Rusty Smith (American football)

Russell Edgar Smith (born January 28, 1987) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida Atlantic Owls and was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL draft.

Smith was with the Titans for four years as a backup, playing in three regular season games with one start. In 2014, he had offseason stints with the New York Giants and later the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). After his playing career ended, he began a career as a high school football coach.

College career
As a sophomore at Florida Atlantic, Smith passed for 32 touchdowns and nine interceptions. In his four-year career, he started in 45 games for the Owls. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Management of Information Systems.

Tennessee Titans
Smith was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the sixth round (176th overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft. He was the first ever player from FAU to be drafted. He was signed to a four-year contract on June 17, 2010.

Smith made his NFL debut on November 21, 2010 against the Washington Redskins after starter Vince Young left the game with an injured throwing hand, completing 3-of-9 passes for 62 yards and one interception. Titans head coach Jeff Fisher later declared that Smith would become the team's starting quarterback due to Young's season-ending thumb surgery and Kerry Collins' calf injury. His first start was in a 20-0 shutout loss to the Houston Texans. Smith had 17 completions in 31 passes for 138 yards and was intercepted three times, all by CB Glover Quin.

Smith did not have one snap during the 2011 regular season.

In 2012, he stepped in for Matt Hasselbeck and went 3-of-5 for 34 yards. He was waived/injured by the Titans on August 31, 2013. He was re-signed the next day, and put on the team's practice squad.

New York Giants
On Monday April 28, 2014 the New York Giants signed Smith. Smith was released on May 12, 2014.

Calgary Stampeders
Smith signed with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL) on June 4, 2014. He was released on June 21, 2014.

Coaching career
In March 2015, Smith was announced as the new head football coach at the Grace Christian Academy in Franklin, Tennessee, having previously worked two years as the program's quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator. He parted ways with GCA in February 2022 after eight seasons, having compiled a 21-49 record over seven seasons as head coach and leading the GCA Lions to all three of the team's playoff appearances in 2017 (1A), 2020 and 2021 (both DII-A).

Missionary career
After parting ways with GCA, Smith and his family began a two year commitment in Kijabe, Kenya as part of Africa Inland Mission in 2023. He is a teacher at Rift Valley Academy, a Christian boarding school operated by AIM.

Personal life
Smith's wife, Nicole, is the former head volleyball coach and strength and conditioning coach at Grace Christian Academy. They have four sons, Rustyn, Camdyn, Koltyn and Eastyn.