Troy Smith

Troy James Smith (born July 20, 1984) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL).

In 1993, Smith was placed in foster care with Diane and Irvin White while his mother dealt with personal issues.

Smith played his first two years at St. Edward High School in Lakewood, Ohio, but was thrown off the team after elbowing an opponent in the head while playing in a varsity basketball game.

He transferred to Glenville High School in Cleveland, Ohio shortly thereafter.

Smith graduated from Glenville, where he was coached by Ted Ginn Sr.., father of his teammate Ted Ginn Jr.. Smith and Ginn went on to play together at Ohio State.

After his junior football season in high school, Smith was invited to participate in the Elite 11 competition, featuring the eleven top ranked high school quarterback prospects in the United States.

He earned good praise following his performance, and although it was relatively late in the recruiting process, Ohio State offered Smith a football scholarship.

He verbally committed to the Buckeyes, signing his letter of intent on February 6, 2002, the last player for the upcoming season.

Smith threw for 969 yards and 12 touchdowns in his senior year.

He played alongside wide receiver, Ted Ginn Jr.., while leading Glenville to the state playoffs.

Smith also played three years of basketball and ran track (high jump, long jump and 1,600-meter relay).

West Virginia University and Ohio State recruited him.

Smith accepted the last scholarship of Ohio State's 2002 football recruiting class.

He redshirted in the 2002 season where the Buckeyes beat Miami in the National Championship.

Smith received an athletic scholarship to attend Ohio State University, where he played for coach Jim Tressel's Ohio State Buckeyes football team from 2003 to 2006.

As a redshirted freshman for the Buckeyes, Smith played sparingly at running back and kick returner in 2003.

Smith played the season opener against Washington as a scatback and returner, and he compiled fourteen yards rushing and 83 return yards.

After the game, he came on the NFL scouting radar as an "athlete."

He entered his sophomore season as the backup quarterback to Justin Zwick, but took over as the starter when Zwick was injured halfway through the 2004 season against the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Smith won four of the five games he started in 2004, including a victory over the archrival Michigan Wolverines.

Smith was suspended for breaking an undisclosed team rule before the Alamo Bowl, with the NCAA extending the suspension to include the first game of the 2005 season after it was revealed that Smith had accepted $500 from a booster.

With Smith at quarterback, Ohio State lost only two games in the 2005 regular season, and in only one of those was Smith the starter.

The first was to the eventual BCS National Champion Texas Longhorns (which he did not start) and the other was to the Penn State Nittany Lions, co-Big Ten champions.

Smith's 2005 stats included 2,282 passing yards with 16 touchdowns and four interceptions.

This led to a passer rating of 162.66, the fourth-highest of the season.

He rushed for 611 yards and 11 touchdowns on 136 carries.

He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, earning unanimous All-American honors and winning the Heisman Trophy in 2006.

In January 2006, he was named the Offensive MVP of the Fiesta Bowl, after leading the Buckeyes to a 34–20 win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

In the second week of the 2006 season, Smith and the Buckeyes took revenge for their 2005 loss to Texas.

The top ranked Buckeyes won their rematch with the (again) second-ranked Longhorns, 24–7.

Smith went 17 of 27 with 269 yards passing, two touchdowns, and no interceptions.

For many fans and analysts, Smith's performance against the Longhorns gave credibility to the preseason Heisman Trophy hype he had received.

His passing statistics improved during the 2006 season, completing 67% of his passes for 2,507 yards, with 30 touchdowns and five interceptions.

This led to a quarterback rating of 167.87, again fourth in the country.

Smith was one of five finalists for the 2006 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, given to the top senior college quarterback.

Teammates voted Smith the 2006 most valuable player.

He was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft, and also played for the San Francisco 49ers, the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League (UFL), and the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL).

Smith's mother raised him and two siblings in Columbus, Ohio, then moved to the Glenville neighborhood of Cleveland.

Smith first brought out an interest in playing football in Cleveland, where he played for the Glenville A's, initially as running back and tight end.

Irvin White, his coach, moved Smith to quarterback after a few games and Smith stayed in the position.