Arizona football's Genesis Smith up for 'Man of the Year' for off-the-field success

Seen and heard from Arizona’s Big 12 home opener against the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

Genesis Smith’s off-the-field excellence continues to get recognized.

The Arizona junior safety was named to the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award watch list. The national accolade is given to an FBS player who exemplifies leadership on and off the field.

Last month, Smith was named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, which recognizes 22 college football players and a head coach for their commitment to community service.

Smith is also a semifinalist for the Allstate Wuerffel Trophy. The Wuerffel Trophy is given annually to a college football player who exemplifies excellence in community service, academics and performance. Smith is one of 11 players from the AFCA Good Works Team eligible for the Wuerffel Trophy.

“Genesis Smith is one of the greatest human beings I’ve ever been around,” said Arizona defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales.

In the last year, Smith started his own foundation and began a holiday campaign, “Christmas Cats,” to donate gifts to families in Tucson and Phoenix during the holiday season. Smith also hosted a camp at Doolen Middle School in the spring. Campers attended the Arizona spring showcase in April and toured the UA football facilities.

Fans can vote for the recipient of the Wuerffel Trophy at ESPN.com/Allstate through Nov. 10. The winner will be announced on Dec. 12. The Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year award will be announced at a ceremony on April 16 in Frisco, Texas.

“He has servant leadership on our team, and that’s why everyone loves the young man,” Gonzales said of Smith. “I can go on for all of our time on Genesis Smith, but I won’t. I love him as a human being, as a person, as a football player, as a captain. His faith is super strong. Everything he does is elite. ... I cannot say enough positive and amazing things about Genesis Smith.”

Trip down memory lane

Former Arizona center Kyle Quinn, who now co-hosts a UA football pregame show on Wildcats Radio 1290-AM, is familiar with the Oklahoma State football program.

Quinn played against Oklahoma State three straight seasons from 2010-12 and went 1-2 against the Cowboys.

Quinn’s first-ever collegiate start was against Oklahoma State in the 2010 Alamo Bowl, when OSU thumped the Wildcats 36-10 in San Antonio. Quinn started in place of the injured longtime Colin Baxter, who opted out of the bowl game to prepare for the NFL Draft.

“Talk about a heckuva wakeup call to college football,” Quinn said on ESPN Tucson’s “Spears & Ali” this week. “That was a fun game. It went by very fast and I got to play alongside some great guys. ... The game didn’t go the way we wanted it to, but that was my welcome-to-college football moment, so I’ll never forget that moment.”

Arizona fell to ninth-ranked Oklahoma State 37-14 in Stillwater in 2011. OSU quarterback Brandon Weeden passed for 397 yards and two touchdowns — both touchdowns to former Oklahoma State star receiver Justin Blackmon, who combined for 21 catches for 245 receiving yards and four touchdowns against the Wildcats in 2010 and ‘11.

Arizona’s loss to Oklahoma State came amid a five-game losing streak, which resulted in head coach Mike Stoops getting fired after eight seasons at the helm.

In head coach Rich Rodriguez’s first season in 2012, Arizona rounded out the home-and-home series with a 59-38 win over 18th-ranked Oklahoma State in Tucson. Arizona quarterback Matt Scott had 320 passing yards and two touchdowns, and running back Ka’Deem Carey broke out for 126 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Scott’s top target was receiver Austin Hill, who had five receptions for 124 yards.

“This was a circled game for us and then we just go out there and run them off the field,” Quinn said. “I’ll never forget going out on the field in the fourth quarter and we’re ready to go uptempo and run the ball and they were heaving. They were breathing hard and had their hands on their hips. We buckled our chinstraps and said, ‘You guys got 15 more minutes of this, buckle up.’

“We ended up running them off the field. ... That was a winning locker room I’ll never forget because that was one of those wins that got us to buy into the new coaching staff. That was a picturesque moment of getting buy-in from the team for Coach Rodriguez and his system.”

‘Gronk Spike’ in Tucson

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After making a memorable appearance at the Red-Blue Showcase on Friday night, honorary captain Rob Gronkowski riled up the crowd during the pregame Bear Down Bash at Bear Down Field Saturday.

“I love where the football program is going, the direction of it right now,” the former Arizona All-American said. “We’re 3-1. But I promise you, we’re gonna be 4-1 in four more hours!”

Gronkowski’s math was slightly off, but the sentiment was appreciated nonetheless.

Someone then tossed Gronkowski a football, and he explained why he never executed a “Gronk Spike” during his UA days.

“When I was here at Arizona I always wanted to spike the ball, but it was a 15-yard penalty,” Gronkowski said. “I’m a team guy, so I never did it.”

He did it Saturday, emphatically slamming a ball onto the stage.

Morgan’s town

A surprise guest joined Gronkowski to bang the drum before kickoff.

Former UA offensive lineman Jordan Morgan returned to his hometown to root on his alma mater.

Morgan started at left guard for the Green Bay Packers last Sunday. The Packers have a bye this weekend.

Morgan, the Packers’ first-round pick in 2024, prepped at Marana High School before earning multiple all-conference honors at Arizona.

Opening the gate

Saturday’s game marked the debut of the R. Ken Coit Gate.

Coit, a UA alum, recently donated $5 million to the athletic department. To recognize his gift, Arizona renamed Gate 3 outside Arizona Stadium in his honor.

A plaque near the gate reads, in part: “This transformative gift affirms Coit’s belief in visionary leadership, competitive excellence and an enduring commitment to the Wildcat community. ... Through this gift, R. Ken Coit has created a legacy that will forever strengthen Arizona Athletics by supporting student-athletes, coaches and staff and inspiring future generations to compete with integrity and excellence.”

The real ‘Pistol Pete’

Oklahoma State has a unique mascot — “Pistol Pete.”

The Cowboy character, who traveled with the team to Tucson, has quite the backstory. Per OSU’s official website:

“The character of OSU’s mascot, Pistol Pete, originated from an actual person named Frank B. Eaton. Eaton’s life began in 1860 in Hartford, Connecticut. Eaton and his family moved to Kansas shortly after the Civil War.

“Eaton’s life would take a dramatic turn at the age of 8 when he witnessed the murder of his father by six vigilantes. From that moment on, Eaton was determined to even the score. He practiced his marksmanship until the age of 15, when he set out to search for his father’s killers. It took Eaton more than five years to track down and kill the men who had taken his father away, forever changing the course of his life.”

He said it

“Living in Tucson is a special place. The Hispanic culture that we have here, it dates back to 250 years in this city. I have a lot of Gonzales family (members) in Tucson that actually live here. It’s been a place in my life since I was a little kid. I’m super excited that I was able to grow up in that culture and celebrate my history and my family’s history.” — Gonzales, on the UA celebrating Hispanic heritage on Saturday.