The list of the best quarterbacks produced by Alabama high school football in the last 25 years begins with first-round NFL picks Jameis Winston, JaMarcus Russell and Philip Rivers.
It also includes, among others, Heisman finalist Pat White and national champion Tee Martin. What those five quarterbacks have in common is they all left the state to find success on the college level.
Now, meet the latest quarterback with a chance to add his name to that list. Muscle Shoals senior Logan Smothers has not received the national recruiting attention of some other top prospects, and he’s barely been on the radar for Alabama and Auburn. But the 6-foot-2, 190-pound speedster has all the tools to be a perfect fit in Scott Frost’s run-pass option offense at Nebraska.
Smothers is ranked No. 91 on the Southern 120: AL.com’s recruiting rankings for the Class of 2020. He’s No. 9 on the previously announced A-List and is one of 11 players from Alabama on the Southern 120.
Smothers played the last three seasons at Athens, the alma mater of Rivers, but returns to Muscle Shoals for his senior season. In addition to being a star on the football field, Smothers is an accomplished sprinter, so his athleticism is not in question.
As the son of a coach, his understanding of the game is also not lacking.
“He’s a great student of the game and a great student in the classroom,” Muscle Shoals coach Scott Basden said. “He can read coverages and he’s athletic enough to make plays running and throwing. He’s definitely a unique athlete.”
Smothers passed for 2,041 yards and ran for 719 more last season. On the track, he has been clocked at 10.84 seconds in the 100 meters.
That speed is what led Nebraska to Smothers. Maybe. Even Smothers isn’t sure how he attracted the attention of the Cornhuskers before the start of his junior season.
“It’s still kind of surprising to me how I got on their radar,” Smothers said. “Until I got offered by Nebraska I had really just been hearing from UAB and Southern Miss. But I went on a visit there twice before my junior year. The second time I took my parents, and I knew I wanted to commit.”
Smothers grew up in a family of Alabama fans attending games in Tuscaloosa. He has seen a similar passion in Nebraska.
“Here, there is more than one team splitting the fans, but in Nebraska you have the whole state cheering for one team,” Smothers said. “When I went to the spring game, there were kids who were asking for my autograph. I need to work on my autograph ... it’s pretty bad.”
Despite spending time in Lincoln, Smothers has never attended a game there. That will change when the Cornhuskers host Ohio State this season in a game expected to attract ESPN’s College GameDay. By then the consecutive home sellout streak will be at 372 games, a run that dates back to 1962.
“I can’t wait to be a part of that,” said Smothers, who will graduate early in order to enroll in college in January.
But first there is the matter of his senior season back where his high school career began.
As a sixth- and seventh-grader, Smothers was a Muscle Shoals ballboy while his brother Landon was the star quarterback. As an eighth-grader, he got to dress out for his first varsity game.
Now that Landon and oldest brother Luke have completed their football careers, it’s time for their little brother to show that all their abuse and roughhousing while growing up is going to pay off.
“They used to beat me up all the time, but I could take them now,” Smothers said with a laugh. “But it’s really cool to be able to be the one on the field after starting out as a ballboy.”
Smothers returned to Muscles Shoals when he father left Athens to become the Trojans’ offensive coordinator. Smothers says he couldn’t be happier to be back with his friends at Muscles Shoals.
“These guys have welcomed me with open arm,” said Smothers, whose team opens the season Thursday night against Deshler. “Our goal is to win the state championship. My attitude is I’m going to win or die trying.”
When his high school career ends, Smothers will take that attitude and his athleticism out of the state of Alabama, just like many talented quarterbacks before him.
