Donovan Smith (quarterback)
| Houston Cougars – No. 1 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Quarterback |
| Class |  |
| Major | Architecture |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | October 27, 2001 Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Weight | 241 lb (109 kg) |
| Career history | |
| College |
|
| Bowl games | |
| High school | Frenship (Wolfforth, Texas) |
| |
Donovan Lamont Smith (born October 27, 2001) is an American football quarterback for the Houston Cougars. He previously played college football for Texas Tech.
Early life and high school career[edit]
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]
High school statistics[edit]
| 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 | 2.7 | 0 | 0 | 42.4 | 11 | 80 | 7.3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | 12 | 3 | 8 | .375 | 83 | 10.4 | 1 | 0 | 116.1 | 9 | 13 | 1.4 | 2 | 49 | 806 | 16.4 | 8 |
| 2019 | 11 | 212 | 328 | .646 | 3,114 | 9.5 | 26 | 8 | 111.8 | 96 | 489 | 5.1 | 14 | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 1 |
| Career | 27 | 217 | 342 | .635 | 3,213 | 9.4 | 27 | 8 | 110.7 | 116 | 582 | 5.0 | 17 | 50 | 809 | 16.2 | 9 |
Source:[1]
College career[edit]
Texas Tech[edit]
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]
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]
Entering into the 2022 season, Smith was in a competition for the starting quarterback position against Tyler Shough and Behren Morton.[12] Shough was named the team's week one starter on August 21.[13] Shough started the game against Murray State, but exited the game after the first quarter due to a possible injury and was replaced by Smith.[14] In Week 2, Smith started Texas Tech's game against no. 25 Houston. The Red Raiders jumped out to a 17–3 halftime lead, but the Cougars stormed back in the second half due in part to three interceptions by Smith, including one that was returned 54 yards for a touchdown. Houston took a 20–17 lead with 0:37 left in regulation before Smith led the offense down field to tie the game 20–20 with a 47-yard field goal from Trey Wolff; the Red Raiders would win the game 33–30 in double overtime, with Smith scoring the game-winning touchdown on a 9-yard run.[15] Smith finished with a career-high 350 yards passing and three total touchdowns, two passing and one rushing. For his performance, Smith was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week.[16] Two weeks later, against no. 22 Texas, Smith threw for 331 yards and two touchdowns along with 42 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in the 37–34 overtime victory. For his performance against Texas, Smith was named the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award National Player of the Week.[17] In the regular season finale against Oklahoma, Smith had both a rushing and receiving touchdown.[18] On December 5, it was announced that Smith would be entering the NCAA transfer portal.[19]
Houston[edit]
On December 21, 2022, Smith transferred to Houston.[20][21]
Statistics[edit]
| Season | Games | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Avg | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | |
| Texas Tech Red Raiders | |||||||||||||||
| 2020 | Redshirt 
| ||||||||||||||
| 2021 | 11 | 4 | 2−2 | 86 | 140 | 61.4 | 1,182 | 8.4 | 7 | 2 | 146.0 | 57 | 154 | 2.7 | 3 |
| 2022 | 12 | 4 | 2−2 | 146 | 221 | 66.1 | 1,505 | 6.8 | 12 | 8 | 133.9 | 76 | 116 | 1.5 | 7 |
| Houston Cougars | |||||||||||||||
| 2023 | 12 | 12 | 4−8 | 256 | 397 | 64.5 | 2,801 | 7.1 | 22 | 13 | 135.5 | 138 | 428 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Career | 35 | 20 | 8–12 | 488 | 758 | 64.4 | 5,488 | 7.2 | 41 | 23 | 137.0 | 271 | 698 | 2.6 | 16 |
Source:[22]
Personal life[edit]
Smith's father, DeAndre, was the running backs coach for Texas Tech from 2019 to 2021.[23] As of 2023, he is the running backs coach for the Indianapolis Colts in the NFL.[24]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "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 29, 2021). "Liberty Bowl MVP: Donovan Smith" (Tweet). Retrieved December 28, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ Thompson, Cole (June 29, 2022). "Should Tyler Shough or Donovan Smith Start at Quarterback for Texas Tech Red Raiders?". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
- ^ Williams, Don (August 21, 2022). "Texas Tech names Tyler Shough starting quarterback". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
- ^ Williams, Don (September 3, 2022). "Tyler Shough leaves Texas Tech season opener after first quarter; Donovan Smith takes over". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- ^ Silva Jr., Carlos (September 10, 2022). "Texas Tech's Donovan Smith gets walk-off TD to beat Houston in OT". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
- ^ "Five Players Collect Big 12 Football Week 2 Honors". Big 12 Conference. September 12, 2022. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
- ^ Hicks, Phil (September 27, 2022). "Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award: Texas Tech QB Donovan Smith named National Player of the Week". Tyler Morning Telegraph. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
- ^ "Texas Tech rallies for wild 51-48 OT victory over Oklahoma". ESPN. November 26, 2022. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
- ^ "Texas Tech quarterback Donovan Smith enters transfer portal". KCBD. December 5, 2022. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
- ^ Helwick, Steve (December 21, 2022). "Texas Tech QB Donovan Smith announces transfer to Houston". Underdog Dynasty. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
- ^ Conn, Patrick (April 19, 2023). "Houston quarterback Donovan Smith poised for a breakout season". College Sports Wire. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- ^ "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.