Donovan Smith (quarterback)
Donovan Smith is an American football quarterback for the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
| Texas Tech Red Raiders – No. 7 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Quarterback |
| Class |  Redshirt |
| Major | Architecture |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Weight | 215 lb (98 kg) |
| Career history | |
| College |
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| Bowl games |
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| High school | Frenship (Wolfforth, Texas) |
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High school career
Smith originally attended Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Nevada, mainly playing as a wide receiver while also serving as the team's backup quarterback. Donovan would transfer to Frenship High School in the Lubbock, Texas suburb of Wolfforth prior to the 2019–20 school year. Smith finished his senior season completing 212-of-328 passes for 3,114 yards with 26 touchdowns and 8 interceptions along with 489 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns.[1] Smith finished his senior year with the 32nd-most passing yards in the state of Texas for the 2019 season.[2]
Smith was listed as a three-star recruit by 247Sports.com coming out of high school. He committed to Texas Tech over Nevada, San Diego State, and Utah State.[3]
Statistics
| Year | GP | Passing | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 2017 | 4 | 2 | 6 | .333 | 16 | 8.0 | 0 | 0 | 42.4 | 11 | 80 | 7.3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | 12 | 3 | 8 | .375 | 83 | 27.7 | 1 | 0 | 116.1 | 9 | 13 | 1.4 | 2 | 49 | 806 | 16.4 | 8 |
| 2019 | 11 | 212 | 328 | .646 | 3,114 | 14.7 | 26 | 8 | 111.8 | 96 | 489 | 5.1 | 14 | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 1 |
| Career | 27 | 217 | 342 | .635 | 3,213 | 14.8 | 27 | 8 | 110.7 | 116 | 582 | 5.0 | 17 | 50 | 809 | 16.2 | 9 |
Source:[1]
College career
2020
Smith suffered a shoulder injury prior to the 2020 season, and did not appear in any games during the season. He had surgery on his shoulder and returned to practice the following spring.[4]
2021
Smith entered the team's week nine game against Oklahoma in the second quarter after starter Henry Colombi was shaken up on a tackle.[5] Smith made his first collegiate start in the team's week 11 game against Iowa State, with original starter Tyler Shough still recovering from a broken collarbone he suffered in week 4 and Colombi out due to an illness.[6] Smith finished the game 25-of-32 for 322 yards with three touchdowns and one interception as the Red Raiders won 41–38, becoming bowl eligible for the first time since 2017.[7] For his performance, Smith was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week.[8] Following the game, interim head coach Sonny Cumbie stated that Smith would remain the team's starting quarterback.[9] The Red Raiders were invited to the Liberty Bowl, playing against Mississippi State. Smith finished the game with 252 passing yards and a touchdown along with a rushing touchdown in the 34–7 win and was named the game's MVP.[10][11]
Personal life
Smith's father, DeAndre, was the running backs coach for Texas Tech from 2019 to 2021.[13] As of 2022, he is the running backs coach for the New York Giants in the NFL.[14]
References
- "Donovan Smith High School Football Stats (Wolfforth, TX)". MaxPreps.com. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
- "Final Top 50 Texas high school football passing leaders". MaxPreps.com. January 3, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
- "Donovan Smith, Frenship, Dual-Threat Quarterback". 247Sports.com. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
- Williams, Don (March 23, 2021). "Matt Wells says Texas Tech's number of shoulder surgeries not abnormal". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
- Red Raider Nation Staff (October 30, 2021). "Donovan Smith replaces Henry Colombi at quarterback". KAMC. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
- Mayer, Phil (November 13, 2021). "Freshman Donovan Smith starts at QB vs. Iowa State". KAMC. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
- King, Bradey (November 13, 2021). "Texas Tech top Iowa State, 41-38 to become bowl eligible". KCBD. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
- "BU, KU and TTU Capture Week 11 Football Awards". Big 12 Conference. November 15, 2021. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
- Williams, Don (November 14, 2021). "College football: Donovan Smith to remain Texas Tech quarterback". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
- Stukenborg, Phil (December 28, 2021). "Smith leads Texas Tech past Leach's Bulldogs in Liberty Bowl". Associated Press. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
- @Theo_DeRosa (December 28, 2021). "Liberty Bowl MVP: Donovan Smith" (Tweet). Retrieved December 28, 2021 – via Twitter.
- "Donovan Smith College Stats". Sports Reference. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
- Mayer, Phil (November 29, 2021). "Texas Tech football announces three assistant coach hires". KAMC. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
- Williams, Don (February 11, 2022). "College football: New York Giants hire Tech RBs coach DeAndre Smith". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved February 23, 2022.