MSU football head coach John L. Smith said Tuesday he doesn't know where his nephew Alex Smith -?the potential No.1 pick in the 2005 NFL Draft on Saturday - will go.

"I know where I'd like to see him go, but I have no clue where he's going to go," Smith said of the former Utah quarterback.

John L. Smith said he speaks with Alex Smith at least every other week and said that whichever team he goes to play for, he'll be fine.

Alex Smith, a 6-foot-4, 212-pounder, started academically as a junior at Utah because of all the advanced placement credits he took during high school.

Now as a 20-year-old, the La Mesa, Calif., native already has a bachelor's degree in economics and will begin graduate school at Utah in the fall.

Alex Smith is Utah's career record holder in completion percentage, passing efficiency and yards per completion. When Smith was a starter, Utah's record was 20-1.

As a freshman in 2002, Smith played in just two games late in the season. But in 2003, he led Utah to a 9-1 season and had only three interceptions in 266 passing attempts.

Smith was also a Heisman Trophy candidate and was one of three Davey O'Brien finalists, awarded to the top quarterback in the nation.

The San Francisco 49ers have the No. 1 overall pick on Saturday. The 49ers had the worst overall record in the NFL at 2-14 last season. Last year, quarterback Eli Manning went as the first pick.

John L. Smith joked that his nephew has his brains and that he wants to borrow some money from him following his signing.