When he was the Utah Utes starting quarterback, Alex Smith did special things. He went 21-1, won two straight conference titles, a BCS bowl game as part of an undefeated season, was a Heisman Trophy finalist, earned both All-American AND Academic All-American honors, and became the number one overall pick of the 2005 NFL Draft.
That is a College Football Hall of Fame resume if I've ever seen one.
On Sunday, the Helix High School alum learned he was a member of the Class of 2024. The entire class will be revealed on Monday night but Smith, along with fellow TV analyst Randy Moss, was surprised with a HOF football a day early during a live broadcast and he is extremely deserving on induction.
Smith has always been a winner. As a starter at Helix he went 25-1 and won two San Diego CIF Section championships, earning a pair of offensive player of the year awards while he was at it. In the NFL he went 99-67-1 and earned three trips to the Pro Bowl.
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He might not be the only Ute with San Diego ties to be enshrined in Atlanta. Safety Eric Weddle, who was a teammate of Smith's at Utah, is also a finalist. The full class will be revealed at noon on Monday as part of the buildup to the National Championship game between Michigan and Washington.
