2022 Football Roster
Roster
Smith, Donovan

Jersey Number 7
Donovan Smith
- Position:
- Quarterback
- Height:
- 6-5
- Weight:
- 230
- Class:
- Sophomore
- Hometown:
- Las Vegas, Nev.
- High School:
- Frenship
Bio
2022 SEASON (SOPHOMORE)
Led the Red Raiders in passing yards during his final season as a Red Raider … appeared in 12 games overall with four starts at quarterback, missing only the TaxAct Texas Bowl … threw for 1,505 yards and 12 touchdowns on 146-of-221 passing … his 66.1 completion percentage led the quarterback room … also led the team for completions, passing attempts, passing touchdowns as well as total offense (1,621) and was tied for second for total points (48) … shared the team high for points with Tahj Brooks and SaRodorick Thompson among non-kickers … bulk of yardage came over the first five games of the season where he saw significant action at quarterback … threw for 300 yards in three of those contests, including a pair of victories over Houston and Texas … also utilized as a running option in the red zone and on occasion as a wide receiver … rushed 76 times for 116 yards and seven touchdowns on the year … was third on the team in rushing attempts and fifth in rushing yards … shared the team high with Thompson and Brooks for rushing touchdowns … of his 146 completions, 67 of those went for 10 yards, 18 for 20 yards, seven for 30 yards, three for 40 yards and two for at least 50 yards … in the ground game, had four rushes go for 10 yards with two of those going at least 20 yards … credited with appearing in 424 offensive snaps by Pro Football Focus, which led the quarterback room … graded out at 68.3 overall on the season according to the website … IN NCAA RANKINGS: ended the year ranked 24th in the FBS for completion percentage … IN BIG 12 RANKINGS: closed the season ranked second in the league for completion percentage, fourth in passing efficiency (133.9), fifth for points responsible for per game (10.2), sixth for yards per pass attempt (6.8) and points responsible for (122), seventh for passing yards per completion (10.3) and rushing touchdowns as well as eighth for completions per game (12.2), passing yards per game (125.4) and total offense per game (135.1) … was also tied for 10th for both total touchdowns (8) and total passing yards and 11th for passing touchdowns … his three different 300-yard games ranked tied for second in the league behind only TCU’s Max Duggan … was ninth in the league for passing completions of at least 10 yards and also 50 yards … his 79 total offensive plays versus Houston ranked tied for second among single-game performances, while his 37 completion versus Texas also ranked tied for second … SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: came off the bench in the season opener versus Murray State (9/3) to complete 14-of-16 passes for 221 yards and a career-high four touchdowns … completed 87.5 percent of his passes over roughly two quarters in one of the most-accurate performances in school history … replaced an injured Tyler Shough early in the second quarter and proceeded to start each of the next four games … hit the 300-yard mark for the second time in his career against Houston (9/10) after completing 36-of-58 passes for 350 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing 21 times for 31 yards and another score … both touchdown passes came in the first half for explosive plays as he found Nehemiah Martinez on a 43-yard strike and then Myles Price on a 54-yard touchdown over the middle … had the game-winning touchdown with a nine-yard run into the end zone to seal the victory in the second overtime period … posted career highs for total passes and for his longest rushing attempt (27 yards) in the win over the Cougars … closed non-conference play by completing 21-of-36 passes for 214 yards and a touchdown at N.C. State (9/17) … had another score on the ground, which came on a 3-yard run early in the fourth quarter … touchdown pass was a 24-yard strike to Price with 50 seconds remaining before halftime … had another memorable performance to open Big 12 play, leading the Red Raiders with 331 passing yards and two touchdowns on 37-of-55 passing in the overtime win over Texas (9/24) … found the end zone via the ground game via a four-yard rush midway through the first quarter for Texas Tech’s first touchdown of the afternoon … his 37 completions marked a career high … threw for 227 yards in the second half and overtime alone to push the Red Raiders to their first home win over Texas since 2008 … final start of the year came at Kansas State (10/1) where he completed 34-of-48 passes for a career-high 359 yards and touchdowns … had one rushing touchdown in all four of his starts thanks to a three-yard scamper late in the fourth quarter versus the Wildcats … injuries forced him into limited duty throughout rest of October with most action coming in win over West Virginia (10/22) … was 4-for-4 passing wise for 30 yards and a touchdown versus the Mountaineers … found Brady Boyd for a two-yard touchdown pass late in the West Virginia victory … had a rushing touchdown in each of his final three outings with six-yard scoring runs against both Kansas (11/12) and Oklahoma (11/26) and a one-yard dive into the end zone at Iowa State (11/19) … actually scored twice against the Sooners as Texas Tech’s creativity allowed him to haul in a 15-yard touchdown pass from Donovan Smith late in the third quarter … touchdown gave the Red Raiders a 38-31 lead with 2:46 remaining in the quarter … did not travel to the TaxAct Texas Bowl after entering the transfer portal following the completion of the regular season … AWARDS AND HONORS: was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 12 for his performance against Houston … marked the second Big 12 weekly award of his career … recognized for work in the classroom as part of the Academic All-Big 12 second team.
