By Staff
Scot Beard
GREENVILLE, Tenn. – The Tusculum College football team is having one of its best seasons in school history and part of that success is due to former Russellville player Jarrell NeSmith.
NeSmith, who earned All-South Atlantic Conference First-Team honors this year, has started all 12 games the Pioneers have played.
During the regular season, NeSmith – a junior – helped lead the Pioneers to an 8-3 record overall and a share of the SAC title with a 5-2 record in conference play. He was second in the league with 5.55 receptions per game.
During his 12 starts, the tight end has caught 64 passes for 609 yards and seven touchdowns.
Tusculum played its first Division II playoff game last week, defeating Albany State 34-22 to advance to the second round. The Pioneers will travel to Delta State this week.
Winning in the playoffs is nothing new to NeSmith – he was a member of the Golden Tigers when they played in the state championship game three consecutive years from 2002-04.
As a senior at Russellville, NeSmith recorded 37 catches for 737 yards and seven touchdowns. His junior year he pulled down 47 passes for 841 yards and seven scores.
If the Pioneers can upset Delta State this week and the University of North Alabama defeats Valdosta State, NeSmith will return to Alabama next week for a national quarterfinal game against the Lions.
While NeSmith has found success on the field, he has also been successful in the classroom.
NeSmith, a pre-med major, has a 3.83 grade-point-average and was named the SAC Scholar Athlete for football. He won the same award last year.
During the 2006-07 school year NeSmith won the Duffield Award, which is given to the player who has the highest grade-point-average among all Tusculum student athletes.
He is also a member of the South Atlantic Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll and the Tusculum Athletic Director's Honor Roll. He was also named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV team for the second-consecutive year.
NeSmith is also active in the Greenville community, volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, Adopt-a-Highway and the Drug Awareness program at Holston Homes for Children.