Smith, LeFors Share Common Bond

Five years ago, then-Louisville coach John L. Smith offered a scholarship to a short, scrawny, lightly-recruited quarterback from Louisiana.

Three years ago, Smith told a tall, gangly, lightly-recruited quarterback from Seattle to look elsewhere.

Two years ago, Smith bolted for Michigan State.

But thanks to those two quarterbacks, his legacy is still being felt in Louisville, 1,500 miles to the west in Utah and all across the college football universe.

The quarterbacks -- Louisville's Stefan LeFors and Utah's Alex Smith -- are spearheading the attacks of the two best non-BCS teams in college football. They're putting up huge numbers, they're gaining national reputations, being mentioned in Heisman Trophy conversations, and they're showing that it doesn't matter if you're skinny and lightly-recruited as long as you're in the right situation.

For that, they can thank John L. Smith.

It was Smith who gave LeFors a scholarship based mostly on a homemade highlight reel that LeFors mailed out in hopes of finding some school willing to take a chance.

And it was Smith who told Alex -- his nephew -- that he might not be at Louisville long enough for Alex to finish his career there.

Where would they be without John. L? LeFors would probably be toiling away at Louisiana-Lafayette, the only other school that offered him a scholarship, an academic scholarship no less.

As for Alex Smith, he might be at Louisville, he might have transferred when his uncle left town, or he might have found his way to Utah. Regardless, he likely wouldn't be mentioned among the best quarterbacks in the country.

And so it goes. A coach who never really got to coach either of these two players may have had the biggest impact on their careers.

That's not to take anything away from what these two quarterbacks have accomplished. It just goes to show that in the case of LeFors, you simply need a chance, and in the case of Smith, you simply need to find the right fit.

And in the case of John L. Smith, he probably wishes he had one of these two under center in East Lansing.

LeFors made a splash on the national scene with his performance in Louisville's near-upset of Miami. In that game, he completed 17-of-22 passes and had ESPN's analysts raving.

But it's been his consistency and ridiculous efficiency that has garnered him even more attention. In eight games, LeFors has completed an ungodly 74 percent of his passes and his quarterback rating stands at 184.1, best in the nation. While the sheer yardage totals aren't there thanks to Louisville's balanced attack, LeFors' efficiency numbers have forced the pundits to take notice.

On top of that, LeFors brings something intangible to the Cardinals' attack. He doesn't play every series of every game. Freshman Brian Brohm, a hometown hero and last year's USA Today High School Offensive Player of the Year, is LeFors' backup and sees time in every game. But when LeFors is in, there's a clear difference in how the Cardinals play. Whether it's his quick feet that help him steer clear of the rush, his uncanny knack for finding the open receiver, or just his heart and his toughness, the Cards are a juggernaut with him under center.

The same could be said of Alex Smith. He ranks right behind LeFors with a 179.3 quarterback rating. He's completed 66 percent of his passes for 2,440 yards. And he has Utah in line to be the first non-BCS team to make a BCS bowl game. In the latest BCS rankings, the Utes moved up to sixth, the spot they need to be in for a guaranteed BCS berth.

The numbers from both are hard to ignore, and they're making college football fans all over the country aware of the fact that there are stars outside the BCS solar system.

Some skeptics might say that LeFors and Smith are simply products of great systems. Utah's Urban Meyer and Louisville's Bobby Petrino are card-carrying offensive geniuses and two of the hottest names in coaching.

Undoubtedly the system has something to do with the success. But don't read into it too much -- LeFors and Smith are unquestionably talented.

And you can't forget that those coaches might take a back seat to the man who got LeFors and Smith in these positions to begin with.

Maybe John L. will get Christmas cards and notes of thanks from LeFors and Alex Smith. But he'll have to forgive them if the cards are a little late. Those two will still have bowl games to play.