The Penn State defensive line, which was a real asset to the squad going into 2025, was at its peak during the Nittany Lions’ journey to the collegiate playoff semifinals.
This added to the shockingness of Minnesota defensive end Anthony Smith’s performance against James Franklin’s club.
In a late November game against PSU in Minneapolis, Smith, a 6-6, 285-pound star in three sports at Shippensburg High School, recorded 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack for the Golden Gophers.
Despite multiple shifts in momentum, the Lions managed to hold on for a 26–25 victory.
Smith, a redshirt junior who represented Minnesota at Big Ten Media Days last week in Las Vegas, stated, “I was just having fun out there against Penn State.”
Because Penn State is the talk of the town back home, it had a slightly greater significance. It meant a lot to me to be able to perform well against Penn State.
That day, I knew the child in me was grinning.
Smith stands apart from other defenders his size due to his athleticism. After recording 11.5 tackles for loss and six sacks in 2024, he could be among the Big Ten’s top defensive linemen this season.
Smith, who played tight end, defensive end, and goal-line fullback in his last prep season at Shippensburg, was named PennLive’s Boys Athlete of the Year.
Smith claimed that several prestigious football colleges, such as Ole Miss, Pittsburgh, and Penn State, were interested in him. But after his first and only formal visit, Smith felt that P.J. Fleck’s Gophers were the best fit.
Smith claimed that coach Fleck questioned him more about why he decided to leave Pennsylvania to play football.
I knew the place would be my permanent home as soon as I was leaving (after visiting).
I simply knew that coach Fleck and I would have a wonderful relationship over the ensuing years; it wasn’t that I got away. It is true.
This youngster is quite charismatic. In Las Vegas last week, Fleck mentioned Smith.
When you approach him, even when you’re feeling down, you’ll leave smiling.
“I think he’s really changed from being a high school basketball recruit who broke a lot of high school basketball rims to becoming a really tough, dynamic football player,” Fleck continued.
Smith still has a strong passion for basketball. At Shippensburg, he scored 1,000 points.
After two powerful dunks that seriously damaged the backboards, he had a pair of rims at home.
“One is from an AAU basketball game, and the other is from a summer league game,” Smith grinned.
During a summer league game, I ran up, grabbed a rebound on a fastbreak, and took it all the way with two hands. The rim kind of fell into my hands as I dunk it.
It was off of a put-back dunk the other time. used one hand to toss it down.
