By Hale McGranahan.

Rahshaun Smith, one of the top defensive prospects in the class of 2016, makes no bones about it. Clemson made a great first impression when he was on campus earlier this summer for the Dabo Swinney Football Camp.

The junior from St. Frances-Baltimore will be back in town this Saturday for the Syracuse game.

“I’m just bringing my mom down,” Smith told TheClemsonInsider on Tuesday.

Ranked by Rivals as the No. 1 defensive end in the class of 2016, Smith’s seen a number of different college campuses, but this will be trip No. 1 with mom.

“She’s been really excited about Clemson,” Smith said. “This is her first recruiting trip. I’m just excited to get there, so she can see what Clemson has to offer, to see if she sees the same things that Clemson showed me.”

Smith saw plenty of good things from Clemson in June.

“From coach Swinney on down, the whole entire coaching staff — one thing coach Swinney and the recruiting people said, one thing they really harped on…this (is) a family and a special place, how the coaches really care for you,” Smith said. “You get that at every school you go to, but it’s not often that you hear the coach say it and you see it.”

He added, “It wasn’t only football there. It was the whole nine, how much the coaches care about the players. Everybody, when I came down, it was great.

“I loved the facilities and everything about the school. The campus and everything, it was great.”

Smith also looks forward to spending time with defensive coordinator Brent Venables, the Clemson assistant who’s heading up his recruitment.

“Coach Venables and I have one of the strongest relationships in my recruiting,” Smith said. “When I first came down there and I first met him, I was like, ‘My name is Rahshaun Smith.’ He was like, ‘We’ve been trying to get in contact with you for the longest time.’ I was down there for two days. From that point on, we built a relationship that was strong. Right then and there, we built that bond right then and there, that quick connection.

“We related on a lot of things. We talked about a lot of things, personal-wise, growing up and how we can relate. I just got a vibe to him, it was an indescribable feeling.”

While participating in the camp, Smith worked with Venables and the linebackers.

“He’s definitely a great coach,” Smith said. “We went over some defenses out there on the field. I got the vibe from him when he was on the field coaching.”