2021 SEASON (FRESHMAN)
Displayed his talent under center late in the season as Texas Tech’s starter for its final four games … led the Red Raiders to a 2-2 record as a starter, which included a memorable performance in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl … appeared in 11 games overall, the most by any Red Raider quarterback … completed 85-of-138 passes for 1,182 yards and seven touchdowns with only two interceptions, while also rushing 57 times for 154 yards and three scores … averaged 107.4 passing yards per game, a clip that rises to 229.8 in games he started … utilized primarily in short-yardage situations as a dual-threat option up until being named the starter late in the year … began seeing more playing time towards the start of conference play after the injury to Tyler Shough … saw a limited amount of snaps until playing the entire second half against Oklahoma … graded out at 75.9 according to Pro Football Focus, which ranked sixth overall on the offense … SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: made his Red Raider debut coming in late in Texas Tech’s victory over Florida International (9/18) that closed non-conference play … entered for only two snaps the next week at Texas (9/25) – both rushes … totaled six yards on the ground but found the end zone for the first time in his career via a 1-yard touchdown midway through the fourth quarter … carried twice for 15 yards over his three snaps at West Virginia (10/2) … completed his first career pass at Kansas (10/16), going 4-of-5 for 70 yards in the win, while also rushing six times for 37 yards and a touchdown … provided Texas Tech’s first touchdown of the second half with a strong run to the right side from five yards out, increasing its lead to 31-0 in the third quarter … called on for five carries, resulting in 15 yards against Kansas State (10/23) … remained in the game for the entire second half at Oklahoma (10/30), completing 17-of-22 attempts for 192 yards and a touchdown to go along with seven carries for 22 cards … first career touchdown pass came on a 17-yard strike to J.J. Sparkman with 44 seconds remaining in the third quarter … earned the starting role from that point on, beginning with a memorable performance to help Texas Tech secure bowl eligibility against Iowa State (11/13) … accurate versus the Cyclones, completing 25-of-32 passes for 322 yards and three touchdowns, while also rushing 14 times for 50 yards … set season highs for completions, attempts, passing yards, passing touchdowns, rushing attempts and rushing yards all in the win … became the seventh freshman in the Big 12 era to start at quarterback for the Red Raiders and fifth to do so for the first time versus a conference opponent … joined a prestigious club of freshmen starters that also included Kliff Kingsbury (1999), Seth Doege (2009), Baker Mayfield (2013), Davis Webb (2013), Patrick Mahomes II (2014) and Alan Bowman (2018) … his 322 passing yards marked the second-highest total for a freshman making his first career start, trailing only Davis Webb’s 415 passing yards against Iowa State in 2013 … became the ninth Red Raider since 1999 to throw for 300 yards in his starting debut and only the third to do so against a Big 12 foe, joining Webb and Steven Sheffield (2009 vs. Kansas State) … win improved Texas Tech to 16-2 since 1999 when its quarterback is making his first career start … recognized as the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week the following Monday after the win … limited to only 83 passing yards and negative-16 rushing yards in his next start against Oklahoma State (11/20) after completing only 9-of-28 passes … rebounded for a strong end to the regular season, hitting on 15-of-23 passes for 262 yards and a pair of touchdowns at Baylor (11/27) … two touchdown passes both came in key situations in the fourth quarter, hitting McLane Mannix for a 38-yard strike up the seam and then Travis Koontz on a screen that went 75 yards … marked his longest completion of the season, which cut Texas Tech’s deficit to 27-24 with 6:40 remaining … was named the Most Valuable Player and the Most Valuable Offensive Player after leading the Red Raiders to a dominating win in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl … put together a strong second half, finishing 15-of-28 overall for 252 yards and a touchdown, while rushing five times for 30 yards and another score … completed 8-of-12 passes for 192 yards in the second half alone en route to becoming only the second Red Raider freshman to earn a bowl MVP honor … joined Davis Webb with that honor after he was named the MVP of the 2013 Holiday Bowl … found the end zone himself from one yard out to give Texas Tech its first touchdown of the second half, increasing the lead to 20-7 with 9:03 remaining in the third quarter … touchdown pass came via a 14-yard strike that J.J. Sparkman went up to get with only two seconds remaining in the third quarter … also had key completions of 39 yards to Travis Koontz, 48 yards to Myles Price and 52 yards to Jerand Bradley in the second half … AWARDS AND HONORS: tabbed the Most Valuable Player and top offensive player of the AutoZone Liberty Bowl … named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on Nov. 15 following his performance against Iowa State … also one of the Manning Award Stars of the Week that same week.
