Notre Dame Football Recruiting: Highlights and Analysis of Recruit Jaylon Smith

National signing day for the 2013 class is still several months away, but that doesn't stop top recruits from getting the recruiting process out of the way and committing to a school early. The most recent recruit that has announced where he will attend school next year is 5-star outside linebacker Jaylon Smith.

Growing up in Fort Wayne, Ind., he has decided to stay close to home and attend Notre Dame, per Rivals.com. He had offers from numerous other schools such as Alabama, Oklahoma, Michigan and Florida State, among others.

When watching film and highlight tapes, he is the type of player that jumps off the screen. He has game-changing ability, is a difference-maker on the defensive side of the ball and will have a great opportunity to compete for serious playing time the minute he steps on campus.

Smith has great size at 6'3", 225 pounds, runs extremely well, plays very fast and is a long athlete. He can also play physical when he needs to. He covers a ton of ground, as he has terrific sideline-to-sideline speed, but can drop back into coverage just as well as he can rush the passer.

He has a great motor, high football IQ, solid ball skills and will make the quarterback pay if he makes a bad decision with the football. He closes in fast and strong on the football and is about as sure a tackler as you are going to find in this year's recruiting class.

Overall, Smith has all of the tools and athletic ability to play any linebacker position. He doesn't have many weaknesses besides needing to bulk up a bit. He has a ridiculous amount of upside and should quickly become a playmaker for this Irish team.

Another factor that may be the most underrated about Smith is that he seems like a well-spoken and high-character young man. There have been too many issues under head coach Brian Kelly where a player gets in some type of trouble and brings negativity to the program—whether it was Michael Floyd, Tommy Rees or eight players who were arrested in 2010 for alcohol-related incidents.

It is one thing to land a top player, but if that player is a leader on and off the field who will stay out of trouble, the Irish have hit the jackpot.