After backing up 4-star Travis Burgess, Grayson QB now shining as starter
Deuce Smith said there were two moments when he felt the full weight of taking over as Grayson’s starting quarterback.
The first was when he heard that incumbent starter and four-star quarterback Travis Burgess suffered a season-ending knee injury. The second came several days later when Smith took the field in the fourth quarter with Grayson trailing Alabama powerhouse Thompson.
Smith, a junior, backed up Burgess, a North Carolina commit, last season and started once when Burgess suffered a slight shoulder injury. But this time, things were different.
The 2-0 Rams were fresh off a state championship and were hunting consecutive state titles for the first time in school history. Burgess’ health was perceived by many to be vital to Grayson’s championship hopes.
“Hearing him go down, it was sad at one point,” Smith said. “Then it was excited like, ‘Your time is now,’ then it’s nervous butterflies, like, ‘Oh, shoot, it’s a big game coming up.’
“So it wasn’t really like a certain feeling I had. It was a bunch of emotions going in my mind during that time.”
Grayson offensive coordinator Keith Barefield also felt many emotions — but nervousness wasn’t among them.
Barefield, who met Smith as an eighth grader in March 2023, knew the kind of composed leader he had. Barefield’s favorite story about Smith goes back to that March when Smith was on Grayson’s freshman team.
Barefield was trying to work at his desk with the freshman team in the room, but many of the players were talking loudly, aggravating Barefield. He made eye contact with Smith, who was sitting in the front corner of the room with his hands behind his head.
“He told the guys who were being loud in a very calm way to cool it off, and they got quiet immediately,” Barefield recalled. “That kind of took me aback. I’m like, ‘All right, this guy’s clearly the leader of this group.’
“And it got to the point where some kids would even get loud a little bit here and there after that, and they wouldn’t look at me. They would look at Deuce first to see if they were in trouble.”
That calm leadership is why Barefield immediately pulled Smith aside after Burgess broke the news about his injury. Barefield told Smith he was completely confident in his ability and reminded him he just needed to be all of himself.
“I could tell in his eyes it was a lot, but I go back to that time when I’m sitting in here, there’s chaos in the room and he just kind of tells the freshmen to calm down,” Barefield said. “He still had that look in his eye like he’s got his composure, he’s able to go out there and do it.
“It’s a big moment, but at the same time, he didn’t lose his composure, so I knew going into it we’d be all right.”
That composure was key in Smith’s first start against Thompson. He threw three interceptions in the first three quarters and Grayson entered the fourth quarter with three points.
Smith said he kept calm and was encouraged by the injured Burgess every time he came off the field.
“He was my biggest supporter in that game, hitting me on the helmet and stuff, telling me what he sees,” Smith said. “Saying you’re going to be good, you’re going to be fine, and things like that.”
Smith seemed to settle in for good halfway through the fourth quarter as Grayson trailed 10-3. The junior led the Rams on a 99-yard touchdown drive, tying the game at 10.
Thompson quickly responded with a 49-yard touchdown pass, leaving Smith a minute and 52 seconds to force overtime and preserve Grayson’s 16-game winning streak.
Smith delivered, connecting with Saif Bin-Wahad for a 27-yard touchdown pass with eight seconds left. Grayson’s talent-stacked defense sealed the 24-23 win by stopping a two-point conversion attempt in overtime.
“When Travis goes down, in my opinion, there were a lot of questions in the program and outside the community of, ‘Do we still have a real hope for a state championship without Travis?’” Barefield said. “And when Deuce pulled what he pulled late in that game to help us out to win, plus the defense, I think the entire team realized we still can do this.”
Grayson outscored its next four opponents 205-16. The Rams are 7-0 — 5-0 with Smith as a starter — and are aiming for another dominant win over Rockdale County on Thursday.
Smith entered last week’s 41-0 win over Heritage with 76 completions for 998 yards passing, 13 touchdowns and six interceptions.
While waiting behind Burgess, Smith likely could have started at schools around the state, but he was patient for his time at Grayson.
“It’s not your timing, it’s God’s timing, and coaches and my dad and family and everybody telling me, ‘Hey, just stay down, keep working, do what you’re going to do and things are going to work out for you,’” Smith said.
It’s all part of the legacy that Smith hopes to leave when he’s done at Grayson. As for this season, Smith already knows what he wants people to remember.
“I want it to be remembered as the backup that was doubted and led the team to another state championship and did something great that’s never been done before, which is repeat,” Smith said.
About the Author
Jack Leo is a sports writer and reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Jack worked for the AJC throughout his four years studying journalism and sports media at Georgia State University and the University of Georgia. He's now focused on telling stories in the grassroots: bringing comprehensive coverage of high school sports for AJC Varsity.
