Penn State LB Brandon Smith named to national Good Works Team

Penn State senior linebacker Brandon Smith has been named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, the university announced Thursday.

He is among the 11 FBS — and 22 overall honorees — that have been chosen nationally. No other player in the Big Ten was picked.

Smith is the fourth Nittany Lion to ever earn a spot on the team that highlights “incredible stories of selflessness and community service.” Wayne Holmes won the award in 1994, followed by Stefen Wisniewski (2010) and Ben Kline (2015).

Fans can vote on the captain of the Good Works Team at ESPN.com/Allstate.

So far this season, the Winfield, Pa., native has nine tackles in three games. He played an especially critical role last season after going from a third-string ’backer to becoming a starter due to other players’ injuries.

In 2016, he finished with 54 tackles and two interceptions. He was also named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week after recording 14 tackles in the win over Maryland.

This story was originally published September 22, 2017 at 12:06 AM with the headline "Penn State LB Brandon Smith named to national Good Works Team."