2020 SEAS0N (FRESHMAN)
Suffered a preseason injury that kept him off the field for duration of true freshman season … did not see any game action during the year.
HIGH SCHOOL
Attended Frenship High School just outside the Lubbock city limits … played his senior season for the Tigers after transferring from Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Nevada … impressive in his one season at Frenship, throwing for 3,123 yards and 25 touchdowns while also rushing for 489 yards and 13 touchdowns … threw only eight interceptions on the year despite 328 pass attempts … completed 64.9 percent of his passes en route to earning District 2-6A Co-Offensive Player of the Year honors … shared the honor with fellow signee Loic Fouonji of Midland Lee … was also a first team All-District recipient at quarterback after leading Frenship to its first winning season since 2015 … his prowess leading the offense helped push the Tigers to their first playoff appearance since 2016 … previously was a wide receiver at Bishop Gorman, totaling 806 yards and eight touchdowns through the air on 49 catches as a junior in 2018 … part of a Bishop Gorman program that won its 10th-consecutive state title in 2018 … named to the USA Today All-USA Nevada All-State Team for his efforts as a wide receiver … was also the backup quarterback for Bishop Gorman, one of the top high school programs in the country … also competed on the basketball team and track and field program at Bishop Gorman and at Frenship … first member of Texas Tech’s 2020 class to commit to then-head coach Matt Wells and his staff shortly after their arrival in Lubbock … three-star prospect according to Rivals, ESPN and 247Sports … CHOSE TEXAS TECH OVER: Nevada, San Diego State and Utah State.
PERSONAL
Donovan Smith ... son of DeAndre and Lori Smith ... father was Texas Tech's running backs coach from 2019-21 before accepting the same position with the New York Giants in the NFL for the 2022 season ... third member of the Smith family to play football collegiately as his older brother, Ryan, was a wide receiver at Duke from 2013-16 … father was a four-year letterwinner at quarterback for Southwest Missouri State … was a university studies major at Texas Tech.
Led the Red Raiders in passing yards during his final season as a Red Raider … appeared in 12 games overall with four starts at quarterback, missing only the TaxAct Texas Bowl … threw for 1,505 yards and 12 touchdowns on 146-of-221 passing … his 66.1 completion percentage led the quarterback room … also led the team for completions, passing attempts, passing touchdowns as well as total offense (1,621) and was tied for second for total points (48) … shared the team high for points with Tahj Brooks and SaRodorick Thompson among non-kickers … bulk of yardage came over the first five games of the season where he saw significant action at quarterback … threw for 300 yards in three of those contests, including a pair of victories over Houston and Texas … also utilized as a running option in the red zone and on occasion as a wide receiver … rushed 76 times for 116 yards and seven touchdowns on the year … was third on the team in rushing attempts and fifth in rushing yards … shared the team high with Thompson and Brooks for rushing touchdowns … of his 146 completions, 67 of those went for 10 yards, 18 for 20 yards, seven for 30 yards, three for 40 yards and two for at least 50 yards … in the ground game, had four rushes go for 10 yards with two of those going at least 20 yards … credited with appearing in 424 offensive snaps by Pro Football Focus, which led the quarterback room … graded out at 68.3 overall on the season according to the website … IN NCAA RANKINGS: ended the year ranked 24th in the FBS for completion percentage … IN BIG 12 RANKINGS: closed the season ranked second in the league for completion percentage, fourth in passing efficiency (133.9), fifth for points responsible for per game (10.2), sixth for yards per pass attempt (6.8) and points responsible for (122), seventh for passing yards per completion (10.3) and rushing touchdowns as well as eighth for completions per game (12.2), passing yards per game (125.4) and total offense per game (135.1) … was also tied for 10th for both total touchdowns (8) and total passing yards and 11th for passing touchdowns … his three different 300-yard games ranked tied for second in the league behind only TCU’s Max Duggan … was ninth in the league for passing completions of at least 10 yards and also 50 yards … his 79 total offensive plays versus Houston ranked tied for second among single-game performances, while his 37 completion versus Texas also ranked tied for second … SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: came off the bench in the season opener versus Murray State (9/3) to complete 14-of-16 passes for 221 yards and a career-high four touchdowns … completed 87.5 percent of his passes over roughly two quarters in one of the most-accurate performances in school history … replaced an injured Tyler Shough early in the second quarter and proceeded to start each of the next four games … hit the 300-yard mark for the second time in his career against Houston (9/10) after completing 36-of-58 passes for 350 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing 21 times for 31 yards and another score … both touchdown passes came in the first half for explosive plays as he found Nehemiah Martinez on a 43-yard strike and then Myles Price on a 54-yard touchdown over the middle … had the game-winning touchdown with a nine-yard run into the end zone to seal the victory in the second overtime period … posted career highs for total passes and for his longest rushing attempt (27 yards) in the win over the Cougars … closed non-conference play by completing 21-of-36 passes for 214 yards and a touchdown at N.C. State (9/17) … had another score on the ground, which came on a 3-yard run early in the fourth quarter … touchdown pass was a 24-yard strike to Price with 50 seconds remaining before halftime … had another memorable performance to open Big 12 play, leading the Red Raiders with 331 passing yards and two touchdowns on 37-of-55 passing in the overtime win over Texas (9/24) … found the end zone via the ground game via a four-yard rush midway through the first quarter for Texas Tech’s first touchdown of the afternoon … his 37 completions marked a career high … threw for 227 yards in the second half and overtime alone to push the Red Raiders to their first home win over Texas since 2008 … final start of the year came at Kansas State (10/1) where he completed 34-of-48 passes for a career-high 359 yards and touchdowns … had one rushing touchdown in all four of his starts thanks to a three-yard scamper late in the fourth quarter versus the Wildcats … injuries forced him into limited duty throughout rest of October with most action coming in win over West Virginia (10/22) … was 4-for-4 passing wise for 30 yards and a touchdown versus the Mountaineers … found Brady Boyd for a two-yard touchdown pass late in the West Virginia victory … had a rushing touchdown in each of his final three outings with six-yard scoring runs against both Kansas (11/12) and Oklahoma (11/26) and a one-yard dive into the end zone at Iowa State (11/19) … actually scored twice against the Sooners as Texas Tech’s creativity allowed him to haul in a 15-yard touchdown pass from Donovan Smith late in the third quarter … touchdown gave the Red Raiders a 38-31 lead with 2:46 remaining in the quarter … did not travel to the TaxAct Texas Bowl after entering the transfer portal following the completion of the regular season … AWARDS AND HONORS: was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 12 for his performance against Houston … marked the second Big 12 weekly award of his career … recognized for work in the classroom as part of the Academic All-Big 12 second team.
2021 SEASON (FRESHMAN)
Displayed his talent under center late in the season as Texas Tech’s starter for its final four games … led the Red Raiders to a 2-2 record as a starter, which included a memorable performance in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl … appeared in 11 games overall, the most by any Red Raider quarterback … completed 85-of-138 passes for 1,182 yards and seven touchdowns with only two interceptions, while also rushing 57 times for 154 yards and three scores … averaged 107.4 passing yards per game, a clip that rises to 229.8 in games he started … utilized primarily in short-yardage situations as a dual-threat option up until being named the starter late in the year … began seeing more playing time towards the start of conference play after the injury to Tyler Shough … saw a limited amount of snaps until playing the entire second half against Oklahoma … graded out at 75.9 according to Pro Football Focus, which ranked sixth overall on the offense … SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: made his Red Raider debut coming in late in Texas Tech’s victory over Florida International (9/18) that closed non-conference play … entered for only two snaps the next week at Texas (9/25) – both rushes … totaled six yards on the ground but found the end zone for the first time in his career via a 1-yard touchdown midway through the fourth quarter … carried twice for 15 yards over his three snaps at West Virginia (10/2) … completed his first career pass at Kansas (10/16), going 4-of-5 for 70 yards in the win, while also rushing six times for 37 yards and a touchdown … provided Texas Tech’s first touchdown of the second half with a strong run to the right side from five yards out, increasing its lead to 31-0 in the third quarter … called on for five carries, resulting in 15 yards against Kansas State (10/23) … remained in the game for the entire second half at Oklahoma (10/30), completing 17-of-22 attempts for 192 yards and a touchdown to go along with seven carries for 22 cards … first career touchdown pass came on a 17-yard strike to J.J. Sparkman with 44 seconds remaining in the third quarter … earned the starting role from that point on, beginning with a memorable performance to help Texas Tech secure bowl eligibility against Iowa State (11/13) … accurate versus the Cyclones, completing 25-of-32 passes for 322 yards and three touchdowns, while also rushing 14 times for 50 yards … set season highs for