2025 Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star Team: Mt. Lebanon’s Patrick Smith

By: Don Rebel
Sunday, July 27, 2025 | 1:48 PM

Purchase Photo Options

Patrick Smith registered more than 2,700 yards from scrimmage and was part of 27 touchdowns as a junior quarterback last season.

However, he didn’t get the kind of recognition a player with those kinds of numbers for a Class 6A would usually get because the 2024 campaign was a bit of a struggle for Mt. Lebanon.

The young Blue Devils, playing under their third head coach in three seasons, struggled out of the gates at 0-5 before finishing 3-3 in Class 6A to qualify for the playoffs. Mt. Lebanon finished 3-8 overall after a semifinal loss to North Allegheny.

“Patrick was put in a difficult situation becoming a first-year starter and learning a quarterback-friendly offense, which puts a lot of responsibility on his shoulders,” Mt. Lebanon coach Greg Perry said. “Most of the QBs that ran this offense as juniors had their ups and downs just as Pat did. We expect him to progress as a passer this season as he understands the passing game better.”

Smith believes his second season in Perry’s system also will be beneficial to him and the entire offense.

“This offseason has been very productive as a team,” Smith said. “We hope to build on the successful aspects of last year and make the necessary adjustments to allow us to compete for a championship. Coach Perry has also added some tremendous assistant coaches to the staff, so we can’t wait to get going.”

The hard work for Smith and the Blue Devils to improve this season began soon after the 2024 season ended and has picked up upon the finish of the basketball and track and field season, which Smith is also a part of at Mt. Lebanon.

“In addition to weight training and running sprints in order to get faster and stronger, we’ve also been working with Coach Perry to understand exactly how to execute the offensive plan and bring a balanced attack,” Smith said. “The offseason workouts have allowed us to come together as a team and build trust in each other.”

Smith put up some big numbers on offense with 1,610 yards and 12 touchdowns passing and 1,091 yards rushing with 15 scores, but he has put a lot of focus on improving on the other side of the ball.

“Defense wins championships, so I look forward to having a greater impact on the defensive side of the ball,” Smith said. “If we can tighten up our defense with each of us doing our assignments, we can put our offense in better situations to score. Since I love playing on both sides of the ball, conditioning is vital as well.”

Back in the spring, Smith made his college decision. With his success on the football field and in the classroom, Smith will head to the other side of the state next fall to play for Penn.

“Penn provides a combination of tremendous academic opportunities and highly competitive football,” Smith said. “I felt it was important to not just look at the next four years, but the next 40 years. Also, I found head coach (Ray) Priore and coach (Jon) DuPont as well as all the coaches at Penn that I met on my visit to be solid individuals with the highest of standards.”

Patrick Smith

Mt. Lebanon

Senior

6-foot-3, 220 pounds

QB, OLB

Committed to: Penn

Division I offers: Brown, Colgate, Columbia

2024 statistics: 132 of 227 passing for 1,610 yards and 12 TDs; 173 carries for 1,091 yards and 15 TDs

Highlights: Hudl

Tags: Mt. lebanon