| Troy Smith was born on July 20, 1984 in | | | | see a lot of time on the field. He was |
| Cleveland, Ohio. Smith is widely considered | | | | relegated to spot duty at running back, as |
| one of the best quarterbacks to ever pass | | | | well as returning kicks. Smith started out as |
| through Ohio State University. A solid | | | | the backup quarterback during his sophomore |
| combination of speed, arm, strength, and | | | | season, but was thrust into action when |
| accuracy has allowed Smith to be a top notch | | | | starter Justin Zwick went down with an |
| player since his high school days. | | | | injury. He finished off the season by leading |
| | | | the Buckeyes to four wins in the final five |
| Troy Smith attended Glenville High School in | | | | games. Unfortunately, he was not allowed to |
| Cleveland, Ohio where he was coached by Ted | | | | play in the Alamo Bowl because he broke a |
| Ginn Sr. On the same team was his future Ohio | | | | team rule. |
| State teammate, Ted Ginn Jr. After a great | | | | |
| junior season, Smith was invited to | | | | In 2005 Smith continued to improve. The |
| participate at the nationally renowned elite | | | | Buckeyes only lost two games, and Smith put |
| 11 competition. This is where the top 11 | | | | up impressive states. He passed for over |
| quarterback prospects in the country gather | | | | 2,200 yards, ran for 611, and had a total of |
| to show off their skills. In addition to | | | | 27 touchdowns. But Smith's real coming out |
| playing quarterback, Smith also played wide | | | | party was the 2006 season. He passed for over |
| receiver while at Glenville. During his | | | | 2,500 yards, and had 30 touchdowns. After the |
| senior season he threw for nearly 1,000 yards | | | | season Smith won several awards including the |
| and contributed 12 touchdowns. Although Smith | | | | Davey O'Brien award for best college |
| had a solid high school career, many schools | | | | quarterback, and the Heisman Trophy for the |
| were not recruiting him to play quarterback. | | | | best player in college football. |
| But when Ohio State came along and said they | | | | |
| would let him try at the position, he | | | | Smith played all four seasons at Ohio State, |
| accepted the offer. | | | | and is expected to be a high pick in the 2007 |
| | | | NFL Draft. |
| As a freshman at Ohio State, Smith did not | | | | |