Geno Smith

His great-uncle, Danny Smith, was a record breaking All-American hurdler at Florida State, and his cousin Melvin Bratton was a star running back at Miami in the mid-1980s.

Smith's nickname, Geno, came from his grandfather, who was nicknamed "Big Geno".

Smith was admitted to Norland Middle School's magnet program, which dedicated two hours per day to arts instruction.

He went on to attend Miramar High School, where he was coached by former Mountaineer Damon Cogdell.

As a junior, Smith passed for 2,200 yards, 25 touchdowns, and three interceptions, and was named second-team all-state quarterback.

Eugene Cyril Smith III (born October 10, 1990) is an American football quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL).

Smith was born to Eugene Smith Jr. and Tracy Seller in Miramar, Florida on October 10, 1990.

He was also named second-team all-Broward County as an athlete for 2007.

Following his junior year, Smith was invited to the prestigious Elite 11 quarterback camp in Aliso Viejo, California.

During Smith's senior season, he led his team to the state 6A semi-finals and completed 205 of 338 passes for 3,089 yards and 30 touchdowns while also rushing for over 300 yards.

Smith was a first-team all-state selection in Florida Class 6A and a Parade All-American.

He was also the No. 1 rated player in Broward County according to the Miami Herald and South Florida Sun Sentinel, and finished No. 2 in the voting for Mr. Florida.

Smith finished his career as the third-best passer in Broward County history, and was named to the ESPN Top 150 prospects list.

He chose to attend West Virginia over offers from Florida State, South Florida, Boston College, and Alabama.

Smith attended West Virginia University, where he played for the West Virginia Mountaineers football team from 2009 to 2012.

Smith was an English major during his time at West Virginia.

Smith saw some action his freshman year as the backup behind senior Jarrett Brown.

His first snap in a regular season game came against Auburn; Smith completed five of eight passes for 50 yards and an interception.

He would see action again against Syracuse, Marshall, Louisville, and in the Gator Bowl against Florida State.

In his freshman year at West Virginia University, Smith completed 32 of 49 passes for 309 yards, a touchdown, and an interception for an 81.1 quarterback rating to go along with 17 carries for seven yards as the backup to starting quarterback Brown.

2010 was Smith's first year as the starting quarterback.

Smith got his first start in the season opener against the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers, completing 20 of 27 passes for 216 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception in the 31–0 shutout victory.

With the Mountaineers down 21–6 against in-state rival, Marshall, Smith led his team to a fourth quarter comeback victory.

He led the first drive from the Mountaineers' 4-yard line.

With help from senior running back Noel Devine, the Mountaineers cut Marshall's lead to eight points.

After the Mountaineers' defense stopped Marshall, a punt put the Mountaineers near their own end zone again, starting from the 2-yard line.

After completing 9 of 13 passes and scrambling for 20 yards, Smith found tight end Will Johnson in the corner of the endzone for a touchdown.

With Marshall still leading 21–19, head coach Bill Stewart elected to go for the two-point conversion.

Smith completed a pass to wide receiver Jock Sanders in the back of the end zone for a two-point conversion.

The Mountaineers went on to win the game in overtime by a score of 24–21.

Smith finished the game completing 32 of 45 passes for 316 yards and a touchdown to go along with 14 carries for 13 yards.

After two games, Smith led the Big East Conference in passing yards and passing efficiency.

In a 31–17 victory over Maryland, Smith completed 19 of 29 pass attempts for 268 yards and four touchdowns.

Two of his touchdowns were to Tavon Austin, and the other two were to Stedman Bailey.

Smith won his first Big East Offensive Player of the Week for this performance.

In West Virginia's first meeting ever with LSU, the Mountaineers lost at Tiger Stadium by a score of 20–14.

Smith completed 14 of 29 pass attempts for 119 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception to go along with five carries for 10 yards.

He played college football for the West Virginia Mountaineers, leading them to multiple bowl games, breaking numerous passing records, and garnering multiple awards before being selected by the New York Jets in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft.

After two inconsistent seasons as the Jets' starting quarterback, Smith eventually lost his starting position due to injuries in his final two years with the team.

Smith then spent time as a backup for the New York Giants and Los Angeles Chargers before unexpectedly making a career resurgence as the Seahawks' starting quarterback in 2022, earning his first Pro Bowl selection, having his first winning record and playoff berth as a starter, leading the league in completion percentage, and ultimately winning the Comeback Player of the Year award.