Sherrod Smith: Worth the Wait
The sophomore cornerback worked his way into a starting role in his first year as a Bronco. And he has made the most of it ever since.
Chris Kutz
Sherrod Smith didn’t know what to do.
For the Mountain West Championship, on The Blue and in front of an audience of more than 27,000 at Albertsons Stadium and more than a million people watching on television, Smith led the Broncos out on to the field as the Dan Paul Hammer Carrier.
The Boise State tradition of being the Hammer Carrier is a badge of honor. It’s a role that recognizes a big hit, a big play, or a performance from the week prior that embodies the program’s “Blue Collar” values. For Smith, who is in his first year as a Bronco after transferring from the junior college ranks out of the College of San Mateo, it was earned and deserved. But he had never led his team out before like that, at any level.
“I was trying to think of something to do,” said a smiling Smith when thinking about his pregame run into the Blue Chaos. “I was just slamming my chest and saying, ‘Let’s go!’”
While he may not have known what to do during the runout, he knew exactly what to do once the ball was put down to play. But getting to that moment – from non-starter to special teams contributor to starting cornerback to Hammer Carrier – required a journey that began years ago in the Bay Area of California, in a tight-knit community that has quietly become a pipeline to Boise.
In East Palo Alto, everybody seems to know everybody. It’s the kind of small, tight-knit community where youth football teams can become extended family networks.
Smith grew up knowing about his current Boise State teammates Jeremiah Earby and A’Marion McCoy. Earby and McCoy, who are longtime friends, are from East Palo Alto as well. The group of three current Broncos ran in slightly different circles.
“There were two youth football teams in my area,” explained Smith. “It was either the Greyhounds or Mastadons. And I played for the Mastadons. They played for the Greyhounds.”
The connection ran deeper than youth sports. Smith’s brother was friends with McCoy’s brother. Their mothers knew each other. When all three found their way to Boise State – all through very different routes – it wasn't a coincidence. It was community.
“I got people that I know here,” said Smith when explaining his decision to commit and join Boise State. “It was kind of an easy decision, because it would be easy to build connections here.”
But before he made the decision to be a Bronco, Smith was a boy who only wanted to play football. His two older brothers, who are nearly a decade-and-a-half his senior, played the role of spoilers when he was growing up. They would fit him with cool visors and other flashy on-the-field accessories. His dad, though, provided the balance. He was Smith’s coach up until high school.
“My brothers were like spoiling me with stuff, and my dad wouldn’t like it,” said a smiling Smith. “My dad was my coach growing up, so he was really hard on me. Tough love, I would say. He’ll get on you, but it’s from a love perspective.”
The tough love is expected from a parent-turned-coach. It was also from a proven place. Smith’s father played high school and junior college football, just like his two brothers. One stopped playing at the junior college level while his other brother played collegiately at Tarleton State.
“Fresh out of the womb, I basically had a ball in my hand,” said Smith.
Coming out of Menlo-Atherton High School, where he played both running back and defensive back, Smith didn’t have the recruiting attention he needed to break into the Division I level. Therefore, he took a chance at College of San Mateo, initially as a running back.
Three weeks in, everything changed.
“I took a chance, really. I didn’t have any interest out of high school because I actually played more running back,” said Smith. “I went to JUCO as a running back for three weeks, and it just wasn’t for me. I switched back to DB, and then it kind of just went from there.”
What clicked for Smith in the role in the secondary?
“Just being able to cover people is fun,” said Smith. “Seeing your growth from where you started to where you are now, I think that’s a big fun factor for me.”
Smith grayshirted in his first year at College of San Mateo. It gave him time to learn the defense and develop his skills against high-level competition.
“I was guarding basically DI players the whole year,” said Smith. “It really helped me strengthen my skills.”
The work paid off. After helping College of San Mateo win the California junior college championship, Boise State came calling with an offer on December 22, 2024, right between the Broncos’ own conference championship and their College Football Playoff Quarterfinal matchup against Penn State.
Smith went on to sign with the Broncos on Signing Day on Feb. 5, 2025. The connections he had from growing up in East Palo Alto helped him make the decision and make the transition seamless.
