Fansided

Whatever happened to these 30 forgotten college football superstars?

By Dante Pryor

Peter Warrick #9 of the Florida State Seminoles: (Jed Jacobsohn /Allsport)
Peter Warrick #9 of the Florida State Seminoles: (Jed Jacobsohn /Allsport) /
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25 Oct 1997: Quarterback Akili Smith of the Oregon Ducks tries to avoid linebacker Sultan Abdul-Malik of the USC Trojans during a game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. The Trojans won the game 24-22.
25 Oct 1997: Quarterback Akili Smith of the Oregon Ducks tries to avoid linebacker Sultan Abdul-Malik of the USC Trojans during a game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. The Trojans won the game 24-22. /

20. Akili Smith, quarterback, Oregon Ducks

Some in football think that the Bengals should not have drafted Kabisa Akili Maradufu Smith with the third overall pick in1999. Not that Smith could not play; the New Orleans Saints offered a king’s ransom for the pick.

Head coach Mike Ditka and the Saints organization made no secret they wanted to draft Ricky Williams and were willing to mortgage as much draft capital as it took to land the Heisman Trophy winner from Texas.

The Saints offered the Bengals their 1999 draft, a first-round pick in 2000, another first-rounder in 2001 and a second-round pick in 2002. In what can only be described as a very Bengals move, they refused and drafted Smith.

Instead of accepting a potentially franchise-altering draft pick, the Bengals drafted Smith, who started just 17 games and was out of football altogether in 2007.

In Cincinnati’s defense, Smith’s 1998 season at Oregon was spectacular. A former baseball player, the man whose name means “absolute” showed incredible arm strength and elite athleticism in his only season as Oregon’s full-time starting quarterback.

That season, Smith led the conference in passing yards and the nation in yards per attempt on his way to being Pac-10 offensive player of the year and a second-team All-American.

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