Troy Smith is one of four children in his family and grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. His older brother Rod attended Ohio State in the 90’s. Troy had a rough childhood, growing up without a father around and when he was nine years old he actually went to live with his youth football coach for four years before moving back home.Troy attended Lakewood St. Edward as a sophomore and junior in high school. He was kicked out of school after an incident in which he elbowed a rival basketball player in the head and ended up transferring to Glenville High School as a senior. He was a multi-sport athlete who not only played football, but also played basketball and ran track. As a senior, Smith passed for 969 yards and 12 touchdowns at Glenville. He signed with Ohio State as an “athlete” coming out of high school and sat out the 2002 season as a redshirt. Troy saw action in 10 games the following season and was primarily used as a “slash” back on offense and a kick returner on special teams. Smith began his sophomore season as the backup quarterback at Ohio State. He was forced into the starting lineup seven weeks into the season when starter Justin Zwick suffered a shoulder injury. Smith went on to start the next five games, finishing with 896 passing yards and 8 touchdowns on 68 completions. He had just 3 interceptions and rushed for 14 yards on 3 attempts. Smith began to show flashes as a junior, completing 149 of 237 passes for 2,282 yards and 16 touchdowns with just 4 interceptions in 12 games. He also rushed for 339 yards and 2 touchdowns on 82 attempts. He was named MVP of the Fiesta Bowl after accounting for over 400 yards in the game (342 passing, 66 rushing). His senior year was a true breakout year for Troy Smith as he emerged as one of the best quarterbacks in the nation.

Troy Smith has been the starting quarterback for Ohio State for the past 2 ˝ years, playing against top competition in the Big Ten. Smith is a quarterback who can hurt you with his arm or with his feet. He is an accurate passer who doesn’t have a cannon for an arm, but he has a good enough arm to make all the throws required of an NFL quarterback. He is a “student of the game” who puts in a lot of time in the film room. As a result, he reads coverages well and is able to makes quick decisions on the field. He sets his feet well, has a quick release, and can be deadly accurate with his short to intermediate range passes. He has the arm to throw the deep ball and has pretty good accuracy throwing downfield. He is a mobile quarterback who can escape the rush, get out of the pocket and make an accurate throw on the run. He also has the ability to make a big play with his feet when needed. In past years Smith had a tendency to run too often, but as a senior he has become a much more patient passer who will find the open receiver when possible and only run as a last resort. He doesn’t force the ball into coverage and does a good job of taking what the defense gives him. He has strong leadership ability and his teammates respond to him when he’s on the field. The biggest question with Smith is going to be his size. He lacks the prototypical height for a NFL signal caller. There are shorter quarterbacks in the NFL who have had success. Michael Vick and Drew Brees are both barely 6-0, but they are the exception, not the rule. Another question with Smith is the off the field issues he has had in the past. Those issues include: being kicked out of high school after elbowing a rival basketball player in the head, pleading no-contest to a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge after a fight in 2003, and being suspended in 2004 after accepting money from a booster. Since the last incident, Smith seems to have matured and has developed into a good leader. Troy Smith is a special talent who should be selected late on day one or early on day two of the 2007 NFL draft.