Torrey Smith

James Torrey Smith (born January 26, 1989) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Maryland Terrapins and was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the 2011 NFL draft. He also played for the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Carolina Panthers. Smith is a two-time Super Bowl champion, winning Super Bowl XLVII with the Ravens and Super Bowl LII with the Eagles.

Early life Smith was born on January 26, 1989, and grew up with his mother Monica Jenkins in Colonial Beach, Virginia, and Fredericksburg, Virginia. The oldest of seven children, Smith helped his single mother, who attended Rappahannock Community College in the day and worked at night, with household chores and earned honor roll grades in school. and football at several different positions. During his senior year in 2006, Smith had 155 carries for 815 yards and 12 touchdowns, completed nine of 25 passes for 230 yards and two touchdowns, and made three receptions for 81 yards. Over the course of his interscholastic career, Smith returned six kickoffs for touchdowns. He earned all-state kick returner honors as a sophomore, all-district honors as a junior, and honorable mention All-Northwest Region quarterback honors, all-district, and all-area honors as a senior.

As a college prospect, Rivals.com ranked him 30th nationally among dual-threat quarterbacks, Scouts, Inc. ranked him 33rd nationally among wide receivers, and SuperPrep placed him on its Virginia 33. Smith was recruited by Maryland, Penn State, and Virginia Tech. Virginia head coach Al Groh said of the Fredericksburg native before the 2009 game against Maryland, "Clearly if we him being the type of player that he is now, he would be returning kicks for Virginia. So we are not above admitting that there is a player that certainly has turned out to be superior to what many people thought, including ourselves. He's—regardless of what the circumstances were in the past—he is a superior college football player."

College career

2007 season Smith sat out the 2007 season at the University of Maryland, College Park, on redshirt status, and was voted the scout team player of the year as a freshman. He was named the scout team player of the week before the Florida State game. In December, he practiced with the first team after Isaiah Williams suffered an injury.

2008 season Torrey Smith returns a kick during the Terps' 51–24 victory over Eastern Michigan, September 20, 2008. Smith drew praise from the Maryland coaching staff during summer workouts before the 2008 season, and The Washington Times predicted Smith, alongside receiver Ronnie Tyler, would earn significant playing time. He played in all 13 games and started in the last six of the season. He also saw action on special teams as a kickoff returner. Smith recorded 24 receptions for 336 yards and two touchdowns. In its midseason report, The Baltimore Sun credited Smith for often giving an inconsistent Maryland team good field position with his long kick returns.

Against Middle Tennessee, Smith returned four kicks for 86 yards. Smith tallied his first collegiate touchdown on a third-quarter reception from quarterback Chris Turner in the 20–17 comeback at #20 Clemson. He recorded 144 return yards against Virginia.

In the 26–0 victory over #21 Wake Forest, Smith returned the opening kick 34 yards, and caught two passes for eight yards. Smith made his career first start against NC State and recorded four kickoff returns for 85 yards, which set the school single-season kickoff return yards record for a freshman, surpassing the 566-yard mark set by Da'Rel Scott in 2007. and led the team with 163 all-purpose yards including 62 receiving yards.

In the latter part of the season, Smith increased his role and was elevated over Isaiah Williams as the number-two receiver across from Darrius Heyward-Bey. Head coach Ralph Friedgen explained that his presence would alleviate the coverage on Heyward-Bey and praised Smith's blocking ability in the running game. Against Florida State, Smith broke the school record for single-season kickoff return yards, previously held by cornerback Josh Wilson. He had 119 all-purpose yards, Smith posted his season-best performance against 21st-ranked Boston College with 245 all-purpose yards and eight receptions for 115 yards and a touchdown. It was also the first time a Maryland player returned a kickoff for a touchdown in a bowl game. At the end of the season, Smith had returned 42 kickoffs for 1,089 yards, which set a new Atlantic Coast Conference single-season record. Smith led the team with 1,425 all-purpose yards, which put him ahead of starting running back Da'Rel Scott who compiled 1,304 yards. Towards the end of camp, head coach Ralph Friedgen noted an improvement in his performance, which reestablished Smith as the team's top receiver alongside Adrian Cannon. Smith finished the season ranked sixth in the nation in all-purpose yards. He was one of two players, alongside Donald Buckram of UTEP, to record more than 260 all-purpose yards in three games.

