CHARLOTTE, N.C. — North Alabama defensive back K.J. Smith (Perry, Ga.) has been voted the 2020-21 Big South Conference Male Scholar-Athletes of the Year, it was announced today by the league office. The Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year is voted on by the Big South Sports Information Directors from a pool of each sport's Scholar-Athlete winner announced during the regular-season.
Smith is just the second back-to-back winner of the Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year award since its inception in 1995-96.
Voted a CoSIDA First-Team Academic All-American for the second consecutive year in the 2021 spring season, Smith was a national finalist for the STATS FCS Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete of the Year award in 2020.
He has been honored as the Big South Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year each of the past two seasons, and maintained a perfect 4.0 cumulative GPA while earning a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with an emphasis on Health. Now a graduate student at UNA working toward a Master of Science in Health and Human Performance degree, with a concentration in Exercise Science, Smith also has a perfect 4.0 GPA on the graduate level.
A three-year starter at UNA, Smith finished fourth on the squad in tackles in the COVID-shortened 2020 Fall season that included three FBS opponents. He recorded 20 tackles, one tackle for loss, one interception and two pass break-ups. He has 88 career tackles with six interceptions for 102 yards, 15 pass break-ups and one forced fumble.
In the voting, Smith finished with 46 points (six first-place votes), ahead of UNC Asheville soccer player Taylor Durall (32 points, one first-place vote) and UNC Asheville tennis player Charlie Morkel (27 points, two first-place votes).