Back in 2012, for five weeks, Geno Smith sat atop the college football world. He led his West Virginia Mountaineers to a spotless, 5-0 record, which propelled them to a No. 5 ranking in the polls. Smith, behind 1,996 yards, 24 touchdowns (zero interceptions), and an 81.4 percent completion rate, was the comfortable Heisman favorite. That strong start also vaulted him up NFL Draft boards.
But the next week, Smith and West Virginia were routed, 56-30, by an unranked Texas Tech squad. They continued to sputter en route to a 7-6 record, a string of games that revealed some flaws and saw him end up as the 39th overall pick to the New York Jets. Smith started 29 games his first two years with the Jets before being relegated to a backup role over the next six seasons and even was out of the league in 2019.
A decade after his senior year breakout, Smith is in the spotlight again, spearheading a surprising 7-5 Seattle Seahawks team and playing like a top-10 quarterback. He even leads all NFC QBs in Pro Bowl votes. Looking the part of a bona fide star, Smith was provided an opportunity to reflect on what most would consider a challenging and tumultuous journey to this point. Only, Smith characterizes his path more optimistically.
Always blessed.
@GenoSmith3 x #ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/JtlGnzmVNT
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) December 8, 2022
“I can’t say it’s tough, man, because I’ve been so blessed,” Smith told reporters at a recent press conference. “My tough time would be a dream for someone else. So, I’ll never look at it as something that was too hard for me or really tough because, throughout that time, I was still enjoying life and still in the NFL.”
It’s a pretty incredible bit of perspective from Smith, who seems so genuinely happy in his current position and recent success. Smith, 32, has 3,169 yards, 22 touches to six interceptions and a 72.7 percent completion rate this season. He’s also seventh in DVOA. He’s been nothing short of tremendous and has likely solidified himself as a long-term starter, at least for the next few years.
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