In the season opener at #12 California, he caught one pass for 28 yards and made two rushing attempts for 16 yards. Against Division I FCS James Madison, Smith caught eight passes for 80 yards, rushed twice for 22 yards and a touchdown, and returned four kickoffs 127 yards, including one 81-yard touchdown return. Despite the strong statistical performance, head coach Ralph Friedgen said, "To be honest with you, I was kind of expecting more out of Torrey. I've got a lot of faith in him. I'm not surprised at all about the return yards. But I think if you asked Torrey, he has high expectations for himself, too." He led the team with three receptions for 64 yards and a 29-yard touchdown against Clemson, Against Wake Forest, Smith returned six kickoffs 194 yards and caught a career-high ten passes for 70 yards and a touchdown. For his performance, he was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Specialist of the Week. Wake Forest head coach Jim Grobe said, "This kid is probably a better receiver [than Darrius Heyward-Bey]. He catches the ball better, he's got great foot speed. He can hurt you running the ball or catching it. Everywhere you look, he's a problem." During the game, Virginia chose to kick short to keep the ball away from Smith on kickoffs, and quarterback Chris Turner did not target him until the fourth quarter. He finished with three receptions for 34 yards and no returns. He recorded two receptions for 13 yards at Duke. At NC State, he caught eight passes for 64 yards and returned a kickoff 84 yards for a touchdown. During the game, he surpassed the ACC single-season kickoff return yards record which he had set the previous season.

After the season, the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association named Smith to the All-ACC second team as both a wide receiver and return specialist. Phil Steele's and The Sporting News named him to their All-ACC first teams as a wide receiver. including a "fingertip catch in the end zone" on the opening drive, Before the season, Smith was named to the watchlists for the Paul Hornung Award and Biletnikoff Award.

Maryland started the 2010 season against Navy, which intentionally kicked away from the elusive return man. In the home opener against Morgan State, Smith scored on a 24-yard pass from backup quarterback Danny O'Brien and a five-yard pass from starter Jamarr Robinson. Smith scored two touchdowns of 60 and 80 yards in Maryland's failed comeback attempt at 21st-ranked West Virginia, 31–17. After the West Virginia game, Sports Illustrated considered Smith a rising prospect for the 2011 NFL draft and described him as "a true vertical threat who has NFL size and home-run hitting speed." Redshirt freshman Danny O'Brien secured the starting quarterback position after Jamarr Robinson suffered a shoulder injury, and the rookie soon "found great chemistry" with Smith. Against Florida International, Smith made eight receptions for 159 yards, including a 68-yard touchdown catch and a 32-yard catch that set up another score. He limped off of the field after his touchdown catch, but later said, "I was fine. I was Jim Brown-ing." The following week, he was limited in practice, but played against Duke and caught a 44-yard reception during a first-half scoring drive. However, the lingering ankle ailment continued to bother Smith, and head coach Ralph Friedgen considered using punt returner Tony Logan for kickoff returns until he fully healed. Smith had four receptions for 55 yards in the 31–7 loss to Clemson, but was hindered by his sore ankle which kept him out of practice. Smith said, "I don't like sitting out [practices]. I feel like I'm leaving my teammates out to dry. I didn't battle with them all week."

Against Boston College, running back Da'Rel Scott handled some of the kickoff return duties, but Smith returned two for 38 yards. He also caught eight passes for 34 yards and a touchdown. The following week, Maryland clinched bowl eligibility with a 62–14 rout of Wake Forest. Regarding the turnaround from the previous season's 2–10 record, Smith said, "We expected to be in this position. No one else expected it," but added "No one is going to respect us [yet] because we have not beaten any top dogs." Before the game against Miami, the coaching staff reported Smith's ankle had improved and he was "as healthy as he has been in a while". Against Miami, he had three receptions for 35 yards. Smith also compiled 46 yards on two kickoff returns to break the ACC career kickoff return yards record with 2,724 yards, which surpassed the previous mark of 2,688 yards held by Brandon Tate of North Carolina. At Virginia, Smith took advantage of the Cavaliers' man-to-man coverage and had seven receptions for 157 yards, including a 12-yard touchdown. Quarterback Danny O'Brien expressed his readiness to throw deep passes to Smith in single coverage, "If it's even, I put it up." Maryland lost, 30–16, and Smith had seven receptions for 69 yards.

