Anthony Smith has been named a nominee for the 2026 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, which honors college football players for community service, leadership and academics off the field.
The award, established in 1992 and sponsored by Allstate since 2008, drew 175 nominees this year: 113 from the FBS ranks, 49 from FCS and the smaller divisions, and 13 head coaches. A panel of former Good Works Team members, current and former head coaches and journalists will whittle that list down to a 22-player team plus an honorary head coach, to be announced in September. One player from that group is named team captain and receives the Allstate Wuerffel Trophy.
Smith's résumé off the field reads like a full-time commitment on top of football. He's taken part in the team's annual turkey drive and kids camp, helped Girl Scouts sell cookies, visited Annunciation Catholic School in the wake of a tragedy there, and once made a four-hour round trip to Austin, Minnesota to visit a classroom of kids who'd written him persuasive letters.
On the field, Smith's a big reason Minnesota's defensive line has been the strength of the roster. The redshirt junior defensive end out of Shippensburg, Pennsylvania started all 13 games last season, piling up 38 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss and a Big Ten-leading 12.5 sacks to go with three pass breakups. That production earned him First Team All-Big Ten honors and preseason All-American buzz heading into 2026.