Going from not being recruited out of a small town to being one of the team leaders at the University of Tulsa is nothing short of an amazing journey for graduate transfer linebacker Coleton Smith.
When new coach Kevin Wilson was looking for a linebacker, he got good advice on Smith. As a result, Smith is in Tulsa, ready to make an impact.
"Coleton Smith, the transfer, has been awesome," said Wilson, who is not one to give out compliments lightly. "He was recommended to me by a coach I know well. He says, 'I think I have a good player.' His tape was very impressive.
"To me, when you look at the transfer portal, sometimes those guys with a chip on their shoulders that are underdeveloped and come on at those smaller schools might be better than some of the superstars that flopped. There's reasons why."
Smith is a 6-foot-2, 230-pound 7th-year senior inside linebacker who is from Appleton City, Missouri. The town of a little more than 1,000 in southwest Missouri wasn't a recruiting hotbed, to say the least. So, Smith was a virtual unknown coming out of high school.
"I wasn't really recruited out of high school. I had good stats my senior year, but just got overlooked a little bit," Smith said. "But I got one opportunity in Bolivar, Missouri, at Southwest Baptist University. I was grateful for that opportunity and was grateful to play D-II football there for 6 years.
The opportunity, not far from Smith's hometown, was as a walk-on. He quickly earned a scholarship the following spring, but still didn't get any playing time his first two years there.
By Smith's junior season, he had progressed so much that he was a finalist for the Cliff Harris Division II Player of the Year award in 2021, and was an AFCA second-team All-American for a team that finished 4-7. He was an all-Great Lakes Valley Conference first teamer for a 2022 team that finished 6-5.
"Of course, our goal as college athletes is to always make it to the next level, so that was my goal," Smith said. "I didn't get the looks that I wanted at the D-II school, so I played one more year there to see what would come of it. And I had an extra year because of Covid. With that, I went into the portal to see what would become of that."
With Tulsa needing help at linebacker, it was a win-win for both parties.
"I was grateful to have this opportunity come up," Smith said. "I kind of had some talks with other schools, but I knew when I got the call from Tulsa, it felt right. This is where I wanted to be."
Like most players, Smith has a goal of playing in the NFL. Playing at Tulsa will give him a much better chance than playing in Bolivar.
"He was trying to consider, should he go get an NFL opportunity, and I said, if you're not really talking with somebody, you're probably not getting it. Why don't you come here," Wilson said. "He had a great summer, he had a great spring academically. He's already graduated. He's a heck of a kid."
Already being considered a team leader after spring practice says a lot about Smith.
"I'm not really big on guys who haven't played, talking. But I've got a thing, guys like (Braylin) Presley and him (Smith) are going to be major players, and they deserve the right to talk," Wilson said. "Typically, I say, 'Once you play for us, talk.' He's shown to me, in a short time, he will have as much impact as Mitch Kulkin (another former walk-on) has had.
"I think he's (Smith) going to be a positive player for that linebacker room. I think Julien Simon the same way. Those two guys are going to solidify the room and be a much better room for Coach Polizzi (defensive coordinator) and Coach McFarland (LB's coach and run game coordinator).”
Smith has enjoyed playing in the mysterious defense TU is running. Although it is often a 4-2-5, the defense will likely be switching things up frequently, going with three down linemen at times.
But, hush-hush, Smith can't spill the beans. Fans will have to wait until the season opener against Arkansas Pine Bluff. Wilson and staff don't want to let opponents know what is coming.
"It's kind of a mix of things," Smith said of the defense. "We've got some stuff planned, and I think it will work well for us. I don't want to let everybody know. What they've got planned for us is a good game plan for what we have."
Seeing a lot of reps at Mike linebacker, Smith has high expectations from himself and the Golden Hurricane.
"Just looking around in the locker room and at the coaching staff, I think we have a lot of great guys here. A lot of talent on this team," Smith said. "That gives us a really good chance, moving forward, to make something great happen."
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