Smith delivered a record-setting performance against #23 North Carolina State, in which he collected a career-high 14 receptions for 224 yards and four touchdowns. Smith scored on catches of 10, 11, 12, and 71 yards, During the game, Smith set the school record for career all-purpose yardage, which surpassed Lamont Jordan's previous mark of 4,960 yards. Smith's season tally of twelve touchdowns also set a school record, which surpassed the mark of nine shared by Jermaine Lewis and Marcus Badgett. For his performance, the Atlantic Coast Conference named him the Offensive Back of the Week. In the 2010 Military Bowl against East Carolina, Smith had two catches for ten yards. Shortly after the game, he declared himself available for the 2011 NFL draft in order to financially support his family. ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said, while he believed Smith could have potentially reached first-round status with another year, he would likely be selected in the second or third round of the 2011 NFL Draft.

Professional career

Baltimore Ravens

2011 season Smith (82) at Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in 2012. Also pictured are LaQuan Williams (15) and Anquan Boldin (81). The Baltimore Ravens selected Smith with the 58th overall pick in the second round of the 2011 NFL draft. Smith, who ran the 40-yard dash in 4.41 seconds at the combine, was described as a deep threat that the team had missed the previous season.

After facing criticism for a lack of production in the first two weeks, Smith finished the game with five receptions for 152 yards in the 37–7 victory.

Smith caught a 26-yard game-winning touchdown against the division rival Pittsburgh Steelers on November 6, 2011. On November 20, 2011, Smith made six receptions for a Ravens rookie record 165 yards against the Cincinnati Bengals, including a 49-yard touchdown from Joe Flacco. He was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his game against the Bengals.

He finished the season with Ravens rookie records of 50 receptions, 841 receiving yards, 52.6 yards per game, and 7 receiving touchdowns (the last led the team and was tied two years later by Marlon Brown).

In the AFC Championship Game, the Ravens faced the number-one seeded New England Patriots. He finished the loss with three catches for 82 yards.

2012 season

The morning before Baltimore's Week 3 NBC Sunday Night Football rematch with the New England Patriots, Smith's younger brother Tevin Jones died in a motorcycle accident, leaving the former distraught. To honor his late brother, Smith played and led his team in receptions (6), receiving yards (127) and receiving touchdowns (2) and helped the Ravens win 31–30.

In a Week 10 matchup against the Oakland Raiders, Smith caught two passes for touchdowns in the 55–20 win. On November 23, Smith recorded a season-high 144 yards, seven catches in an overtime victory over the San Diego Chargers.

Smith finished the year with 48 catches, 855 yards and a then-career-high eight touchdown receptions.

In the Divisional Playoff Round against the Denver Broncos, Smith caught both a 59-yard pass and a 32-yard pass for touchdowns in a 38–35 double overtime win. He finished the game with three catches, 98 yards, and the pair of touchdowns.

The Ravens won Super Bowl XLVII against the San Francisco 49ers 34–31, earning Smith his first Super Bowl ring. Smith ended the game with two catches for a total of 35 yards.

2013 season After wide receiver Anquan Boldin was traded in free agency, Smith started the 2013 season as the Ravens starting receiver.

Smith scored his first touchdown of the season in a Week 4 loss to the Buffalo Bills. He finished the game catching five passes for a total of 166 yards, including a 74-yard catch. In the following game, Smith caught six passes for 121 yards in a win against the Miami Dolphins.

In Week 15, Smith reached the 1,000 yard receiving season mark for the first time in his career. He was also the first Raven's-drafted receiver to eclipse 1,000 yards for the team. Smith finished the year with 65 receptions, 1,128 yards, and four touchdowns.

2014 season In Week 8, Smith caught four passes for 51-yards and two touchdowns, as he helped Joe Flacco set the NFL record for the fastest time to record five touchdown passes (16 minutes and 3 seconds). The Ravens defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 48–17. The following week, against the Atlanta Falcons, Smith scored the game-sealing touchdown. With less than two minutes left in the game and facing a fourth down, Flacco threw a pass to Smith, who caught it for a 39-yard score. In Week 13, on the first possession, Smith scored the game's opening touchdown against the San Diego Chargers, after juggling the ball in the endzone. Smith recorded a pair of touchdowns in the Raven's 33–34 loss.

