Armorion Smith has had a tumultuous past few years as a student-athlete in East Lansing. The veteran safety transferred to Michigan State from Cincinnati under Mel Tucker, and he watched as his new head coach was fired a few games into the 2023 season.
Then, he decided to stick around under the new coaching staff, led by Jonathan Smith. He played in seven games in Smith’s first year, as opposed to just four in 2023. Unfortunately, he also lost his mother in 2024 and had to take guardianship of his younger siblings while trying to play football and go to school.