A big season is waiting for Anthony Smith, and the Big Ten’s reporters are already treating it that way.
The Gophers defensive end was voted the conference’s preseason defensive player of the year in the 16th annual Cleveland.com poll released Monday. Smith, a redshirt senior from Shippensburg, Pa., finished just ahead of a cluster of Oregon defenders in a tight race for the honor.
Smith collected 26 total votes and two first-place selections. Oregon cornerback Brandon Finney Jr. was right behind him with 25 votes and six first-place votes.
Safety Koi Perich, who transferred from Minnesota after last season, received 22 votes and four first-place votes, while Ducks defensive end Teitum Tuioti had 20 votes and six first-place votes. Oregon defensive tackle A’Mauri Washington also finished with 20 votes and five first-place votes.
Smith earned the recognition after a dominant 2024 season. He led the Big Ten with 12 1/2 sacks and ranked second in the league with 17 1/5 tackles for lost yards. He also finished with 38 total tackles across all 13 games.
At 6-foot-6 and 285 pounds, Smith is often viewed as a power-based pass rusher, but he pushed back on that label during the U’s internal media day on July 22.
“I’m an all-around rusher,” Smith said during the U’s internal media day on July 22. “They say speed rusher, power rusher.
I just think I’m a pass rusher; that’s the only thing I want to be classified as. … Not a power rusher, not a speed rusher.
Be a unicorn. That’s what I want to be.”
Minnesota quarterback Drake Lindsey also picked up a vote in the preseason awards poll, earning one for offensive player of the year. Last season, as a redshirt freshman, Lindsey completed 63% of his passes, going 246 for 389 for 2,382 yards, 18 touchdowns and six interceptions in 13 games.
The offensive race was led by Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith, who received 82 votes and 21 first-place votes. Oregon quarterback Dante Moore came in second with 62 votes and eight first-place votes, while Ohio State quarterback Julian Saying was third with 25 votes and two first-place votes.
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