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Armorion Smith played in 12 games at safety at Michigan State in 2025, recording 35 tackles.
Rocket Spotlight on Armorion Smith
3/26/2026 8:14:00 AM | Football
On growing up in River Rouge, dealing with the loss of his mother and how a former Rocket assistant coach changed his life
Armorion Smith is a senior safety from River Rouge, Mich. He began his career with Cincinnati before transferring to Michigan State in 2023. Smith had 35 tackles in 12 games for the Spartans in 2025 and was a semi-finalist for national Comeback Player of the Year. Following the death of his mother in 2024, Smith became the legal guardian of four of his siblings.
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On growing up in River Rouge
I'm from River Rouge, Michigan, just southwest of Detroit. Where I'm from, there is pretty much a bunch of poverty, public housing, low income. There's a lot of struggling and adversity. Being the oldest in my family, I watched my mom struggle a lot growing up.
On his high school football career and playing for former Toledo assistant coach Corey Parker
I only played two years of football in high school. My first two years, I didn't play any sports. I played for Coach Corey Parker. Coach Parker changed my life. I was one of the kids who was caught up in stuff going on in my neighborhood. Coach Parker took a chance on me. He told me he could change my life. I trusted him and it changed my life. I could have easily ended up somewhere else.
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On how Coach Parker convinced him to play football
I started playing when I was about nine years old. Coach Parker was already the coach at River Rouge then. He was always coming by, recruiting younger kids before they got to high school, so I feel like he was watching me my whole life. He got to know my family like they're relatives. He always wanted to get me on a team. I wasn't playing organized football. I stopped playing football after Little League. I was out being a kid, being a regular teenager. When I got to high school, I kind of got sidetracked with the high school life. Eventually, Coach Parker and I had a meeting about something that had happened. He told me, "If you want to turn your life around, you'll have to play football. If you don't, you'll end up like a lot of these dudes from your neighborhood." I didn't really want to play at that point, but I just trusted him. I knew I was good at football and he knew I was good. He watched me grow up from when I was little. He always told me, "You've got the size, you've got the athleticism. All you have to do is just handle the other stuff, handle school and take it seriously." So I trusted him and everything just followed.
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On the success of River Rouge football
I was a part of a program where we made history. The two years I played, we went to the state championship twice. And one of years we made history for our program in our school, winning our first state title. It was a legendary run for Coach Parker.
On Meeting Former River Rouge High great and Toledo Rocket Hall of Famer Chester Taylor
I know Chester Taylor played at River Rouge. I met him couple of times. He used to do football at camps at River Rouge when I was younger. I know he was here at Toledo for four years and made a big impact on the program.
On choosing to transfer to Toledo
I was just trying to find the best position for me to succeed in the future. I saw all the success Toledo has had with defensive backs going pro, so that was a huge factor. Quinyon Mitchell was a first-round draft pick, and you had three DBs in the Combine this year. Toledo was perfect because it's not too far from home, which is important with my circumstances.
On his impressions of the football program
I love the culture that we are building here. I love what Coach Jacobs has brought here with him. I love my position coach, Coach (Jahmal) Brown. I love what they are expecting from us. I love the standards they've got in place. I just want to be a part of the team. And, yeah, I love Toledo. It was a no-brainer when I came on my visit. This is where I wanted to be. I've had a lot of setbacks throughout my career, and this year, I feel like I finally get a clear shot, a clear chance to have one more opportunity to have a full year and do everything the right way.Â
On losing his mother to cancer in 2024
It was just so unfortunate, such a short notice. I'm still not over it. I still go through a lot of emotions and confusion and stuff like that. It just happened so fast. Me and my mom used to have conversations, and I could tell she was ready to give up. So she just stopped taking her medicine, and once she did that, she passed. I was at practice when she passed. I had to drive from Michigan State to the hospital in Detroit. I had power of attorney, so I had to sign off on pulling up the plugs.
On what his mother told him before she died
She said, "I don't want you to have to stop what you're doing, because ultimately that's the only reason you're in college. We want you to get your degree and make something of yourself. You helping yourself, that helps all of us."
On how his mother's death affected his ability to play football
I missed most of 2023 due to surgery. I came out the next year, looking forward to a big year, and then that happened (his mother's death) out of nowhere. I just stopped playing because of my grief (missed the final four games of the season). I just couldn't do it. I couldn't focus. It was just unfortunate.
On looking after his younger siblings
When my mom passed, I already had power of attorney, so I just took all my siblings with me (to East Lansing). We didn't have anybody else, no family relatives or anything like that. My mom always told us that when she's not here, we all need to stick together. So I was focused on making sure everybody was safe, not in a foster home, and things like that. It was a struggle, but I had a lot of help, a lot of guidance throughout the time from a lot of different people trying to help me. It just a huge challenge for me to take time for football. It affected me and my performance. But I'm almost two years in now and just looking to better myself and looking out for my mental health.
On his goals for the 2026 season
I want to be able to help the team win the MAC Championship. Individually, I'm just trying to focus on my process. Everything can take care of itself as long as I'm taking care of my business, on and off the field in the off-season.
