Brandon Nathaniel Smith is an American football linebacker who plays for the National Football League’s Carolina Panthers (NFL).
He played collegiate football at Penn State, In Louisa, Virginia, Smith attended Louisa County High School. He was named Virginia’s Gatorade Football Player of the Year in 2018 as a senior.
He took part in the Under Armour All-America Game in 2019. Smith decided to play college football at Penn State University. Smith participated in the final season of Mark Lee Fischer’s tenure as the football team’s head coach while attending Louisa County High School.
In addition, he was ranked by 247Sports as a 5-star recruit, the top high school recruit in the state of Virginia, the top inside linebacker in the nation, and the 18th-best player overall in the country.
The Penn State standout was a three-time letter winner and two-time captain of his high school football team. Smith was allowed to take part in both Nike’s The Opening and the Under Armour All-America Game. As a senior, he was selected to the USA Today All-USA first team and the MaxPreps All-America first team. After his senior year, USA Today named him the All-USA Virginia Defensive Player of the Year.
He also received the 2018 Gatorade Player of the Year award for Virginia and made the 2018 Butkus Award finalist list for outstanding high school linebacker. Smith received a number of other high school honors, including three career selections to the all-region and all-Central Virginia teams. The teenage linebacker has mentored kids in sports programs at primary schools as a volunteer while playing for Penn State.
What Is Brandon Smith’s Salary: How Much Does Brandon Smith Make?
Smith committed to a $4.4 million, four-year deal, and will be an unrestricted free agent starting in 2026. In the 2022 season, Smith will receive a base salary of $705,000. In 2023, $985,000 will be added to the base wage, $1.1 million in 2024, and $870,000 in 2025.