A highly-touted running back prospect out of small-town Elliottsburg, Pennsylvania, MUSA SMITH decided to take his talents in 2000 more than 650 miles south to the University of Georgia. Along with receiver Reggie Brown (Carrollton, Ga.) and fellow running back Albert Hollis (Sacramento, Calif.), Smith was considered the cream of the crop of what would be head coach Jim Donnan’s final recruiting class. He was utilized early on, rushing for nearly 900 combined yards as a freshman and sophomore despite dealing with nagging injuries while competing for carries with teammates Verron Haynes and Jasper Sanks. However, Smith was the primary back in the Bulldogs’ stable in 2002. In a season when Georgia captured an SEC championship and finished ranked third in the national polls, he rushed for 1,324 yards and eight touchdowns, including 145 yards in an MVP performance in the Sugar Bowl against Florida State. For his 31-game career, whereby he made only 17 starts, Smith rushed for 2,202 yards and 19 touchdowns.

An early entrant into the 2003 NFL Draft, Smith was chosen by Baltimore in the third round. Despite enduring more injuries, he played five seasons with the Ravens until 2008, when he spent training camp with the New York Jets. I caught up with Musa Smith this week to discuss his time at Georgia, and what he has been doing since his football career ended eight years ago:

PG: Coming out of a rather small school like West Perry High, where you remain the only student from that high school to eventually play in the NFL, I guess you got a ton of attention as a highly-touted prospect?

MS: Well, first off, football is big up in Pennsylvania, but not like it is down here in the South. But, what attention I did receive, like a lot of athletes, I just tried to stay humble, stay focused. Coming out of high school, my two main goals were to 1) graduate from college; and 2) live out a childhood dream of mine and play in the NFL.

PG: So, of all the schools that recruited you, why did you decide on Georgia?

MS: I first came to UGA on an unofficial visit and, like I’ve always said, the thing that stood out to me the most was the Southern hospitality. From the Georgia players to the people of Athens, I just felt this vibe: it felt like home and something I definitely wanted to experience. When I was around some of the players, I was so impressed how they came up to me and shook my hand. Once I left the campus, I had a really good feeling. That feeling never changed, so I didn’t even need to take an official visit to Georgia. Early on, I just knew I wanted to go there.

PG: What was it like going from having the head coach who recruited you as a freshman (Jim Donnan, 2000) to suddenly a different head coach as a sophomore (Mark Richt, beginning in 2001)?

MS: Honestly, at first, I wondered if I might have to transfer. With Coach Richt coming from Florida State [as the offensive coordinator], where they really liked to air out the ball, I feared my role could be reduced as a running back. But, I eventually sat down with Coach Richt, and he put any fear I had to bed. Going from Coach Donnan was a real big change. Coach Richt essentially came in and laid down the law—how he wanted his football team to conduct itself, act, etc. It took us a while to actually buy into that. And, I think that was evident on the field. His first year, we did okay and reached the Music City Bowl (an 8-4 overall record). But, then we totally bought into Coach Richt’s style—his program—and, it took a whole year for some of us to do so. In his second year, it showed as we won 13 games and were Sugar Bowl champions.

PG: Personally, what would you say was your biggest on-field achievement while playing for the Bulldogs? What about from a “team” standpoint?

MS: To me, everything about football is related to the team. And, I think we’ve witnessed that the last few weeks with Georgia. All three phases of the game (offense-defense-special teams) weren’t clicking, and then there was last week [against Tennessee]. Although we lost the game, the guys came out and competed, and seemed to have a different type of focus than before, which resulted in the three phases of the game, for the most part, clicking. So, for me, my junior year in 2002 was my biggest achievement. That was a real special team, which played well in all three phases of the game, resulting in us capping the season off with an SEC championship and a Sugar Bowl win.

PG: Why did you decide to come out early for the NFL?

MS: Even after the Sugar Bowl, I wasn’t sure whether I’d go pro early or not. Like it’s done today, paperwork could be submitted to get a report on where you roughly would get drafted based on who was eligible for the draft. I submitted my paperwork, and got back my report indicating I’d be a first round pick. So, there was that. Plus, all five of our starting offensive linemen were seniors in 2002, and wouldn’t be returning. And, I had a lingering groin injury for two years at Georgia. Finally, I saw [Miami’s] Willis McGahee blow out his knee [against Ohio State] in the national championship game (McGahee, who was considered “a cinch top-five pick,” plummeted to a projected late third-round selection after the injury occurred.). So, because of all those factors with McGahee’s injury being the final straw, I thought, you know what, it’s time. If I can cash in now, and live out my childhood dream, then I’m going to do so.

PG: Please describe your time in the NFL.

MS: Like I said, it was a childhood dream of mine. It was a blessing, and something I’ll never forget, especially my first game: running out onto the field, there are M-16s flying by, sound effects, and pyrotechnics going off. Right then, you can say, you made it to the league—an unbelievable feeling. In my second season, I broke my leg when I was horse-collar tackled from behind, which led to the NFL banning the horse-collar tackle. I came back stronger than before, but then I had to get my C3 and C4 [vertebrae] fused together. After five seasons with the Ravens, I was released and signed by the New York Jets, but then released by them in 2008. I was just 26 years old and supposed to be in my prime, but I was basically done. In front of coaches, myself, I think I gave glimpses of my full potential, but I feel like I never reached my full potential. But, hey, it just wasn’t in my deck of cards.

PG: What have you been doing professionally since 2008?

MS: I worked in sports marketing until 2011. Then, I moved back down to Georgia and began working for The Impact Partnership, where I have been ever since.

PG: What does The Impact Partnership do?

MS: We handle the marketing in the insurance and annuity space for independent financial advisors, who write their business through us. So, if they need certain products for their clients, we help them grow their business by marketing their practice, building their brand—you name it.

PG: You mentioned earlier your two main goals coming out of high school. Have you obtained your undergraduate degree?

MS: No, I haven’t. I thought about it, and I did take some classes in Athens after my rookie year [in the NFL]. I very well might look into pursuing my degree again. But, right now, I’m in the insurance industry, and that’s the career path I’m currently on.

PG: You also mentioned moving back to Georgia. Where are you located and do you have a family?

MS: I’m near Kennesaw State University. I’ve been happily married for 12 years to Lacey Gardner Smith, who played softball at Georgia (Lacey, a native of Watkinsville, Ga., was a standout pitcher at UGA from 2002-2003). We have three daughters, ages eight, seven, and four.

PG: Since leaving UGA, have you had any association with the UGA football program?

MS: When Coach Richt was here, I was involved with the Paul Oliver Foundation. That’s in transition, but hopefully it’ll pick back up. I come back for G-Day and all of its surrounding events. I really want to get more tied into the program, and am always open to being involved because there are former players and guys who have foundations, and are trying to do some really good things.

PG: Finally, you mentioned it taking all of Coach Donnan’s players an entire year to “buy in” to what Coach Richt was doing. Do you think those circumstances are relevant to today at Georgia—what players are experiencing going from Richt to Coach Smart?

MS: Definitely so, and I think you see that all around in college football. Going from one head coach to another, it’s still football, but it takes a while for a whole new system to develop—and that’s from the leadership on down. Personally, entering this season, I thought the Dawgs were probably going to have a rebuilding year, and how the season has progressed so far is how I expected it to go. Usually, achieving greatness isn’t just going to appear overnight. And, to get there, everybody has to buy in—players, coaches, everybody.