In their regular season finale, the Ravens took on their division rivals, the Cleveland Browns, needing a win and a Chargers loss to get into the playoffs. Trailing 10–6 in the final quarter, Smith caught a deep pass from Flacco, and on the very next play, a 16-yard touchdown to give Baltimore the lead. Smith finished the game with four receptions for 83 yards, including two decisive fourth quarter plays. Baltimore won the game 20–10 and clinched a playoff spot with the help of a Chargers loss.

In the Wild Card Round of the playoffs, the Ravens faced the division rival Pittsburgh Steelers. They won the game 30–17, with Smith recording two catches for 28 yards and a touchdown. In the Divisional Round, the Ravens lost 31–35 to the eventual Super Bowl XLIX champion New England Patriots.

Smith finished the season with 49 receptions, 767 yards, and a career-high 11 touchdown catches. He also had three games in which he scored multiple touchdowns.

During March 2015, Smith sent a letter to the entire city of Baltimore, announcing that he would test free agency and thanking the Ravens organization and its fans for starting his career in Baltimore.

He left the organization as the franchise-record holder in yards per catch in the regular season (16.9).

San Francisco 49ers

2015 season On March 10, 2015, Smith signed a five-year, $40 million contract ($22 million guaranteed) with the San Francisco 49ers. Smith would start alongside former Raven's teammate Anquan Boldin.

In the 49ers' season-opener, Smith made his team debut against the Minnesota Vikings in the 20–3 victory. The following game, Smith caught six passes for a season-high 120 receiving yards and a 75-yard touchdown, followed up with a two-point conversion catch during the 49ers 43–18 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Smith appeared in all 16 games and started 12 of them. He finished the 2015 season with 33 receptions, 663 receiving yards and four touchdowns, three of his scores having been over 70 yards. He led the league in yards per reception with 20.1.

2016 season On December 11, in Week 14, Smith suffered a concussion after hitting his head hard on the turf with his helmet on during a 23–17 loss to the New York Jets. He was placed on injured reserve on December 23, 2016. He finished the 2016 season with 20 receptions for 267 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns in 12 games.

On March 7, 2017, Smith was released by the 49ers.

Philadelphia Eagles

On March 9, 2017, Smith signed a three-year, $15 million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles with second and third-year options at the same salary. The signing reunited him with former teammates Corey Graham and Dannell Ellerbe. On September 10, 2017, in the season-opening 30–17 victory over the Washington Redskins, Smith made his Eagles debut. On October 8, 2017, Smith caught a 59-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Carson Wentz, marking his first touchdown as a member of the Eagles, in the 34–7 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.

The Eagles finished the season 13–3 to earn the #1 seed in the NFC and a first-round bye. Smith finished the season with 36 catches for 430 yards and two touchdowns. In the Divisional Round against the Atlanta Falcons, Smith recorded three catches for 39 yards in a 15–10 victory. In the NFC Championship Game against the Minnesota Vikings, Smith had five catches for 69 yards and caught a touchdown pass in the 38–7 victory. The Eagles advanced to their third Super Bowl in franchise history where they defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII. Smith caught five passes for 49 yards, earning his second Super Bowl ring.

Carolina Panthers

On March 14, 2018, the Eagles traded Smith to the Carolina Panthers for cornerback Daryl Worley. He played in 11 games with six starts, recording 17 catches for 190 yards and two touchdowns.

During the 2019 preseason, Smith appeared in two games but did not record a reception. He was released on September 1, 2019, and announced his retirement two days later.

Career statistics

NFL LegendWon the Super BowlLed the leagueBoldCareer high

Regular season Year Team Games Receiving Rushing Fumbles GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost 2011 BAL 16 14 50 841 16.8 74 7 4 39 9.8 16 0 1 0 2012 BAL 16 16 49 855 17.4 54 8 3 9 3.0 13 0 0 0 2013 BAL 16 16 65 1,128 17.4 74 4 — — — — — 1 0 2014 BAL 16 16 49 767 15.7 53 11 — — — — — 0 0 2015 SF 16 12 33 663 20.1 76 4 — — — — — 0 0 2016 SF 12 12 20 267 13.4 53 3 — — — — — 0 0 2017 PHI 16 14 36 430 11.9 59 2 1 −3 −3.0 −3 0 0 0 2018 CAR 11 6 17 190 11.2 35 2 — — — — — 0 0 Career 119 106 319 5,141 16.1 76 41 8 45 5.6 16 0 2 0

