It’s time for our annual season top 10! Each summer, the staff votes on its top 10 players ahead of the upcoming season. A first place vote is worth 10 points, second place is worth nine points, and so on.
How He Got Here
Smith came to Penn State as the crown jewel in the 2019 recruiting recruiting class. He was rated by 247Sports as the top linebacker in the country and the 12th-ranked overall recruit.
Unsurprisingly, he saw the field early and often for the Nittany Lions. Smith played in all 13 games as a true freshman, flashing at times but struggling a bit to find consistency.