Illinois one of the schools tracking Rivals150 forward Colin Smith

Illinois is one of a handful schools that four-star forward Colin Smith from Dallas (Texas) St. Mark's says is currently giving him the most attention.

The Rivals150 prospects breaks down the status of his recruitment, and talks about how he would fit in the Illinois program in this update from Orange and Blue News.

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Checking in at No. 59 nationally in the class of 2022, Smith already holds double digit offers from high major programs.

Illinois began recruiting Smith back in mid-June when college coaches could begin having direct contract with prospects in the rising junior class, and Illinois offered him a scholarship in July.

The recruitment is led by assistant Stephen Gentry , who has recruiting connections in the Lone Star state after spending time on the staffs at Stephen F. Austin and Texas A&M.

"We talk about once a week," Smith said. "Coach Gentry talks a lot to me and my dad, and we've been on a Zoom call with Illinois already."

The virtual visit with Illinois was in early October, Smith said. He's also had Zoom calls with Stanford, Vanderbilt, Michigan, Oklahoma State, Minnesota, and Arkansas. Others showing strong interest include Purdue and Texas Tech.

The Zoom call with Illinois was about getting to know the rest of Illinois staff, including head coach Brad Underwood, as well as the other two assistant coaches and strength coach Adam Fletcher.

Underwood and his staff went into detail on how they believe Smith would fit into their system should he chose to play at Illinois.

"It was about getting a feel for how they run stuff and what their offense is like," Smith said. "They did a comparison with footage of some my games, then bumped it up against some of the plays that they run to show that I do a lot of the stuff they implement."

Smith said he isn't yet ready to trim down his list of schools. Once the recruiting dead period is lifted and his high school season is over, he wants to pick things up and take some campus visits.

"It's still pretty early," he said about his recruitment. "COVID has really slowed down stuff. Before I start cutting lists I want to get on campuses and see how everything is going. It will probably be tough for me until probably February. I should be able to start doing stuff then."

Smith's squad at St Mark's posted a 29-4 record last season and won a state championship. He teams with five-star Stanford commit Harrison Ingram, the No. 9 prospect in the class of 2021.

Last year as a sophomore, Smith averaged 21.5 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists. He describes himself as a do-it-all player on the court, and he often brings the ball up in a "point forward role."

"I would describe myself as an all-around player, " Smith said. "I like to get my teammates involved. I like passing the ball. I like sharing the ball with my teammates. I think I'm a good scorer. I can shoot the ball from deep. If they close out on my shot, I can drive, and I pride myself on my. defense. I like to play defense."

That versatility and dedication to guarding are things Underwood has told Smith he likes about his game, Smith said. He can play and guard multiple positions. He has different roles on his high school team than on his AAU club Southern Assault, a top program on the adidas circuit.

"I really love playing defense, so they really like that," he said. "At my high school, (Ingram) and I take turns bringing the ball up the floor, so you can call us the point guards. In the summer I can play the 2, 3, or the 4 and bring it up sometimes. They kind of let me be me."

He didn't get to play any travel events with Southern Assault this summer, but Smith said he stayed sharp playing in some local events in the Dallas area.

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