BATON ROUGE -- Desean Smith has been committed to play for LSU since July, but he still walked away from his visit to Baton Rouge for the Tigers' 21-17 loss Saturday to Alabama feeling better about his future school.

"I got to talk to [LSU tight ends coach Steve Ensminger] at the end and I told him I liked the way they used the tight ends," Smith said. "He said they liked it too and they were going to use it more."

Reserve tight end Nic Jacobs caught just two passes for 15 yards in the game, but LSU added the wrinkle of using him split wide, giving the Tigers the big, deep threat they lack at wide receiver. It was a wrinkle LSU had shown on a couple of plays this season, but it became a common tactic against the Crimson Tide.

Seeing that was right up Smith's alley. The ESPN 150 prospect plays for one of Louisiana's most explosive prep offenses at Lake Charles/Barbe, where he plays a tight end/wide receiver hybrid. Playing along with 2014 wide receiver prospect Trey Quinn, an ESPN Watch List member, Barbe routinely puts up 250-yard passing yards with multiple touchdowns, often calling off the dogs well before the fourth quarter.

Smith is hoping LSU, known for its power run game, will be able to throw the ball around some when he gets there. He spent time in the summer with 2013 quarterback commit Hayden Rettig and the two caught up with each other during the visit.

They were two of a long list of prospects making their official visits for the Alabama game.

"I was very impressed," he said. "There were a lot of recruits there, a lot of my future teammates. I'm glad they came."

The biggest thing Smith said he was looking for was a good effort from LSU. Despite the loss, he said the Tigers delivered.

"I was looking for a good game and I was looking for LSU to play hard," Smith said. "And I thought they did."