By Hale McGranahan.

By Hale McGranahan.

Clemson picked up yet another national-level recruit on Thursday when Rahshaun Smith committed during an ESPN CommitCast.

While the audio from Smith’s feed near his home in Baltimore left a little bit to be desired, there’s plenty to like about the newest member of the Tigers’ 2016 class.

Physically, Smith compares to former Clemson linebacker Stephone Anthony, a five-star prospect when he was coming out of North Carolina’s Anson County High School in 2011. Anthony, of course, was a three-year starter and is now on his way to becoming an early-round NFL Draft pick.

Smith (6-3, 229) has good size to play linebacker for Brent Venables. While Smith’s speed (4.87 40-yard dash) isn’t off the charts, he plays with good quickness in short areas and makes up for it with what appears to be a high-level of football instinct and feel for the game. Smith is a sound tackler who flows well to the ball and is more than adequate dropping into coverage.

While Smith’s instinct and feel could be on par with Anthony, the measurables have a ways to go before catching up to the numbers posted by Anthony at the NFL Combine: 4.56 in the 40, 37-inch vertical.

However, if Smith continues on a similar rate of progression as Anthony, his combine measurements will probably be in the same ballpark. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

After working out with Brent Venables last summer during the Dabo Swinney Football Camp, Smith is expected to get his first look at MIKE linebacker, the position that Anthony held onto for a majority of his career.

Smith is an elite-level athlete who could also put his hand on the ground and play defensive end. With his frame, keeping him trim enough to play linebacker probably shouldn’t be too much of an issue, but it will be something worth monitoring down the road. Redshirt freshman Chris Register, a former four-star linebacker who moved to defensive end this week, has a considerably thicker build than Smith and Anthony.

Venables has cleaned up on the recruiting trail during his time at Clemson, picking up elite-level linebackers like Ben Boulware, Korie Rogers and Chad Smith.

Rivals is the only major service that rates Clemson’s newest commitment as a five-star. ESPN, 247 and Scout all classify him as a four-star. This site won’t make too much noise about his five-star billing, even though that might be a more accurate rating.

Smith committed to Clemson over Alabama, Florida, LSU and Oklahoma. He joins IMG Academy teammate T.J. Chase, a four-star wide receiver.