Comments (0) Best College Athlete - 2003
Brad Smith
University of Missouri
Tapping Mizzou's sophomore phenom Brad Smith for this category is a big no-brainer. The Youngstown, Ohio, native is the finest player to grace Faurot Field since Kellen Frickin' Winslow -- a bona fide Heisman Trophy candidate (just ask the folks at ESPN The Magazine and Sports Illustrated) who has his Tigers positioned squarely in the once-unthinkable stratosphere known as the Top 25 bubble. As a freshman Smith became only the second quarterback in NCAA Division I-A history to pass for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in the same season. (And that was with an injured thumb that hampered him in the second half.) Notably, he didn't get flagged for a single delay-of-game penalty all season: This kid has brains to match his skills; he's the prototypical NFL quarterback.