On what motivates him
I'm motivated by a lot of things, but my ultimate goal was to make it so my mom wouldn't have to work again. I watched her struggle so much. Before she passed, she told me, "If you don't go to the league or anything, make sure you get that degree." So I told her I would make sure I got that degree. And I did. I graduated last semester from Michigan State with a degree in criminal justice.
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On growing up in River Rouge
I'm from River Rouge, Michigan, just southwest of Detroit. Where I'm from, there is pretty much a bunch of poverty, public housing, low income. There's a lot of struggling and adversity. Being the oldest in my family, I watched my mom struggle a lot growing up.
On his high school football career and playing for former Toledo assistant coach Corey Parker
I only played two years of football in high school. My first two years, I didn't play any sports. I played for Coach Corey Parker. Coach Parker changed my life. I was one of the kids who was caught up in stuff going on in my neighborhood. Coach Parker took a chance on me. He told me he could change my life. I trusted him and it changed my life. I could have easily ended up somewhere else.
Â
On how Coach Parker convinced him to play football
I started playing when I was about nine years old. Coach Parker was already the coach at River Rouge then. He was always coming by, recruiting younger kids before they got to high school, so I feel like he was watching me my whole life. He got to know my family like they're relatives. He always wanted to get me on a team. I wasn't playing organized football. I stopped playing football after Little League. I was out being a kid, being a regular teenager. When I got to high school, I kind of got sidetracked with the high school life. Eventually, Coach Parker and I had a meeting about something that had happened. He told me, "If you want to turn your life around, you'll have to play football. If you don't, you'll end up like a lot of these dudes from your neighborhood." I didn't really want to play at that point, but I just trusted him. I knew I was good at football and he knew I was good. He watched me grow up from when I was little. He always told me, "You've got the size, you've got the athleticism. All you have to do is just handle the other stuff, handle school and take it seriously." So I trusted him and everything just followed.
Â
On the success of River Rouge football
I was a part of a program where we made history. The two years I played, we went to the state championship twice. And one of years we made history for our program in our school, winning our first state title. It was a legendary run for Coach Parker.
On Meeting Former River Rouge High great and Toledo Rocket Hall of Famer Chester Taylor
I know Chester Taylor played at River Rouge. I met him couple of times. He used to do football at camps at River Rouge when I was younger. I know he was here at Toledo for four years and made a big impact on the program.
On choosing to transfer to Toledo
I was just trying to find the best position for me to succeed in the future. I saw all the success Toledo has had with defensive backs going pro, so that was a huge factor. Quinyon Mitchell was a first-round draft pick, and you had three DBs in the Combine this year. Toledo was perfect because it's not too far from home, which is important with my circumstances.
On his impressions of the football program
I love the culture that we are building here. I love what Coach Jacobs has brought here with him. I love my position coach, Coach (Jahmal) Brown. I love what they are expecting from us. I love the standards they've got in place. I just want to be a part of the team. And, yeah, I love Toledo. It was a no-brainer when I came on my visit. This is where I wanted to be. I've had a lot of setbacks throughout my career, and this year, I feel like I finally get a clear shot, a clear chance to have one more opportunity to have a full year and do everything the right way.Â
On losing his mother to cancer in 2024
It was just so unfortunate, such a short notice. I'm still not over it. I still go through a lot of emotions and confusion and stuff like that. It just happened so fast. Me and my mom used to have conversations, and I could tell she was ready to give up. So she just stopped taking her medicine, and once she did that, she passed. I was at practice when she passed. I had to drive from Michigan State to the hospital in Detroit. I had power of attorney, so I had to sign off on pulling up the plugs.
On what his mother told him before she died
She said, "I don't want you to have to stop what you're doing, because ultimately that's the only reason you're in college. We want you to get your degree and make something of yourself. You helping yourself, that helps all of us."
On how his mother's death affected his ability to play football
I missed most of 2023 due to surgery. I came out the next year, looking forward to a big year, and then that happened (his mother's death) out of nowhere. I just stopped playing because of my grief (missed the final four games of the season). I just couldn't do it. I couldn't focus. It was just unfortunate.
On looking after his younger siblings
When my mom passed, I already had power of attorney, so I just took all my siblings with me (to East Lansing). We didn't have anybody else, no family relatives or anything like that. My mom always told us that when she's not here, we all need to stick together. So I was focused on making sure everybody was safe, not in a foster home, and things like that. It was a struggle, but I had a lot of help, a lot of guidance throughout the time from a lot of different people trying to help me. It just a huge challenge for me to take time for football. It affected me and my performance. But I'm almost two years in now and just looking to better myself and looking out for my mental health.
On his goals for the 2026 season
I want to be able to help the team win the MAC Championship. Individually, I'm just trying to focus on my process. Everything can take care of itself as long as I'm taking care of my business, on and off the field in the off-season.
On what motivates him
I'm motivated by a lot of things, but my ultimate goal was to make it so my mom wouldn't have to work again. I watched her struggle so much. Before she passed, she told me, "If you don't go to the league or anything, make sure you get that degree." So I told her I would make sure I got that degree. And I did. I graduated last semester from Michigan State with a degree in criminal justice.
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