Akili Smith Jr. will follow in his father’s footsteps and play quarterback at Oregon, he announced Monday.
The younger Smith is a four-star quarterback in the Class of 2025 and rated as the No. 84 overall prospect and the No. 6 quarterback in his class, per the 247Sports composite rankings.
Akili Smith Sr. was the Pac-10 offensive player of the year and a second-team All-American quarterback for Oregon in 1998, when he threw for 3,763 yards and 32 touchdowns. In two seasons with the Ducks, he gained 5,148 passing yards and tossed 45 touchdowns and 15 interceptions, adding six rushing touchdowns.
The elder Smith went on to play four seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, who drafted him third overall in 1999.
Smith Jr. had offers from several other Power Five schools: Arizona, Boston College, Cal, Colorado, Florida, Miami, Michigan, Utah and Washington.
–Field Level Media
