Armorion Smith’s climb from fear, to fame, to focus as a Michigan State player and guardian to his siblings

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Before Armorion Smith’s mother passed away last summer, she confronted him about the responsibilities that awaited him.

“My mom was scared for me,” Smith said.

He was scared to lose her, too. But responsibility has never frightened Michigan State’s 6-foot-1, 212-pound senior safety. 

When Armorion and his mother, Gala Gilliam, talked about her terminal breast cancer in the summer of 2024, they tried to untangle the task of Smith continuing his college football career and education at Michigan State, and the need for someone to oversee her other children, his five younger siblings.

They discussed options.

“She mentioned other things,” Smith said, “but we both knew that those wouldn’t work in our family’s favor.”

The clear choice was for the direct, intelligent, principled, hardened older son to take over.

“She just wanted to know if I was capable of doing it,” Smith said. 

She knew. But she wanted Armorion to verbalize it, and further conceptualize it. Smith agreed to tackle it. 

There were no other responsible choices. Smith set out to become the legal guardians of his siblings, including 4-year-old Amaira, 12-year-old Arial, 16-year-old Avaugn and 17-year-old Armond. He gets help from his next-oldest sibling, 20-year-old Aleion, who helps with meals and general parenting duties.

Yolanda Wilson, the mother of superstar Michigan State wide receiver Nick Marsh, stepped up to help. Yolanda and Gala knew each other dating back to when Armorion and Nick were teammates at River Rouge High School, before they became teammates at Michigan State. 

“Before I became all this, before I became Armorion Smith, Yolanda was right there next to me,” Smith said.

Yolanda, known as MamaTron_210 on social media, made a pledge to Gala, privately and publicly, that should would be there for Gala’s children, and help Armorion.

“Before my mom passed, she helped me get power of attorney,” Smith said of Marsh’s mother. “She helped me with the process of the guardianship, finding somewhere to live, things to eat, things that happen in a home, personal life stuff – just making sure we’re good and making sure we know she’s on our side. She didn’t have to do that. I appreciate her for that.

“And she was there, helping my mom before she passed.”

Other mothers of players have chipped in.

“Jordan Hall’s mom, Aidan Chiles’ mom, Nikai Martinez’s mom,” Smith said. “And there are others. We have a lot of Spartan moms that are always supporting. They come and cook dinner for us. They make sure we’re good. They show me love all the time, always checking up on me and my siblings.

“I have people that actually care about me, who are supportive to me. Whenever I need help, I can reach out to them. They have relationships with my siblings. So it’s not just me, it’s all of us. We always count on them. I appreciate Nick’s family, Aidan’s mom, his family, Jordan’s mom and their family, it’s just been amazing.”

‘HOW YOU GOING TO HANDLE IT?’

Smith’s hardship and journey are well-documented. Fund-raisers were held in Detroit and Lansing last year. ABC’s “Good Morning America” learned of his struggle. The television program arranged for Armorion and his brother to appear on the show in New York City. During the broadcast, Smith was surprised to receive a $40,000 donation from CashApp and a 2025 GMC Acadia, donated by Detroit area GMC dealers, arranged by GMA. 

Smith hugged GMA co-host Michael Strahan, and voiced his gratitude. When Smith manages a smile, it’s a smile that seems like it hasn’t been used enough in recent times. But his heart is a mile deep. His mom forged him that way, including those painful talks in her last days. 

“She prepped me into when there’s adversity, how you going to handle it?” Smith said. “I had to figure it out. I had to find ways to make it work for all of us; me and my siblings, and for me to be here for this team.”

Oh yeah. The team. Smith is a starting safety for Michigan State (2-0), which will be back in action at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday against Youngstown State. 

The mental load of playing football at this level, Kirk Cousins once said, is like a second major. Smith will graduate in December with a degree in criminal justice. As for the figurative football major, Smith understandably struggled with it last year.

“I couldn’t focus,” Smith said. “It was all new to me. I was gambling with everything at once, couldn’t be here (at the football building) all the time, couldn’t get all of the installs and all of the details and full delivery of what’s expected and what’s the standard. So I felt like I had to take time off to get everything in line.”

He fell out of the playing group, and probably lost some confidence. 

Smith was a three-star recruit, ranked No. 23 in Michigan, coming out of River Rouge High in 2020. Michigan State offered him a scholarship two weeks before Mark Dantonio retired. 

The University of Cincinnati had offered a week earlier. During the coaching transition at Michigan State, Cincinnati came on strong, led by former defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman – now head coach at Notre Dame.

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While Michigan State was still getting its coaching situation in line, Smith committed to Cincinnati in April of that year, and stuck with it. He redshirted in 2021, and then was the first defensive back off the bench for the Bearcats in 2022. 

Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickell left Cincinnati for Wisconsin following the 2022 season. Gala received her diagnosis that year. Freeman had left to become defensive coordinator at Notre Dame the previous year. 

Due to his mother’s illness, Smith looked to move closer to home. Harlon Barnett, a Michigan State legend and former Spartan assistant, returned to the program as part of Mel Tucker’s staff. Barnett invited Smith to transfer to Michigan State. Smith accepted.

“I appreciate this school so much,” Smith said. “At my last school I transferred from, they didn’t care, and that’s where it all started.”

Smith played four games for the Spartans in 2023. He was the first defensive back off the bench in a loss at Maryland, playing 42 snaps. But he suffered a season-ending injury. 

Meanwhile Tucker was fired in September of 2023. Michigan State hired Jonathan Smith in November. Coach Smith and the defensive staff learned about Armorion’s situation.

“I can’t imagine what that young man is going through,” safeties coach Blue Adams said last September. 

The coaches valued his dedication, and what they perceived was some untapped talent. 

