Russellville native makes Hall of Fame
The 2015 Tusculum College Sports Hall of Fame class has been announced, and three new members will be inducted later this fall, including Russellville High School alumnus Dr. Jarrell NeSmith.
According to information provided by Tusculum, two-time All-American and Academic All-American® tight end NeSmith, class of 2009, becomes the first football tight end to be selected for induction to the Tusculum Sports Hall of Fame and is one of the most decorated student-athletes for his accomplishments on the field and in the classroom in the college’s history.
On the field, NeSmith was a two-time All-South Atlantic Conference first team selection, where he amassed 1,670 career receiving yards, which is the ninth-most in school history and the most ever by a TC tight end.
His 158 career receptions are eighth in the TC record books, while his 12 career touchdown catches are tied for 10th. Both are school records by a Tusculum tight end.
In 2009 he led the league in receiving yards per game, averaging 67.8 yards per contest. He posted 56 catches for 678 yards (fifth in TC history) and three touchdowns. His 5.6 catches per game average tied for 43rd in the nation. He was named to the Daktronics NCAA Division II All-Super Region 2 first team for a second straight year and was selected to the Associated Press Little All-America Team.
He was also selected to participate at the 2010 Valero Cactus Bowl, the NCAA Division II All-Star Game in Kingsville, Texas.
NeSmith was a consensus All-America choice in 2008 by Daktronics, D2football.com and Don Hansen’s Football Gazette as he posted 67 receptions for 635 yards and seven touchdowns as Pioneers finished the season with a 9-4 record to capture the program’s second SAC football title, while advancing to the NCAA II Playoffs for the first time in school history.
NeSmith is a two-time Academic All-America® selection, including 2010 where he was a first team choice.
He was named the South Atlantic Conference Scholar Athlete for Football on three occasions, becoming the first three-time recipient of the award in conference history.
NeSmith is also a two-time recipient of the SAC Presidents Award, earning the honor in 2008-2009 and again in 2009-2010. He was also a two-time Southeast Region representative for the Division II Conference Commissioner’s Scholar Athlete Award and was a national semifinalist for the 2009 American Football Coaches Association’s Good Works Team.
In 2009 he was named to the National Football Foundation Scholar Athlete Team and was one of only 16 national finalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy, one of college football’s most sought after and competitive awards, recognizing an individual as the absolute best in the country for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary community leadership. NeSmith was the only NCAA Division II player amongst the honorees that included Campbell Trophy winner Tim Tebow of Florida and fellow Heisman Trophy candidate Colt McCoy of Texas.
NeSmith graduated from Tusculum in 2009 as a pre-medicine major with a 3.87 cumulative grade point average. He was a member of the Tusculum President’s List, Dean’s List, Charles Oliver Gray List, South Atlantic Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll and the TC Athletic Director’s Honor Roll.
Following Tusculum, he moved onto medical school and graduated from Lincoln Memorial University’s DeBusk College of Medicine in 2014 with a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine. NeSmith is serving as a resident physician at the Spartanburg Regional Medical Center in Spartanburg, S.C.
He is married to Dr. Brittany Bible NeSmith, a 2010 Tusculum College graduate.
The induction ceremonies will take place Oct. 10 during the college’s homecoming festivities. The ceremony is part of the alumni breakfast, which will be held at the Chalmers Conference Center in the Niswonger Student Commons on the Greeneville campus.
The 2015 induction class will also be honored prior to the homecoming game against Wingate University.
NeSmith is the son of Sabrina Gholston of Muscle Shoals and Cecil NeSmith of Guntersville.
