| Troy Smith Jersey |
Troy Smith (born July 20, 1984) is the starting quarterback for the Ohio State University football team wearing buckeye jersey #10.
Troy Smith attended the now famed Glenville High School in Cleveland, Ohio where he was coached by Ted Ginn Sr. After a strong senior year at Glenville, Smith was invited as one of eleven of the top high school quarterbacks at the elite 11 competition where he earned great praise. Following his performance, hometown favorite Ohio State took notice and offered Smith late in the recruiting process. He verbaled to Ohio State late in the recruiting process over West Virginia signing his LOI in February. Smith was brought in as an athlete due to top rated Ohio State QB Justin Zwick also signing with OSU the same year.
As a freshman in Columbus, Smith played sparingly as a running back and kick returner. He entered his sophomore season as backup quarterback to Justin Zwick but took over as starter when Zwick was injured halfway through the season. Smith won four of five games as a starter, including a victory over arch-rival Michigan. However, the league suspended him from the Alamo Bowl after learning Smith had broken NCAA rules by accepting money from a booster. Smith finished 2004 with 896 passing yards and 339 rushing yards.
Zwick started the Buckeyes’ first game in 2005 and shared time with Smith in the second, a 25-22 loss to Texas. After that loss, Tressel decided to stick with Smith.
Under Smith, Ohio State lost only one more game in the 2005 regular season. He threw for 1,941 yards and 14 touchdowns against only four interceptions. Smith had probably his best game against Michigan, completing 27 of 37 passes for 301 yards in a 25-21 comeback win. He was later named the Offensive MVP of the 2006 Fiesta Bowl, a 34-20 victory over Notre Dame. With Troy Smith healthy in his #10 jersey the Buckeyes are primed for a national championship run.