Thanks in part to continued financial help, and the reliable transportation of the GMC Acadia, Armorion Smith began getting into a routine and a positive rhythm last winter, heading into spring practice. 

‘I FEEL LIKE MYSELF AGAIN’

Michigan State coaches knew in May that 2024 starter Nikai Martinez would miss at least the first two games of the season with an injury. There was an opening for a starting job. Michigan State added three safeties from the transfer portal. But Smith began making a climb. By mid-August, defensive coordinator Joe Rossi described him as the smartest player on the defense. Smith could feel himself making progress. 

“I had all year to stay locked in and focus,” Smith said. “I haven’t missed a day, haven’t missed a camp. That was huge for me, being able to be here.”

Michigan State’s sports information staff nominated him to the preseason national Comeback Player of the Year award list. That was a foreshadowing of Smith’s first start of his college career, on opening night against Western Michigan. Then came another start last Saturday in the double-overtime victory over Boston College.

“It just felt amazing,” Smith said. “I haven’t been able to display myself. So being able to start for the first time in a long time, it just feels great. It was a huge relief. I’ve been through a lot of setbacks and things over the past few years; surgeries, injuries, death, grief, and all of that. So it just feels real good being able to go through all of that and grow from it.

“I feel like myself again. I’m gaining all of my old confidence back.”

Smith gained a comfort level with his parenting routine. His siblings attend elementary, middle and high school in the East Lansing school district. 

“Basically, I’m like three different people in one day,” he said. “I’ve got to be a parent; I’ve got to be an athlete; I’ve got to be a student. And so each day I have a schedule. My mornings, I know my siblings have school. I drop them off.”

Smith is thankful that his siblings can have breakfast at school.

“I try to find a way around everything to make it work for everybody,” Smith said, “so I get them to school and while they’re in school I know they’re safe and everything. I don’t have anything to worry about, so I can focus. My first half of the day is me being a student-athlete, handle all of my football, school, and everything I have to do. 

“Then when I’m done, I’m getting into parent mode. I’ll pick them up from school, drop them off, feed them, things of that nature. 

“I work around it with my coaches and let them know any conflicts or anything so they understand, and it’s giving me some grace, to be here (at the football building) as much as I can.”

Teammates and coaches are amazed.

“He has more on his plate than anybody in that facility,” said Michigan State linebacker Jordan Hall. 

“I tell him all the time how grateful I am for him,” said Michigan State safeties coach James Adams, Smith’s position coach, “how proud I am of him and how much I’m learning from him because I could not have done what he’ doing at that age.”

Smith ranks second on the team in tackles with five, and had a key fumble recovery in the end zone in the first quarter of the Boston College game.

He hasn’t been perfect. He and other defensive backs were crossed up in communication during Boston College’s second touchdown of the game, a 12-yard pass to a receiver who should have been covered in Smith’s airspace. 

“There are some plays out there Saturday that he wishes he had back,” James Adams said. 

Smith had a chance to rectify things, during what turned out to be the second biggest moment of the game. His pass break-up at the goal in the second overtime denied Boston College a 2-point conversion and opened the door for Michigan State to score the touchdown and game-winning 2-point conversion on its next offensive possession.

On that pass break-up, Smith did his part in a sophisticated pattern-matching, combination coverage which ended with him playing man-to-man on Boston College’s top receiver, Lewis Bond.

Smith stuck with Bond on a pivot/return route to the inside. Smith remained clutched onto the receiver as Bond attempted a pivot and return back to the outside. By that time, Smith knew the quarterback’s clock to get rid of the ball was set to expire. 

Smith hit the gas pedal, and exploded to close on Bond as Boston College QB Dylan Lonergan threw in his direction. Smith reached over the top and knocked the pass away. It was the biggest defensive play by a Spartan of the season. Maybe in two or three seasons. And it came on Smith’s 73 defensive snap of the night. He was the only Spartan defensive player who played every snap of the game.

“That was a big-time play that we needed,” Hall said. “So for him to put himself in that position to step up when it matters most, I’m glad that it came from him in that moment. I know it was my biggest moment in my college career thus far and I’m glad it was him.” 

Back home, Smith says his siblings are his biggest fans. Of course they are. And he’s proud that they let him know.

“I’m happy that I’m able to do everything that I’m doing,” Smith said, “and that my siblings don’t have to suffer, go through all the stress of worrying about their next move, where they’re going to live, feeling how they’re going to take care of themselves, anything like that.”

Armorion told The Associated Press last summer that he and his mother experienced spats of homelessness at times during his childhood. That’s in the past. And because of him, it’s not part of his siblings’ present.

“I try to take all of that off of them,” Smith said. “And it made me feel good knowing that they’re happy and I don’t have anything to worry about.”

Smith used to be focused on pursuing a career in the NFL, like most players. 

“Every kid grew up wanting to go to the NFL and that’s still my dream, don’t get me wrong,” Smith said, “but me having to go through all of these things, it’s just teaching me that life’s bigger. Everything’s not going to go how you want it to go. You got to be able to respond.”

His pursuit of a degree in criminal justice sparked an enthusiasm for criminal law.

“I’m interested in being a defense attorney if football doesn’t work out,” Smith said.

Some would say it has already worked out. 

“My cards are different now,” he said. “If I want to go to the league, I’ve got to play my cards differently than I would have like a year ago. Back then, I could just focus solely on football to get there. But now I have all of these other things.

“But I’m starting to learn myself, as well. Like, if I didn’t go to the NFL, what type of person am I? What am I going to do after football?”

Most are sure that he will do just fine.

“So it’s like starting to teach me the type of person I am.”

A GoFundMe account which was set up to support Gala Gilliam, and later her children, is still active and receiving donations. To donate to the GoFundMe account, CLICK HERE.