Tracy Smith can't help it if he is smiling a little more these days. He shed off the extra weight that slowed his game down as a junior. Now the svelte 6-foot-7, 225-pound forward from Mt. Zion (N.C.) is watching his recruitment speed up and gain some bulk with interest.

Smith, the No. 41 ranked player in the class of 2007, was brilliant at times for the Georgia Hurricanes and shined at the ABCD camp. Smith makes no secrets that his final summer on the circuit was a good one.

"I think it was the best time I've had in the last two or three years," Smith says, "because of my weight loss. I dropped a lot of pounds and I did what I had to do.

"I felt better mentally and physically. I just felt better overall. My legs felt good. I could get off the floor a lot faster and could do my business a lot easier."

The trick to his 30-pound weight loss?

"It's that low carb, no soda, no sugar diet," Smith said.

Not an easy thing to do with all of the Southern comfort food around him. Now he is feeding himself with constant letters, phone calls and text messages from recruiters. The four-star forward recently returned from an unofficial visit to Charlotte.

"It went good," Smith said of his time with Atlantic 10 program. "I walked around their campus and checked it all out. Their players and coaches are all pretty cool. I thought it was real good."

Smith said he is headed to Florida State on Sept. 16 for an official visit and trips to LSU, Oklahoma State and Louisville are also on the must-see list. Smith said he will take an unofficial visit to NC State when he returns back to the North Carolina Triangle in a couple of days.

The plan is to sign a letter of intent in November, Smith said.