CHARLOTTE — Scotland senior linebacker Jonathan Smith added another honor to his already stellar résumé Monday, as the University of North Carolina commit was named to the Shrine Bowl roster.
The Shrine Bowl, an annual contest that pits the top football talent in North Carolina and South Carolina against one another, will be played Dec. 19 at Gibbs Stadium in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The game is scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m.
Smith is Scotland’s lone representative this year — last season, two Scots were featured on the North Carolina roster. Safety Robert McKoy and linebacker Brandon McMillian represented Scotland in North Carolina’s 21-12 loss to South Carolina. McMillian was the Tar Heel State’s Defensive Most Valuable Player in the defeat, recording two tackles, a sack, an interception and a fumble recovery.
Smith, a 6-1, 230-pound linebacker who leads Scotland with 54 tackles this season, is one of two players from the Southeastern Conference named to this year’s Shrine Bowl roster. Pinecrest offensive lineman Sean Pollard, a Clemson University commit, is the other.
The future Tar Heel earned SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors last season and was also named to the Associated Press all-state team after helping Scotland reach the quarterfinals of the North Carolina 4A playoffs. He paced the Scots in tackles, recording 156 stops. He also notched 22 tackles for loss, four sacks and an interception.
Smith’s 2014 accomplishments landed him on NCPreps.com’s preseason all-state team, which was released during the preseason. He, along with Pollard, were the only two SEC players to earn the distinction.
After an extensive recruitment that saw him pursued by some of the premier programs in the country, Smith announced his commitment to North Carolina in August. In addition to UNC, Duke, Georgia Tech, Michigan, Notre Dame and Virginia Tech were among the 16 Division I schools that offered the senior.
Through Scotland’s first six games this year, Smith has shown he is not resting on last season’s laurels. In addition to the 54 stops, he has eight tackles for loss, three quarterback hurries and two pass deflections. Smith has also stepped up in clutch moments, reeling in the game-clinching interception in the Scots’ 21-20 win at rival Marlboro County last month.
Scotland is 6-0 heading into SEC play and will be in action 7:30 p.m. Friday at Purnell Swett.
Logan Martinez can be reached at 910-506-3170. Follow him on Twitter @L_Martinez13.
