Like his teammate Ray-Ray McCloud indicated earlier on Sunday, Clemson safety Van Smith has decided to forgo his senior year and will put his name into the NFL Draft pool.
The junior indicated as much, but did not come out and say it directly, earlier in the day on Twitter, but a school spokesman confirmed to The Clemson Insider that Smith will indeed enter the NFL Draft.
Like McCloud, Smith’s decision comes as a surprise as he was not one of the players on the defensive side of the ball people expected to turn pro.
"I just want to say thank you to the coaches, Clemson Football and the whole Clemson community." Excited for the next step for Van Smith as we announce that he will be entering the 2018 @NFL Draft.
Forever a #Clemson Tiger. Forever #ALLIN.#ClemsonFamily pic.twitter.com/S8vPQ5qCPo
— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) January 7, 2018
Smith ends his three-year career at Clemson with 192 total tackles, including eight tackles for loss. He also had four interceptions in his career.
In Smith’s last game, versus Alabama, he had eight tackles and one pass broken up. Earlier this year he had an interception and a 38-yard return to help seal the Tigers’ win over Florida State, clinching the ACC’s Atlantic Division Championship that day.
Smith was part of a defense that finished 2017 ranked second nationally in scoring defense, fourth in total defense and fifth in pass defense.