Missouri State Football: Darion Smith excited to represent his home state and an ‘exciting’ defensive line
This is the sixth in a series of stories from Missouri State’s preseason training camp ahead of the Bears’ season opener on Aug. 31 at third-ranked Montana.
Darion Smith has always had great respect for Missouri State, but at the height of his recruitment, the state’s football program was in a very different situation.
When the 6-foot-4, 250-pound defensive end terrorized Class 3 opponents at St. Louis Trinity Catholic in 2019, MSU was coming off a 1-10 season. By the time the Bears switched regimes and made a splash by signing Bobby Petrino, Smith had already solidified his plans to play for a program at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte after appearing in the Bahamas Bowl.
Given the higher level of college football, the larger city and the warmer climate, it’s clear why Smith chose the 49ers rather than one of the numerous Missouri Valley Football Conference schools that made him offers.
But after scoring 10-20 points overall in his three seasons with Charlotte and getting nothing more than a rotation role in 2022 on a defense that allowed 40 points per game, Smith began looking elsewhere.
Enter Ryan Beard, a first-year head coach and former defensive coordinator under Petrino who was scouring the transfer portal for a rugged playmaker on the edge in late 2021. Smith’s perception of MSU football had improved considering the Bears were competing for an MVFC title in 2021 and brought high expectations the following year.
“Coach Beard made me an offer I couldn’t refuse, and the program was better than it was when I was in high school,” said Smith, who is now entering his second season in Springfield. “I grew up going to Missouri State games, so it’s great to be back at Missouri. It means the world to me.”
Smith gave Bears an immediate boost
On a newly assembled defensive line that posted mixed results at 4-7 during Missouri State’s 2023 season, Smith showed why he was coveted by Football Championship Subdivision programs in particular. He started all 11 games and totaled 37 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, three sacks and four quarterback hurries. His work and intangibles have apparently been noticed by the rest of the league, as he was recently named to the preseason All-MVFC second team.
“I feel like I wasn’t given a chance in Charlotte,” Smith said. “Great people, I love them to death, but I wanted to go somewhere where I had a chance to shine and I think I made the most of my opportunity here.”
In Charlotte, he played under a former offensive coordinator, then-head coach Will Healy, who was fired in 2022 after a 1-7 start when Smith was on the roster. At MSU, Smith said, he jumped at the opportunity to play for a defensive-minded head coach.
“This is a big deal,” Smith said. “I was an offensive line coach before that, and that was a very different program, to say the least.”
Defensive line seems to be a strength
Of the 19 total starters Missouri State is returning for 2023, many are on the defensive end, with Smith, Alama Collins, Sterling Smithson and Jalen Williams looking to take advantage of the valuable time they got a year ago in what appears to be a deeper, bigger and more athletic position group.
With the signings of Davon Townley (transfer from Penn State) and Ryan Willians (transfer from Western Kentucky), as well as a mix of young players like Mitchell Toney and Tim Brantley Jr., Smith expects more situational rotations.
In Missouri State’s first practice game, the first-team defensive line gave the first-team offense plenty of trouble. Todric McGree, an All-MVFC safety, is one of the ball-hunters who benefited.
“There’s not a lot of time to throw the football, which allows (the secondary) to make heavy use of our key positions and our area of influence, knowing our defensive line is going to be in the backfield,” McGee said. “It’s a strong group with a lot of older players, so they’re eager to come back and rotate.”
Tahj Chambers, a linebacker at MSU for five years, agreed.
“Our defensive line is exciting right now,” he said. “They’re in the backfield almost every play. They’re fun to watch. As a linebacker, it’s fun to play behind them.”
