went over to Denny Chimes and saw all the hand and cleat prints of the former captains. I remember dreaming to myself that maybe someday my handprints could be there. Then Coach Swinney said, "Hey, Justin. Those will be your prints one day." It was awesome!

After I signed with Alabama, I remembered that the very first recruiting letter I ever received came from Alabama. That was when I was in the ninth grade. It's like it's meant to be.

TI: What are you doing now to prepare yourself for next season?

JS: I'm working out and everything right now. I'm going to be coming up to Tuscaloosa for Spring Break. Jason Rawls is riding up there with me and Maurice [Mitchell] is following us.

I plan on spending the whole week up there working out and watching tape of [Chris] Samuels. I've talked to Chris and he's told me that he's going to work with me some. I just want to learn some of his techniques.

TI: You sound pretty dedicated.

JS: I'm giving up a lot. This is my senior year Spring Break. I could be going to Mrytle Beach or Miami Beach, but I'd rather spend the week in Tuscaloosa. I'll be up there the week of A-Day. My senior prom is the same day as A-Day, but I'm staying for the game. The prom is really no big deal. It's important to me that I'm at A-Day.

TI: You mentioned Jason Rawls and Maurice Mitchell. Have you guys been staying in contact with each other?

JS: I talk to Jason almost everyday and Maurice about three times a week. I talk to Wesley Britt a lot and I've called Danny Martz one time.

TI: What do you guys talk about?

JS: Everything from working out to what it's going to feel like coming out of the tunnel against UCLA next season. Jason and me were talking about the UCLA game today. It's unbelievable that we're going to start our careers against UCLA at the Rose Bowl. If we can beat them and get on a roll, we could go back to the Orange Bowl. I can't wait. I want to help keep the tradition going.

TI: Maurice seems to be a low-key guy. Is he fired up about coming to Alabama?

JS: Oh yeah. He's quiet, but he's a very confident person. He believes that he's good -- and he is. But Maurice is really funny about it. He feels he's going to get to Alabama and turn the place upside down. I've told him that the other [returning] players are good and that in the first practice they'll probably bring us down to earth.

TI: Have you heard about the defensive lineman from Canada that signed with Alabama, Nautyn McKay-Loescher?

JS: I don't know him yet, but I'm sure we'll get to know each other pretty good in practice. I got to see him on film. He looks like an animal. He really looks good.

Coach Swinney told me about him getting emotional at the Bryant Museum. It's easy to get emotional seeing that place.

TI: If you could say something to Alabama fans, what would you say?

JS: I'd just tell them that it's great to be a part of the Alabama family. I'm fortunate because it takes an elite person and player to play for Alabama. We want to reward the Alabama fans with a national championship, which is something they've been waiting for since 1992. From the top of our program with Coach DuBose all the way down to every freshman, that's our goal. And it starts with the UCLA game.