Rusty Smith

Russell Edgar Smith (born January 28, 1987) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida Atlantic Owls and was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL draft.

Smith was with the Titans for four years as a backup, playing in three regular season games with one start. In 2014, he had offseason stints with the New York Giants and later the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). After his playing career ended, he began a career as a high school football coach.

Early life Russell Edgar Smith was born on January 28, 1987, in Jacksonville, Florida. He attended Sandalwood High School in Jacksonville. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Management of Information Systems.

Professional career

Tennessee Titans Smith was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the sixth round (176th overall) of the 2010 NFL draft. He was the first ever player from FAU to be drafted. He was signed to a four-year contract on June 17, 2010.

Smith made his NFL debut on November 21, 2010 against the Washington Redskins after starter Vince Young left the game with an injured throwing hand, completing 3-of-9 passes for 62 yards and one interception. Titans head coach Jeff Fisher later declared that Smith would become the team's starting quarterback due to Young's season-ending thumb surgery and Kerry Collins' calf injury. His first start was in a 20–0 shutout loss to the Houston Texans. Smith had 17 completions in 31 passes for 138 yards and was intercepted three times, all by CB Glover Quin.

Smith did not have one snap during the 2011 regular season.

In 2012, he stepped in for Matt Hasselbeck and went 3-of-5 for 34 yards. He was waived/injured by the Titans on August 31, 2013. He was re-signed the next day, and put on the team's practice squad.

New York Giants On April 28, 2014, the New York Giants signed Smith. He was released on May 12, 2014.

Calgary Stampeders Smith signed with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL) on June 4, 2014. He was released on June 21, 2014.

Career statistics

NFL Year Team Games Passing Rushing Sacks Fumbles Record 2010 TEN 2 1 0–1 20 40 50.0 200 5.0 0 4 25.0 0 0 0.0 0 1 0 0 0 2011 TEN 0 0 2012 TEN 1 0 – 3 5 60.0 34 6.8 0 0 80.4 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 Career 3 1 0–1 23 45 51.1 234 5.2 0 4 29.3 0 0 0.0 0 1 0 0 0

College Passing Rushing Season Team 2006 Florida Atlantic 12 108 194 55.7 1,285 6 8 107.1 25 −110 0 2007 Florida Atlantic 13 281 479 58.7 3,688 32 9 141.6 39 −116 2 2008 Florida Atlantic 13 234 435 53.8 3,224 24 14 127.8 37 −82 2 2009 Florida Atlantic 7 145 253 57.3 1,915 14 5 135.2 14 −27 1 Career 45 768 1,361 56.0 10,112 76 36 127.9 115 −335 5

Coaching career In March 2015, Smith was announced as the new head football coach at the Grace Christian Academy in Franklin, Tennessee, having previously worked two years as the program's quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator. He parted ways with GCA in February 2022 after eight seasons, having compiled a 21–49 record over seven seasons as head coach and leading the GCA Lions to all three of the team's playoff appearances in 2017 (1A), 2020 and 2021 (both DII-A).

Missionary career After parting ways with GCA, Smith and his family began a two year commitment in Kijabe, Kenya as part of Africa Inland Mission in 2023. He is a teacher at Rift Valley Academy, a Christian boarding school operated by AIM.

Personal life Smith's wife, Nicole, is the former head volleyball coach and strength and conditioning coach at Grace Christian Academy. They have four sons, Rustyn, Camdyn, Koltyn and Eastyn.