Smith climbs into top five of 2022 Rivals150
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Nick Smith Jr. has made another big jump in the Rivals150.
After moving up 23 spots and gaining five-star status in the last rankings update, the North Little Rock standout shot up to No. 4 in Monday’s release of the top five prospects in the Class of 2022.
A trio of Duke signees - Dariq Whitehead, Kyle Filipowski and Dereck Lively - are the only players ahead of him in Rivals' rankings.
That means Smith is now tied for the highest ranked Arkansas signee ever in the Rivals era, matching 2004 signee Al Jefferson, who never made it to campus because he went to the NBA straight out of high school.
Smith is also the highest ranked in-state prospect to come through the Natural State during the Rivals era, surpassing Bentonville's Malik Monk, who was No. 9 overall in 2016 and signed with Kentucky.
The final rankings for 2022 will come out after the McDonald’s All-American Game on March 29, so Smith will have one more opportunity to move up before he suits up for the Razorbacks. As it currently stands, Rivals has him ranked higher than any other recruiting service.
It has been an eventful few weeks for Smith, who was named a McDonald’s All-American and selected for the Iverson Classic All-American Game last month. He is also one of 12 players on MaxPreps’ watch list for its National Player of the Year Award and one of 10 semifinalists for the Naismith Trophy.
In addition to those accolades, ESPN recently tabbed him as the top college prospect for the 2023 NBA Draft, slotting him third in its mock draft.
On the court, Smith was named the MVP of the King Cotton Classic in December and recently capped a triple-double performance with a buzzer beater to beat Little Rock Central in overtime.
He is now averaging 26.5 points, 8 rebounds and 7.3 assists this season, helping the Charging Wildcats to a 17-3 overall record.
The rest of the Rivals150 will be revealed Tuesday. Fellow Arkansas signees Jordan Walsh (No. 31), Derrian Ford (No. 58), Joseph Pinion (No. 125) and Barry Dunning Jr. (No. 131) were included in the last update.
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