8. Mitch Smothers - Arkansas

Mitch Smothers - 65   Arkansas    6-3 315


2015: Named SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week (Nov.2). Named to the Rimington Award Watch List, given annually to the most outstanding center in college football. Played in 13 games.
2014: Appeared and started in all 13 contests at center. Saw action in more than 600 snaps and finished the season with a 72 percent offensive line grade while only being penalized twice. Blocked for RBs Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams, who were the only FBS teammates to each rush for 1,000-plus yards in the 2014 season. Helped protect QB Brandon Allen as the offensive line led the SEC with 14 sacks allowed. At No. 6 Auburn (Aug. 30): Opened the season with five knockdowns and didn’t allow a sack. At Texas Tech (Sept. 16): Tallied a season-high six knockdown blocks, paving the way for Arkansas to post over 400 rushing yards in the road win. Vs. No. 20 LSU (Nov. 15): Posted three knockdowns while not allowing a sack and grading out at 79 percent.
2013: Saw action in five games and was a starter for the first four games. Blocked as Alex Collins became the second freshman in school history and 10th true freshman in SEC history to rush for 1,000 yards. The offensive line also allowed the Razorbacks to produce eight individual 100-yard rushing performances and rush for more than 200 yards as a team nine times. Collins and Jonathan Williams became the second Razorback duo to each reach at least 900 rushing yards in one season, joining Darren McFadden and Felix Jones from 2006 and 2007. The offensive line also broke the single-season school record by only allowing 8.0 sacks. Arkansas led the SEC and tied for second in the NCAA with an average of 0.67 sacks allowed per game. The Razorbacks’ average of one sack allowed for every 37.63 pass attempts was the best in the conference and seventh in the nation. Arkansas also ranked fourth in the SEC and 23rd in the NCAA in rushing offense with an average of 208.7 yards per game on the ground.
2012: Worked with the UA scout team while redshirting.
2011: Saw action in seven games and started the first four games of the season. With his start in the season-opening 51-7 win vs. Missouri State, he became the first true freshman in school history to start a season opener on the offensive line and was one of just four true freshman offensive line starters on a BCS automatic-qualifying team in the season’s first week. Part of an offensive line that allowed the offense to break 16 game or season school records and produce a 3,000-yard passer for the third straight season. Arkansas led the SEC in total offense, passing offense and scoring offense to become just the fifth different school, and first since 2001, to lead the conference in all three categories in a single season and became the sixth team in conference history, and second since 1992, to lead the SEC in passing offense for three straight seasons. The Razorbacks ranked 13th in the country with their average of 300.7 passing yards per game, 15th in the nation with an average of 36.8 points per game and 29th in the NCAA with an average of 438.1 yards of total offense per game. Quarterback Tyler Wilson broke nine UA records and led the SEC in passing and total offense while becoming the first Razorback to be a first-team All-SEC selection at quarterback. Wide receiver Jarius Wright also earned first-team All-SEC honors after he broke seven school records and led the conference in receiving yards per game with an average of 93.1 to rank 18th in the country and in receiving touchdowns with 12, a total that tied for seventh in the NCAA. The Razorback offense posted the second-best single-season total in school history for completions (299), passing yards (3,909), passing yards per game (300.7), first downs (279) and passing first downs (166) while totaling the third-highest total offense yardage total (5,695) and third-best total offense per play average (6.45).
High School: Recognized on ESPNU’s Top 150 class of 2011 list and was part of three Arkansas Class 7A playoff teams at Springdale High School. Rated as the fourth-best prospect in the state of Arkansas and as the No. 17 offensive guard in the country by Rivals.com. Ranked No. 29 in the 2011 class of offensive tackles by Scout.com. Selected to Under Armour’s All-America team and appeared in the Under Armour All-American Game held in Tampa, Fla., following his senior year under Shane Patrick. Was a first-team Class 7A West All-State pick by the AHSAA and a first-team all-state selection by ArkansasVarsity.com. Recruited by Auburn, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Missouri, Oklahoma State, South Carolina and UCLA.
Personal: Born Oct. 20, 1992, and is the son of Kirk Smothers and Lori Cornella. Majoring in food, human nutrition and hospitality.