Brandon Smith was a highly regarded recruit coming out of high school (rated as a 5-star player by 247 Sports, and No. 12 overall), and the current junior spent no time earning his way onto the field when he came on campus.
One of Penn State’s freshmen to see the field in 2019, Brandon Smith appeared in all 13 games that season. He recorded tackles against Idaho, Buffalo, Maryland, Purdue, Indiana, and Ohio State. He also had a quarterback hurry against Michigan State.
In 2020, Smith saw his role with the defense grow, as he started all nine games of the season.