At just 21, fate brought Michigan State defensive end Armorion Smith to a critical juncture. His mother, Gala Gilliam, lost her battle with breast cancer last year. The pain was immense. But even before his mourning started, Smith also had another daunting responsibility. Raising his 4 younger siblings.

The four-bedroom and two-bathroom home that Smith lives in feels extremely lonely for him. His mother was everything the siblings had, as she brought all of them up without a father. Right from learning those tackles to taking up family responsibilities at a young age. Everything Smith learned was from his mother. But without her, life almost felt meaningless at times.

“My mom passed away on August 8th, 2024. She was 41 years old. It just broke my soul. I just wish I could talk to her. I need a hug. Come on. When it first happened, I still couldn’t process it… She had me when she was 20 years old. I didn’t have a dad. My mom was literally everything for me,” said Armorion Smith on ESPN College Football. Her passing also took a toll since juggling college football, along with the tragic loss, felt like a heavy burden for Armorion to manage.

“I was still trying to play ball, paying for funerals, and you know, all of that stuff.” But despite the multiple roles Smith had to take on, there was a promise that Smith wasn’t going to ignore at any cost. And that was taking care of his 4 siblings.  It was not going to be an easy challenge either. Smith has his little brother, Armond, who is 17, and another 16-year-old brother, Avaugn. Apart from that, Smith also needed to take care of his 12-year-old sister, Arial.

“Before she passed, I just made her a promise. I promised her, I’m going to make sure I take care of these kids. I didn’t want them to have to go through like foster homes or live with people who really don’t care about them,” said Armorion. To do that, Smith made a crucial decision and made himself tied to his siblings legally last year.

“I became guardian of my four younger siblings in 2024,” said Smith. Smith, ever since then, has taken good care of both of his responsibilities. When the Michigan State defensive end isn’t busy terrorizing the offense, he takes care of his siblings’ morning breakfast, school rides, and other chores. One would think that would deteriorate some of his performances on the field, right? Well, so far this season, Smith has totaled 26 tackles already and is a crucial piece in MSU’s defense. Talk about quality. Smith totaled 6 tackles just in the last game against Indiana, despite the loss. That said, all of it wouldn’t have been possible without his 19-year-old sister, Aleion.

Armorion Smith outlines the role of his sister in helping him take care of his siblings

A native of southwest Detroit, Michigan. Smith belongs to a small town called River Rouge. The DB outlined how his family grew up without many resources and “lived off tax money and food stamps.” Football then became a major source of relief for him, which he started playing in high school. Out of high school, Smith committed to Cincinnati and started terrorizing offenses early. For instance, in the 2022 season, the DB totaled 20 tackles and skyrocketed his stock in the country. Owing to that, Michigan State came calling. However, his mother’s cancer diagnosis in 2022 took an emotional toll on him.

“It was Thanksgiving of 2022 when I found out my mom had terminal breast cancer. She was scared for her life,” said the MSU defensive back. Now, he has finally found a prominent place in the Michigan State team. His 19-year-old sister is the one who makes a “selfless sacrifice” and enables him to take classes and also focus on his football. “Me and my sister got to work together to keep this all afloat. While I’m in college sports, she’s got to be able to take care of everything that I can’t do, like pick up where I left off, while I’m taking care of business,” said Smith. Armorion’s story is then surely an inspiration not just in college football but in sports in general.

We have seen other players, too, taking up guardianship in college football. One such prominent case was that of Ray Ray McElrathbey, a 19-year-old freshman at Clemson. He is from southwest Detroit, Michigan, specifically from a small town called River Rouge. He grew up with limited resources and relied on government assistance and food stamps. Football became a crucial outlet for him, and he began playing in high school.

After graduation, he committed to the University of Cincinnati. In the 2022 season, he recorded 20 tackles, which significantly raised his profile. This success caught the attention of Michigan State. Unfortunately, during this period, he faced emotional difficulties when his mother was diagnosed with cancer in 2022. The custody of his 10-year-old brother after his mother’s drug addiction problems, as the NCAA finally approved Ray Ray’s decision (the story also made a feature film called ‘Safety’). That enabled him to juggle collegiate responsibilities along with taking care of his brother. However, Smith’s case is still a resilient story of overcoming a great loss and then quickly being thrust into adulthood, unlike other youngsters of his age. We wish Armorion Smith the best in his footballing career and his life.