Playoffs Year Team Games Receiving Rushing Fumbles GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost 2011 BAL 2 1 4 91 22.8 42 1 — — — — — 0 0 2012 BAL 4 4 11 233 21.2 59 2 1 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 2014 BAL 2 2 5 90 18.0 35 1 — — — — — 0 0 2017 PHI 3 3 13 157 12.1 41 1 — — — — — 0 0 Career 11 10 33 571 17.3 59 5 1 0 0.0 0 0 0 0

College Legend Led the NCAA Bold Career high

Year Team Games Receiving Returning Rushing GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Ret Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD 2008 Maryland 13 6 24 336 14.0 44 2 42 1,089 25.9 99 1 1 0 0.0 0 0 2009 Maryland 12 10 61 824 13.5 64 5 51 1,309 25.7 85 2 11 59 5.4 14 1 2010 Maryland 13 12 67 1,055 15.7 80 12 30 585 19.5 33 0 9 7 0.8 9 0Total 38 28 152 2,215 14.6 80 19 123 2,983 24.3 99 3 21 66 3.1 14 1

Career highlights Awards and honors NFL 2× Super Bowl champion (XLVII, LII)

College NCAA kickoff return yards leader (2009) First-team All-ACC (2010) Second-team All-ACC (2009)

Ravens franchise records Career: Yards per reception (minimum 200 receptions), regular season: 17.4

Rookie Season (2011): Receptions: 50 Receiving yards per game: 52.6 Receiving touchdowns: 7 (shared with Marlon Brown and Marquise Brown) Games with 100+ yards receiving: 2 Games with 3+ total touchdowns: 1

Single game, rookie: Receiving yards: 165 (November 20, 2011, against the Cincinnati Bengals) Receiving touchdowns: 3 (September 25, 2011, against the St. Louis Rams) Total touchdowns: 3 (September 25, 2011, against the St. Louis Rams)

Post-football career and honors Smith founded the non-profit Torrey Smith Foundation (TSF), whose mission is to provide support to at-risk youth with physical, educational, and financial challenges, and to focus on the enhancement of lives of those affected by domestic violence. It sponsors back-to-school and after-school activities, STEM camps, charitable basketball games and holiday meal and gift programs, among other activities. The TSF's website states its goals as: Education of youth on subjects useful to the individual and beneficial to the community, Increasing the awareness of financial and hands on support needed in the fight against domestic violence and supporting other organizations conducting charitable activities that align with the TSF mission. For the past two years, Torrey has participated in the Madieu Williams Football Camp, a free camp held by the former Bengals and Vikings safety for kids ages 6–14.

In March 2013, Smith worked as an intern for Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings, working out of Baltimore. On March 28, 2013, the Ravens picked Smith to represent the team at the Maryland State capital in Annapolis. Smith, along with Ravens' president Dick Cass spoke to the assembled members of the Maryland House of Delegates and then the Maryland State Senate. While a member of the San Francisco 49ers in 2016, Smith was the team's nominee for that year's Walter Payton award for his community involvement.

In 2019, his hometown, Colonial Beach named a park whose restoration and expansion he had funded in Smith's honor. In 2020, the Library of Virginia announced Smith as one of its Strong Men & Women in Virginia History, based on his continuing philanthropic work. Rose Health is one of the fastest growing mental health platforms in the United States. Smith has said "the sky is the limit" as to Rose's potential for growth. Smith also said the Rose app has helped him with his own mental health, including figuring out his strengths and weaknesses and how to build his mental health resilience.

Personal life On September 23, 2012, Smith lost his 19-year-old brother in a motorcycle accident. Tevin Chris Jones was riding on SR 672 in Westmoreland County, Virginia, when he ran off the right side of the roadway and struck a utility pole, according to the Virginia State Police. He was pronounced dead at the scene. He was wearing a helmet, and alcohol was not a factor. Smith has established a college scholarship fund to assist low-income youth from Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia in honor of his late brother. On September 30, 2013, Smith tweeted that his wife was pregnant. On April 4, 2014, Chanel gave birth to their first child, a son named Torrey "TJ" Jeremiah. Torrey's second son, Kameron James, was born on June 22, 2016. The Smiths' third child, daughter Kori Lynn Smith, was born on December 18, 2018.

He runs a YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@TorreySmithWR documenting adventures with his family and another YouTube channel for his organization LEVEL82 https://www.youtube.com/@LEVEL82