SAN DIEGO (KUSI/Prep Pigskin Report) - Elite 11 finalist, Open Division champion, and now Silver Pigskin winner. An incredible year for Lincoln quarterback Akili Smith Jr. continued inside the Rock Church Tuesday when he became the second Hornet to win the Silver Pigskin trophy in its 26-year history. "I don't even know what to say," Smith said. "It's a blessing to have these guys in my corner on my family, all my teammates and everyone, all the coaches, Coach Carter, Coach Dunn, everybody." Smith's legacy is intertwined with the city's legacy of great signal callers. Smith is following in the footsteps of his father Akili Sr. by committing to Oregon. The senior Smith excelled there as a transfer student from Grossmont College before becoming the third overall pick of the 1999 draft. But this award isn't about Akili's past, it's about his current performance. A dual-threat quarterback ranked in the Top 200 in the Class of 2025, Smith completed 63 percent of his passes for 18 touchdowns in the air. He would go on to gain almost 2,500 all-purpose yards in his senior season.  Smith had offers from 15 Division I schools, including Colorado, Michigan and San Diego State. This award comes two weeks after Lincoln won the Open Division championship against Cathedral at Snapdragon Stadium. His next job is to go win a state championship, which would be the second for Lincoln in the last three seasons. This was one of two wins for the Hornets, as defensive lineman Eugene Rice won Defensive Player of the Year. He would be denied a double-up, as he was bested by La Jolla offensive tackle and SDSU commit Jett Thomas. This gala also saw history with the first-ever tie for an award. Christian's Brady Eads and Mater Dei's Isaiah Cook were in a dead-tie for Two-Way Player of the Year. All the Gala Award nominations are listed below, with winners in bold: Silver Pigskin Player of the Year: #11 Akili Smith Jr – Lincoln Quarterback #4 Sir Autry – Hoover Running Back #2 Aden Jackson – Lincoln Running Back #2 Jase Nix – San Marcos Wide Receiver #30 Maxwell Turner – Granite Hills Running Back Iron Hog: #75 Jett Thomas – La Jolla OL/DL #55 Nash Cooper – La Costa Canyon DE #77 Kai Jacobowitz – Carlsbad OT #76 Liam Kline – Mission Hills OT #54 Eugene Rice – Lincoln OL/DL #58 Luke Westfall – Cathedral Catholic DL Offensive Player of the Year: #30 Maxwell Turner – Granite Hills Running Back #4 Sir Autry – Hoover Running Back #2 Aden Jackson – Lincoln Running Back #2 Jase Nix – San Marcos Wide Receiver #11 Akili Smith Jr – Lincoln Quarterback #2 Brodie Stump – Kearny Quarterback Defensive Player of the Year: #54 Eugene Rice – Lincoln DL #3 Mateo Bressenden – Westview DL #5 Caleb Reese – San Marcos CB #3 Dan Stehly – Valley Center LB #20 Parker Vance – Granite Hills Safety #58 Luke Westfall – Cathedral Catholic DL #4 Jake Williams – El Camino LB Special Teams Player of the Year: #43 Pai Polamalu – St. Augustine Returner #7 Silas Christensen – Rancho Bernardo Returner #5 Alejandro Farias – Otay Ranch Kicker #23 Tyler Hughes – Poway K/P #27 Tyler Prasuhn – Carlsbad K/P #35 Christian Sanchez – Oceanside Kicker Two-Way Player of the Year (tie): #4 Isaiah Cook – Mater Dei Catholic WR/CB and #6 Brady Eads – Christian LB/TE #7 Qayden Coleman – El Camino WR/CB #15 Dreyden Garner – University City WR/CB #3 Ryan Kestler – La Jolla Safety/Returner #32 Ryan Stadtherr – Scripps Ranch RB/LB Underclassman of the Year: #22 Gaige Weddle – Rancho Bernardo QB/S #12 Troy Huhn – Mission Hills QB #0 Tay Lockett – University City WR/DB #5 Aj Logan – Mount Miguel WR #1 Kreet Makihele – San Marcos QB #18 Quinn Roth – La Costa Canyon QB Coach of the Year: Sean Sovacool – La Costa Canyon David Dunn – Lincoln Tom Carroll – San Marcos Marlon Gardinera – Scripps Ranch Chris Hauser – Mission Hills Fale Poumele – Oceanside Eric Weddle – Rancho Bernardo Hollandia Dairy “Fan Favorite” Student-Athlete: Brodie Stump – Kearny Carter Jackson – Cathedral Catholic Qayden Coleman – EL Camino Avondre Kelly – Francis Parker Jordan Hochberg – La Jolla Country Day Ethen Snook – Steele Canyon Riley Valecruz – Mt. Carmel Ryan Stadtherr – Scripps Ranch Meo Laurenceau – Tri City Christian Brady Eads – Christian Hayden McMackin – Bonita Vista Logan Boyack – Mission Hills