Hokie Club2025 at South Carolina: Started all 11 games in which he appeared, missing only the Missouri game due to injury … matched Justin Okoronkwo for the team lead in tackles with 64 … had a pair of tackles for loss, one interception and one pass breakup … had at least six tackles in eight of 11 games … posted a season-high eight tackles against LSU and matched that with eight at Ole Miss … lone interception came at LSU off Garrett Nussmeier … served as a game captain against Virginia Tech, Vanderbilt and Coastal Carolina … shared the South Carolina Spirit Award for the defense in the spring with Nick Barrett … invited to play in the Hula Bowl following the season.
2024 at South Carolina: Third-year safety… started all 12 games in which he appeared … credited with 37 tackles … registered one interception, one forced fumble and three pass breakups … best game came at Alabama where he logged 10 tackles … also had six stops and a forced fumble against Ole Miss … picked off a pass in the Akron contest, the fourth of his career … named the Rex Enright Defensive Player of the Spring and the Jim Carlen Special Teams Player of the Spring.
2023 at South Carolina: Played in all 12 games starting 11 at safety and nickel … placed third on the squad with 73 tackles, ranking 23rd in the SEC … credited with 1.5 tackles for loss, a half-sack, one interception, two breakups, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery … posted two double-digit tackling performances, recording 11 stops in the season opener against North Carolina and a career-high 12 tackles against Tennessee … also forced a fumble and intercepted a pass against the Volunteers … scooped up his first career fumble recovery in the win over Kentucky … shared the Jim Carlen Special Teams Player of the Spring award with Juju McDowell.
2022 at South Carolina: True freshman defensive back who saw action in all 13 games making 11 starts … started each of the final 11 games, the first eight at Nickel and the final three at safety … earned a spot on the CFN Freshman All-American Third-Team … ranked fourth on the squad with 54 tackles including 40 solo stops … credited with a sack, one tackle for loss, two interceptions, five pass breakups, two quarterback hurries and a forced fumble … scored two touchdowns … accounted for one of the two special teams touchdowns against Georgia State, returning a blocked punt 26 yards for the score … notched his first career interception in the win over Charlotte … picked up his first collegiate sack and recorded his first career forced fumble in the win over Vanderbilt … led the team with a career-high nine tackles in the win over Tennessee … returned an interception 47 yards to paydirt in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl versus Notre Dame.
High School: Graduated from Spring Valley High School in Columbia, S.C. in 2022 … played quarterback for the Vikings … coached by Robin Bacon … played defensive back before concentrating on quarterback later in his prep career … as a senior in 2021, threw for just over 1,600 yards and 14 touchdowns, and rushed for more than 500 and 14 TDs … also ran track.
Personal: DeQuandre Jawuan Smith was born Feb. 24, 2004 ... graduated from South Carolina with a degree in services management in December 2025.