By Hale McGranahan.

Exactly which position Clemson is recruiting Derrick Smith to play hasn’t been determined.

The 6-foot-3, 185-pound athlete from Orange Park-Fleming Island (FL) could work as a wide receiver or safety at the next level. He does both right now.

As a sophomore, Smith had 86 tackles and seven interceptions. On the offensive side of the ball, he also recorded 17 catches for 319 yards with three touchdowns.

Smith was in town last Saturday for the Orange and White game.

“Clemson was great. I really love Clemson,” he told TheClemsonInsider, during an interview earlier this week.

It was trip No. 1 to Tigertown.

“The school, the players, the fans, everybody makes you feel like family,” Smith said. “I didn’t know certain fans, but they were coming up and hunging me, telling me to come here. They made you feel very welcome. It’s just a good feeling.

“It’s like, in Clemson, there’s nothing you can really get distracted by, because if you want to go out somewhere you’ve got to like 30 miles out. That’s really good, because I need to be focused. I’m trying to do my three years and get out of there. I’m not saying there aren’t going to be any big distractions when it comes to going out and having fun, because it’s in the middle of nowhere.”

Co-offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach Jeff Scott spent time speaking with Smith, 2017 running back Colin Wilson, 2017 linebacker T.J. Robinson and 2017 athlete Daequantae Showers.

“Coach Scott, I love him. He showed me a bunch of love,” Smith said.

UNC, USF, UCF, Kentucky, Utah and Cincinnati have offered.

Over the summer, he’ll travel with Pro Impact Sports to 10 college campuses for camp. The group typically stops by Clemson. That’s when Smith could learn if the Tigers are ready to pull the trigger.

“We haven’t had that conversation yet. I was hoping they were going to offer me at junior day, but (Scott) had a lot going on,” Smith said.