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Posted by Ryan Mink on Thursday, September 8th, 2011 at 6:19 pm
HIGH SCHOOL-Scout.com ranked him as the No. 53 safety in the nation, while Rivals.com pegged him at No. 57 in the athlete category (and as the No. 64 overall prospect in California). A three-year letterman in football, he was first-team All-Southeastern Conference on both offense (wide receiver) and defense (cornerback) as a senior. He was named first-team all-county and his team’s most improved player. On offense, he had 53 receptions for 1,123 yards and 14 touchdowns, averaging 21.2 yards per catch. Defensively, he totaled 47 tackles, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, two interceptions and 15 pass deflections. He also averaged 36 yards on punt returns with one touchdown. As a junior, he was named first-team all-league and second-team all-county on defense. He had 30 catches for 600 yards and four touchdowns on offense, and at his cornerback spot, he tallied 57 tackles, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, an interception and eight passes broken up. He garnered honorable mention all-league accolades on defense as a sophomore starting at safety, when he had 45 tackles and four interceptions on the season-his first year playing football. Top games his senior year: against Redlands East Valley, he caught six passes for 160 yards and a touchdown, along with nine tackles, four passes broken up an interception in a 41-40 loss; in a 50-12 win over Redlands, he had four catches for 130 yards (one TD), while making three tackles on defense; in a 56-38 win over Rancho Buena Vista, he made seven catches for 171 yards (two TDs) to go with seven tackles. Under coach Harold Strauss, his team went a combined 30-6 in his three years playing football: 9-3 as a senior, 10-2 as a junior and 11-1 as a sophomore; Colton advanced to the second round of the playoffs each year. He also lettered in basketball and track, earning a combined seven letters between the two.
ACADEMICS-He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology in December 2010.
PERSONAL-Born July 26, 1988 in Fontana, Calif. Hobbies include playing video games and hanging out with friends in his spare time. Four brothers have played college football: Ryan Smalls (Millikin), Terrance Smalls (Illinios), Paul Smith (New Mexico) and Anthony Smalls (Idaho State). After college, he aspires to be an FBI agent.
