Jamarius "J'Mar" Smith (born September 24, 1996) is an American football quarterback for the Birmingham Stallions of the United Football League (UFL). He played college football at Louisiana Tech University.
_(cropped).jpg) Smith with the Birmingham Stallions in 2024 | |||||||||||||
| No. 6 – Birmingham Stallions | |||||||||||||
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| Position: | Quarterback | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | September 24, 1996 Meridian, Mississippi, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 218 lb (99 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Meridian (Meridian, MS) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Louisiana Tech (2016–2019) | ||||||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2020 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||
| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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| Career USFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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| Player stats at CFL.ca | |||||||||||||
Early years
editA multi-sport athlete, Smith was a three-star recruit out of Meridian High School in Meridian, Mississippi. At Meridian, he was teammates with Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Raekwon Davis and Indianapolis Colts cornerback Travis Reed. He accepted a full-scholarship from Louisiana Tech over offers from Mississippi State and Memphis. He was recruited to Louisiana Tech by former NFL quarterback Tim Rattay.[1]
Smith played as a catcher for the Meridian baseball team. He was drafted by the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the 24th round of the 2015 MLB Draft, but he declined to sign a professional contract with the team.[1]
College career
editAs a redshirt senior, Smith started 11 games and was 236-of-367 passing for 2,977 yards and 18 touchdowns on the season.[2] During his redshirt senior season, Smith was suspended for two games for violating athletic department policy.[3] Smith led his team to a 14–0 win over Miami in the 2019 Walk On's Independence Bowl and was named Conference USA's 2019 Football Offensive Player of the Year.[4]
College statistics
edit| J'Mar Smith | Passing | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | GP | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yards | TDs | Int |
| 2016 | Louisiana Tech | 7 | 30 | 43 | 69.7 | 412 | 2 | 1 |
| 2017 | Louisiana Tech | 13 | 229 | 409 | 55.9 | 2,974 | 16 | 5 |
| 2018 | Louisiana Tech | 13 | 264 | 461 | 57.2 | 3,160 | 15 | 10 |
| 2019 | Louisiana Tech | 11 | 236 | 367 | 64.3 | 2,977 | 18 | 5 |
| College Totals | 44 | 759 | 1,280 | 59.2 | 9,523 | 51 | 21 | |
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 0+1⁄4 in (1.84 m) | 218 lb (99 kg) | |||||||||||
| All values from Pro Day[5] | ||||||||||||
New England Patriots
editOn May 5, 2020, Smith signed as an undrafted free agent with the New England Patriots.[6] On July 26, 2020, he was waived before the start of training camp.[7]
Smith had a tryout with the Green Bay Packers on August 23, 2020.[8]
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
editHe signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL on May 17, 2021.[9] He was assigned to the practice roster as the 4th string quarterback. He was released on August 21, 2021.[10]
Birmingham Stallions
editSmith was selected in the 12th round of the 2022 USFL draft by the Birmingham Stallions, reuniting with his college head coach Skip Holtz.[11] After leading the Stallions to a victory over the New Jersey Generals in the USFL Kickoff game, Smith was voted USFL Week 1 offensive player of the week.[12] On July 3, Smith won the USFL championship game.[13]
Smith was placed on injured reserve by the team on April 19, 2023.[14] He re-signed with the team on August 11, 2023.[15]
Career statistics
edit| League | Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | |||
| USFL | 2022 | BHAM | 9 | 7 | 131 | 239 | 54.8 | 1,573 | 6.6 | 10 | 6 | 78.7 | 37 | 191 | 5.2 | 2 |
| 2023 | BHAM | 1 | 1 | 10 | 15 | 66.7 | 160 | 10.7 | 1 | 1 | 96.5 | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | |
Personal
editJ'Mar Smith is the son of former NFL defensive lineman Kenny Smith, who played with the New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs.[1] During his first season with the Birmingham Stallions, Smith was awarded Birmingham Stallions Best Hair Award by his teammates as a joke.[16]
References
edit- ^ a b c "What To Know About Patriots Undrafted Quarterback Signing J'Mar Smith". NESN.com. May 1, 2020. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
- ^ "2019 Football Roster".
- ^ "LA Tech suspends QB J'Mar Smith, two others". November 15, 2019.
- ^ "FB: 2019 Individual Awards".
- ^ "2020 Draft Scout JMar Smith, Louisiana Tech NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
- ^ "Patriots Sign 15 Rookie Free Agents". Patriots.com. May 5, 2020. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- ^ Alper, Josh (July 26, 2020). "Patriots drop to 80 players ahead of training camp". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
- ^ @AlbertBreer (August 23, 2020). "And here's today's tryout/visit list. Ex-Ohio State QB Cardale Jones and ex-Lions RB Theo Riddick worked out for Vegas" (Tweet). Retrieved August 24, 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Tiger-Cats add quarterback Smith and offensive lineman Vornkahl". TiCats.ca. May 17, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
- ^ "Tiger-Cats Transactions". TiCats.ca. August 21, 2021. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
- ^ Kerekes, Drew (March 3, 2022). "J'Mar Smith ready for more football after getting drafted by USFL's Birmingham Stallions". The Meridian Star. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
- ^ "USFL Week 1 Players of the Week: J'Mar Smith, Davin Bellamy".
- ^ "USFL Championship: Stallions top Stars in thriller, 33-30".
- ^ @USFLStallions (April 19, 2023). "We have transferred QB J'Mar Smith to the Injured Reserve List" (Tweet). Retrieved April 20, 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ @USFLStallions (August 11, 2023). "Free Agent Signing" (Tweet). Retrieved August 11, 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ @USFLStallions (June 13, 2022). "Votes are in! @jMar_Smith was chosen as the Birmingham Stallions Best Hair by his teammates 🤣🔥" (Tweet). Retrieved June 13, 2022 – via Twitter.