“Sherrod has been on the rise since he came on campus this summer,” said Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson on Dec. 1 in his weekly press conference going into the Mountain West Championship. “(He’s) going to be one of the better corners, I think, we’ve ever had here. And he’s continuing to grow.”
But Smith did not jump into a prominent role initially for Boise State this season. Mainly because he was blocked by two veteran teammates, Earby and McCoy.
“Our corner room is deep, and there’s competition through the roof in that corner room. If you’re off, you’re probably not playing, and that’s what we want at every position,” said Danielson.
Like any position room, the cornerback room at Boise State has its band of characters. For a sophomore like Smith, he knows where he fits in.
“A’Marion is unfiltered. He’ll say what he has to say, but it’ll be from a place of love,” said Smith. “Jeremiah is more like me, calm and relaxed. (Demetrius Freeney) is like the troll. He doesn’t stop talking. He’ll keep going. Frank (Franklyn Johnson, Jr.) is chill as well.”
Despite the differences, the group is a close group.
“We’re all chill, we always hang out with each other, go eat,” said Smith. “It’s always a fun time because of the different personalities.”
While Earby and McCoy had standout seasons - they were the only two cornerback teammates to both earn All-Mountain West first or second team honors - Smith had to break through.
Smith has been second or third on the Boise State depth chart all season long until his former high school teammate McCoy underwent surgery in mid-November after the game at San Diego State. Smith played 26 defensive snaps against Colorado State on Nov. 22 but then got the start at Utah State on Nov. 28 and doubled his snaps played to a then season-high of 54 on defense.
In the pivotal game on the road against the Aggies, Smith had to cover Utah State’s playmaking receivers and make crucial tackles. He had seven stops, including a tackle for loss, as well as two pass breakups.
“(Sherrod) can listen, he can learn, and so in that moment, covering the best receiver, making the big-time tackle, he’s ready for the moment because he’s done it in practice and he’s continually grown,” said Danielson.
The Utah State game showcased Smith’s complete skillset: the coverage ability that drew him to the position and the desire to go up and make a tackle he developed in East Palo Alto youth football.
“We used to play a lot of O-linemen at running back,” Smith said about where he developed his tackling technique. “So you kind of had to tackle. I learned how to chop people down, you got to come at them low and hit the big ones.”
Which brings the moment back to last Friday night, with Smith carrying the Dan Paul Hammer onto The Blue prior to the Mountain West Championship. The same people who did not think the Broncos would be in the title game are the same ones who would not have expected Smith to be leading the Broncos out as the Hammer Carrier.
The game itself validated everything, though. It was Boise State’s seventh Mountain West championship, but one that was sweeter than others considering where they stood three weeks prior. For Smith, it was his emergence culminating not only with leading the team out during team introductions but having an impact in the game. He finished with four tackles and two pass breakups against a UNLV offense that came into the game ranked 15th in the country in total offense.
Smith was among all the Broncos who were swarmed by Bronco Nation who joined them on The Blue after the win.
“It was a surreal experience,” Smith reflected. “Little kids coming up and asking me to take pictures, signing shirts, signing people’s chests. I really loved it.”
The postgame experience matched the pregame one that Smith got to live out. Both of which showed him everything he needed to know.
“It really shows the hard work that you put in,” said Smith about carrying the hammer. “Just to signify that you’re ready to go and you’re going to be that player that we all need to be.”
The elevation in role may have been presented to a teammates’ injury, but Smith has been working towards this moment well before the month of November.
“He’s continually playing more because he’s earned it, and the moments are never too big for him,” said Danielson. “How he trains, how he preps, he’s one of the toughest dudes on the team. He’s one of the fastest guys on our team. He’s also a great teammate. Works his tail off on special teams.”
As Smith continues to grow into his role, one thing is certain: he'll never again wonder what to do when the moment arrives. The foundation he has built, from East Palo Alto to Boise with familiar faces riding alongside him the entire way, prepared him for What’s Next.
"You can't really focus on trying to get noticed," Smith reflected on his journey. "That's when you start to worry about other things, and it'll affect your play. You really just got to put your head down and work. If it happens, it's going to happen. If it doesn't, you just have to keep working."
For Smith, it happened. And it was worth the wait.
