About Me

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Akili Smith is a former American and Canadian Football Quarterback. He emerged from Abraham Lincoln High School, in San Diego as a standout multi-sport All American rated as the 3rd High School QB in the nation.  He was drafted in Minor League Baseball by the Pittsburgh Pirates out of high school, before returning home to San Diego to pursue his primary passion football.

Akili attended Grossmont Community College were his stellar performance at not only earned him a scholarship to the University of Oregon but years later an induction to the California Community College Hall of Fame. At Oregon University, his performance with his rocket-like arm has been summed up in the 2009 book “What it Means to be a Duck: Mike Belotti and Oregon’s Greatest Players” by Rob Mosley as, “ the best Offense in Oregon history....the 1998 unit quarterbacked by Akili Smith.”

 In 1998 while at the University of Oregon, Akili threw for a 3,763 yards (a record held until 2014 when broken by Heisman Winner Marcus Mariota). His performance at of Oregon earned him Second Team All-America Honors, Pac-10 Co-Offensive Player of the Year, and a Heisman candidate. The outcome of his tenure at the University of Oregon was his selection in the first round (3rd overall pick ) of the 1999 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. Akili was with the Bengals for 3 years before moving on to the Green Bay Packers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Frankfort Galaxy (NFL Europe), and Calgary Stampeders (CFL).

After retiring as a professional athlete, Akili’s passion for football led him towards coaching. He's coached at the junior college level and spent a season with his  former Quarterback Coach Jeff Tedford at the University of California, Berkley before he found his is niche in high school football. He currently trains Elite Quarterbacks of all ages throughout San Diego and the Inland Valley.  

Akili’s experience at all levels of football has empowered him with a lifetime’s worth of wisdom through experiences both high and low. These experiences have given him the passion to share with young aspiring youth and athletes.