Background and career
Telvin Trishaun Smith Sr. (born April 11, 1991) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles and was selected by the Jaguars in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL draft. Smith played his entire professional career with the Jaguars, earning second-team All-Pro honors and a Pro Bowl selection in 2017. He retired after the 2018 season.
Smith attended Lowndes High School in Valdosta, Georgia, where he played football and ran track. In football, he registered 84 tackles and two interceptions as a senior for the Vikings. As a junior, he recorded 97 tackles, including 16 for loss and two interceptions, helping his team win the state AAAAA championship. In track & field, Smith competed in sprints and relays for the Vikings in 2009. At the Region 1AAAAA Meet, he placed 5th in the 400-meter dash event, recording a personal-best time of 51.00 seconds, and ran a leg on the Lowndes 4 × 100 m (42.50 seconds) and 4 × 400 m (3:25.05 minutes) relay squads. Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, he was rated as the 18th best outside linebacker prospect in the nation.
Smith attended Florida State University from 2010 to 2013. As a true freshman in 2010, he played in all 14 games, recording 18 tackles and 1.5 sacks. As a sophomore, he played in 12 games with one start. He had 42 tackles with three sacks and one interception. As a junior in 2012, he played in all 14 games, recording 64 tackles and one sack. After three years as a backup, he took over as a starter in 2013. He led the Seminole's defense with 75 tackles, 9.5 tackles for losses, and three interceptions, two that he returned for touchdown. He was named first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
On January 21, 2014, it was announced that Smith would play in the 2014 Senior Bowl as part of Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley's South team. On January 25, 2014, Smith made five combined tackles and had a tackle for a loss with South teammate Deandre Coleman as the South defeated the North 20–10. Smith went on to attend the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana and was one of 35 collegiate linebackers performing. He performed the majority of combine drills, but opted to skip the bench press, short shuttle, and three-cone drill. Smith finished second among all participating linebackers in the 40-yard dash and tied for 12th in the broad jump. On March 18, 2014, he attended Florida State's pro day and performed the short shuttle, three-cone drill, and positional drills for scouts and team representatives from all 32 NFL teams, including head coaches Mike Tomlin (Pittsburgh Steelers), Chip Kelly (Philadelphia Eagles), Jim Caldwell (Detroit Lions), and Mike Zimmer (Minnesota Vikings).
The Jaguars selected Smith in the fifth round (144th overall) of the 2014 NFL draft. He was the 17th linebacker selected in 2014. On May 27, 2014, the Jaguars signed Smith to a four-year, $2.43 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $211,052. Throughout training camp, Smith competed against Geno Hayes, LaRoy Reynolds, and Dekoda Watson for a job as one of the starting outside linebackers. He became the frontrunner for the starting weakside linebacker job after Watson started camp on the physically unable to perform list (PUP) due to a sports hernia injury. Bradley named Smith the backup outside linebacker behind starters Hayes and Reynolds to start the regular season.
He made his professional regular season debut in the Jaguars' season-opener at the Philadelphia Eagles and recorded three combined tackles during a 34–17 loss. The following week, Smith recorded five combined tackles and made his first career sack on quarterback Kirk Cousins as the Jaguars were routed at the Washington Redskins 41–10. On October 19, 2014, Smith collected four combined tackles, broke up two passes, and returned his first career interception off Brian Hoyer for 15-yards in a 24–6 victory against the Cleveland Browns. As a result, he earned his first American Football Conference (AFC) Defensive Player of the Week honors. The following week, Smith earned his first career start and collected five combined tackles and a pass deflection during a 27–13 loss to the Miami Dolphins in Week 8. In Week 12, Smith recorded 13 combined tackles during the Jaguars' 23–3 loss at the Indianapolis Colts. It marked Smith's first career game with double digit tackles on defense. On December 28, 2014, he made a season-high 16 combined tackles during a 23–17 loss at the Houston Texans. He finished his rookie season in 2014 with a total of 104 combined tackles (72 solo), four pass deflections, two sacks, a forced fumble, and an interception in 16 games and nine starts. He played 705 defensive snaps on defense, ranking second among Jaguars' linebackers behind only J. T. Thomas (714 snaps).
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