completions, attempts, passing yards, passing touchdowns, rushing attempts and rushing yards all in the win … became the seventh freshman in the Big 12 era to start at quarterback for the Red Raiders and fifth to do so for the first time versus a conference opponent … joined a prestigious club of freshmen starters that also included Kliff Kingsbury (1999), Seth Doege (2009), Baker Mayfield (2013), Davis Webb (2013), Patrick Mahomes II (2014) and Alan Bowman (2018) … his 322 passing yards marked the second-highest total for a freshman making his first career start, trailing only Davis Webb’s 415 passing yards against Iowa State in 2013 … became the ninth Red Raider since 1999 to throw for 300 yards in his starting debut and only the third to do so against a Big 12 foe, joining Webb and Steven Sheffield (2009 vs. Kansas State) … win improved Texas Tech to 16-2 since 1999 when its quarterback is making his first career start … recognized as the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week the following Monday after the win … limited to only 83 passing yards and negative-16 rushing yards in his next start against Oklahoma State (11/20) after completing only 9-of-28 passes … rebounded for a strong end to the regular season, hitting on 15-of-23 passes for 262 yards and a pair of touchdowns at Baylor (11/27) … two touchdown passes both came in key situations in the fourth quarter, hitting McLane Mannix for a 38-yard strike up the seam and then Travis Koontz on a screen that went 75 yards … marked his longest completion of the season, which cut Texas Tech’s deficit to 27-24 with 6:40 remaining … was named the Most Valuable Player and the Most Valuable Offensive Player after leading the Red Raiders to a dominating win in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl … put together a strong second half, finishing 15-of-28 overall for 252 yards and a touchdown, while rushing five times for 30 yards and another score … completed 8-of-12 passes for 192 yards in the second half alone en route to becoming only the second Red Raider freshman to earn a bowl MVP honor … joined Davis Webb with that honor after he was named the MVP of the 2013 Holiday Bowl … found the end zone himself from one yard out to give Texas Tech its first touchdown of the second half, increasing the lead to 20-7 with 9:03 remaining in the third quarter … touchdown pass came via a 14-yard strike that J.J. Sparkman went up to get with only two seconds remaining in the third quarter … also had key completions of 39 yards to Travis Koontz, 48 yards to Myles Price and 52 yards to Jerand Bradley in the second half … AWARDS AND HONORS: tabbed the Most Valuable Player and top offensive player of the AutoZone Liberty Bowl … named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on Nov. 15 following his performance against Iowa State … also one of the Manning Award Stars of the Week that same week.
2020 SEAS0N (FRESHMAN)
Suffered a preseason injury that kept him off the field for duration of true freshman season … did not see any game action during the year.
HIGH SCHOOL
Attended Frenship High School just outside the Lubbock city limits … played his senior season for the Tigers after transferring from Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Nevada … impressive in his one season at Frenship, throwing for 3,123 yards and 25 touchdowns while also rushing for 489 yards and 13 touchdowns … threw only eight interceptions on the year despite 328 pass attempts … completed 64.9 percent of his passes en route to earning District 2-6A Co-Offensive Player of the Year honors … shared the honor with fellow signee Loic Fouonji of Midland Lee … was also a first team All-District recipient at quarterback after leading Frenship to its first winning season since 2015 … his prowess leading the offense helped push the Tigers to their first playoff appearance since 2016 … previously was a wide receiver at Bishop Gorman, totaling 806 yards and eight touchdowns through the air on 49 catches as a junior in 2018 … part of a Bishop Gorman program that won its 10th-consecutive state title in 2018 … named to the USA Today All-USA Nevada All-State Team for his efforts as a wide receiver … was also the backup quarterback for Bishop Gorman, one of the top high school programs in the country … also competed on the basketball team and track and field program at Bishop Gorman and at Frenship … first member of Texas Tech’s 2020 class to commit to then-head coach Matt Wells and his staff shortly after their arrival in Lubbock … three-star prospect according to Rivals, ESPN and 247Sports … CHOSE TEXAS TECH OVER: Nevada, San Diego State and Utah State.
PERSONAL
Donovan Smith ... son of DeAndre and Lori Smith ... father was Texas Tech's running backs coach from 2019-21 before accepting the same position with the New York Giants in the NFL for the 2022 season ... third member of the Smith family to play football collegiately as his older brother, Ryan, was a wide receiver at Duke from 2013-16 … father was a four-year letterwinner at quarterback for Southwest Missouri State … was a university studies major at Texas Tech.
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