5-Star Saivion Smith Commits to LSU, Tells B/R 'It Just Felt Good in My Heart'

Saivion Smith knew his recruiting process would come to an end shortly after arriving in Baton Rogue for LSU's junior day last weekend. 

"It just felt good in my heart," Smith told Bleacher Report. "Right away, I knew it was the place for me." 

Les Miles and the Tigers landed a huge commitment when Smith—rated as the nation's top-rated corner and the No. 6 player overall in the 2016 class—announced his commitment Tuesday on ESPNU.

The No. 2 prospect from the Sunshine State selected LSU over Clemson, Florida, Florida State and Virginia Tech among others.

His time in Baton Rouge and his relationship with the coaching staff are what sold him on becoming a Tiger.

"Everything from top to bottom was great," Smith said. "I loved the coaching staff up there. We had a great talk with Coach Miles and Coach [Corey] Raymond. When I went out there and was talking to the players, they told me the same thing the coaches told me. The ins and outs of school kind of sold me on LSU."

Another thing working in LSU's favor is its recent history with sending elite defensive backs into the NFL. With pledges from Smith and Kevin Toliver II in the last two cycles, LSU has now swiped the top corner prospect from Florida in consecutive seasons.

For his part, Toliver—who already enrolled at LSU last month—relayed his sentiments about Baton Rouge becoming a home for standout defensive backs.

"He just told me they work every day," Smith said. "It really is 'DBU.' Everybody there really respects that mantra. He told me that before I stepped foot on campus, and I saw that he was telling me like it is [when I was there]."

After transferring to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, last year, the 6'1", 175-pounder burst onto the scene by registering 67 tackles, five interceptions and three forced fumbles. He also blocked three punts and scored six non-offensive touchdowns. Performances like the one he had against Toliver's Trinity Christian Academy squad are what propelled him to 5-star status, as noted by Barton Simmons of 247Sports.

For now, Smith—who mentioned plans to still use his official visits in the fall—will turn his focus to helping the Tigers build their 2016 class.

He won't have to look far in terms of finding talented prospects to recruit in hopes of getting them to join him at LSU.

IMG has a bevy of top recruits on its roster this season, and Smith mentioned teammates such as 5-star defensive end Shavar Manuel and 4-star corner Khalil Ladler—who accompanied him on his visit to LSU last weekend—as potential targets he's looking to work on. 

"Everybody is just congratulating me right now, and I'm trying to get them to come join me in Baton Rouge and win a national championship," Smith said.

Sanjay Kirpalani is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained firsthand, and all recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports. 

Follow @SanjayKirpalani