3-star DT Tre Smith signs with Maryland football

Maryland football has another addition in the trenches, as three-star defensive tackle Tre Smith officially signed with the program Wednesday morning.

Smith gave a verbal commitment to the Terps after the Temple game, announcing his intention to play for Mike Locksley on Sept. 18. A Frostburg native, Smith is one of five current commits from within the state of Maryland.

“I just felt like they were welcoming to me, more than other schools,” Smith told Testudo Times on Dec. 12. “They would message me all the time. Each player would [direct message] me on Twitter and tell me, ‘come to Maryland. ... We’re a family here.’”

For someone still in high school, Smith has an impressive frame — he’s listed at 6’2, 285 pounds. But despite that size, it’s his speed that sets him apart from other linemen. Smith is a two-way player, as he serves as a tight end for the offense in addition to his responsibilities in the trenches on defense.

Back on June 21, Locksley personally extended an offer to Smith, and the lineman returned just over a month later for a barbecue held for the program’s recruits. He received five FBS offers, picking Maryland over Kent State, Old Dominion, Temple and Syracuse.

Smith has a grade of 0.8268 from the 247Sports Composite, ranking as the No. 133 interior defensive lineman in the country and No. 47 player in the state of Maryland.

The Terps are going to have a new-look defense in 2020, as seven starters were seniors and will be graduating. That includes all three defensive linemen, as Brett Kulka, Oluwaseun Oluwatimi and Keiron Howard will all be elsewhere next season.

Smith doesn’t plan to enroll early, so he may be on the outside looking in when it comes to playing time as a freshman.