Hamburg Sea Devils sign dual-threat QB Javarian Smith

| American Football | 12/22/2023

The Hamburg Sea Devils have announced the signing of former Lake Erie College (NCAA Div. II) quarterback Javarian Smith (USA) for the 2024 European League of Football season.

The Pontiac, Michigan native is coming off a phenomenal year in the German Football League, where he led the Allgäu Comets to a 9-4 record before exiting the playoffs after a hard-fought loss to a strong Braunschweig New Yorker Lions team.

In his lone season in the GFL, Smith was one of the premier players in the league, sitting top three in completions (262), passing touchdowns (44) and passing yards per game (291.2) as well as rushing for just north of 600 yards and finding the endzone nine times with his legs.

Smith also put up some of the most dominant performances in the GFL last year, recording seven touchdown games on two separate occasions. One of these was in an intense week one battle against the Saarland Hurricanes, where the Comets came out on top with a 52-48 win. The 100-point game saw the Allgäu passer complete 27 of 34 passing attempts (79.4%), racking up 413 yards, seven scores and just one turnover.

Prior to the GFL, Smith spent a year playing in the Austrian Football League with the Prague Black Panthers. He had a much quieter year with the Czech side, playing just eight games, but still put up impressive numbers. Despite playing barely over half the games, Smith ranked inside the top 10 in every passing stat, going for 1863 yards (7th) and 19 touchdowns (7th) while recording just one interception.

While at Lake Erie College, the 6’2”, 207-pound quarterback threw for 5,328 yards and 29 touchdowns with a 55.3% completion rate. In his senior year alone, he completed 221 of 381 passes (58%) for 2,830 yards and 17 touchdowns. He also rushed for 474 yards and another 11 touchdowns with the Storm.

He holds the Greater Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) all-time career completions record (432) and was a three-time All-GMAC selection. He finished as second in Lake Erie history for passing yards, touchdowns, completions and total offense.

After losing talented mobile quarterback Preston Haire early in the season and failing to find stability or starpower at the position throughout the rest of the year, Javarian Smith will look to be a reliable weapon for the Sea Devils in 2024, especially with the addition of one of the top athletes in the continent in ex-Raiders Tirol star Jarvis McClam.

A current student at Bournemouth University as well as a quarterback with eight years of playing experience. Brad's goal is to be a part of the growth of the game around the world through journalism and media.