SMU offers early playing time, connections for elite EDGE Smith Orogbo

2025 Houston (Texas) Alief Hastings On300 edge rusher Smith Orogbo , a Top 30 prospect and the No. 3 EDGE rusher according to On3, finished his SMU official visit on Sunday . The connections away from football stood out to him.

“The city and the connections they have. Life After Ball, that’s probably different,” Orogbo told On3. “They help you find jobs after football, after college. They’re big on real estate (Orogbo’s major), too.”

SMU defensive line coach Calvin Thibodeaux and head coach Rhett Lashlee made their pitch that they need the 6-4, 210-pound prospect. Both want to keep him in Texas and shared the plan for him.

“They were saying how much they want me and the position group, the way they run their defense,” Orogbo said. “They want me to stay in Texas. They’re really big on that.”

With the program’s move up in competition plus some departures and veterans at his position, Orogbo has the chance to make an early impact, if he were to end up at SMU.

“Them moving up to the ACC is really giving me a chance to play quick because they’re recruiting guys that are Power Five level now,” Orogbo said. “I see myself getting a chance to play early.”

Orogbo’s already taken official visits to Arizona and Oklahoma State earlier this year. He plans a decision in either late June or early July.

He’ll now head to Missouri on May 29, Texas Tech on June 7, Kansas on June 12, Texas on June 14 and Oklahoma on June 21-23.

According to the On3 Industry Ranking , a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies, Orogbo is the No. 93 overall prospect in the country and No. 15 EDGE nationally. Texas leads the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine .

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