National Football Foundation

Described by Tusculum head coach Frankie DeBusk as "the leader of our football team that every player respects and appreciates" and the type of person he hopes his son will emulate, Jarrell NeSmith becomes the first player in Tusculum history to be honored as an NFF National Scholar-Athlete.

Honored with the 2008-09 South Atlantic Conference Presidents Award, the most prestigious accolade offered by the league, NeSmith holds one of the highest GPAs among all Tusculum athletes as a Pre-Medicine major. A 2008 Academic All-America selection, he was named a national finalist for the Division II Conference Commissioners National Scholar-Athlete of the Year award. He is also a two-time SAC Scholar-Athlete. 

Equally impressive on the field, NeSmith garned Daktronics and Football Gazette First Team All-America honors in 2008 after leading the Pioneers to a conference championship and a spot in the Division II playoffs. A First Team All-SAC tight end, he has caught 144 receptions for 1,481 yards and 10 touchdowns in his career. 

The Russellville, Ala., native is a four-year volunteer with the Lunch Buddies program at Doak Elementary School and the Boys & Girls Club youth football clinic as well as Adopt-a-Highway and a local drug awareness program. He has also participated in Habitat for Humanity and public speaking events while serving as a volunteer assistant for the Lafayette High School Summer Football Camp. 

NeSmith earned his M.D. from Lincoln Memorial University (Tenn.) in 2014 and is currently a family medicine resident at the Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System (S.C.)