Rusty Smith (American football)

Russell Edgar Smith (born January 28, 1987) is an American former professional football quarterback who played 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.

Rusty Smith

Smith with the Titans in 2013
No. 11
Position:	Quarterback
Personal information
Born:	(1987-01-28) January 28, 1987 (age 38) Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:	226 lb (103 kg)
Career information
High school:	Sandalwood (Jacksonville, Florida)
College:	Florida Atlantic (2005–2009)
NFL draft:	2010: 6th round, 176th pick
Career history
As a player:
Tennessee Titans (2010–2013) New York Giants (2014)* Calgary Stampeders (2014)*
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
As a coach:
Grace Christian (2013–2014) Offensive coordinator & quarterbacks coach Grace Christian (2015–2021) Head coach
Career highlights and awards
Sun Belt Player of the Year (2007) First-team All-Sun Belt (2007)
Career NFL statistics
Passing attempts: 45 Passing completions: 23 Completion percentage: 51.1% TD–INT: 0–4 Passing yards: 234 Passer rating: 29.3 Stats at Pro Football Reference

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.

College career

As a sophomore at Florida Atlantic, Smith passed for 32 touchdowns and nine interceptions. In his four-year career, he started in 45 games for the Owls.^[1] He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Management of Information Systems.^[2]

College statistics

		Passing								Rushing
Season	Team	GP	Cmp	Att	Pct	Yds	TD	Int	Rtg	Att	Yds	TD
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
Totals		45	768	1,361	56.0	10,112	76	36	127.9	115	−335	5

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables

Height	Weight	40-yard dash	10-yard split	20-yard split	20-yard shuttle	Three-cone drill	Vertical jump	Broad jump
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	224 lb (102 kg)	4.83 s	1.71 s	2.90 s	4.61 s	7.04 s	23 in (0.58 m)	8 ft 4 in (2.54 m)
All values from Florida Atlantic's Pro Day workout on March 4, 2010[3]

Tennessee Titans

Smith was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the sixth round (176th overall) of the 2010 NFL draft.^[4] He was the first ever player from FAU to be drafted.^[5] He was signed to a four-year contract on June 17, 2010.^[6]

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.^[7] 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.^[8]

New York Giants

On Monday April 28, 2014 the New York Giants signed Smith.^[9] Smith was released on May 12, 2014.^[10]

Calgary Stampeders

Smith signed with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL) on June 4, 2014.^[11] He was released on June 21, 2014.^[12]

NFL career statistics

Year	Team	Games		Passing								Rushing
		GP	GS	Cmp	Att	Pct	Yds	Y/A	TD	Int	Rtg	Att	Yds	Avg	TD
2010	TEN	2	1	20	40	50.0	200	5.0	0	4	25.0	0	0	0.0	0
2011	TEN	0	0	DNP
2012	TEN	1	0	3	5	60.0	34	6.8	0	0	80.4	0	0	0.0	0
Career[13]		3	1	23	45	51.1	234	5.2	0	4	29.3	0	0	0.0	0

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.^[14] 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).^[15]

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.^[16][17]

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.^[17]