Sutton Smith

Smith played running back for Francis Howell High School in Saint Charles, Missouri.[2] As a senior in 2014, Smith led the Vikings to an 11-1 record[3] before losing to Rockhurst High School (Kansas City, MO) in the Class 6 semi-final playoff game.[4] Smith rushed for 2,046 yards and scored 32 touchdowns, 27 were rushing touchdowns[5] and was named a 1st Team All-State running back by the Missouri Football Coaches Association[6] and the Missouri Sports Writers Association.[7] Channel 5 (KSDK) named Smith their Large School Player of the Year[8] and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch named him their All-Metro Offensive Player of the Year.[9] In 2014 Smith was a top 20 recruit in the State of Missouri and was listed as a 3-star recruit by ESPN[10] and 247Sports.[11]

Smith red-shirted his freshman season at Northern Illinois University, to focus on making the switch from running back to linebacker.

In his red-shirt sophomore season, Smith led the nation in sacks (14), tackles for loss (29.5), and quarterback pressures (73).[12][13] This led to him being a 2017 consensus All-American, including first team selections by the Walter Camp Foundation and the Football Writers Association of America.[14] He was also named Mid-American Conference defensive player of the year.[15] Smith became the 2nd player in NIU history since LeShon Johnson in 1993 to be named a Consensus All-American.[16] Smith broke NIU's single season tackles for loss record previously held by Scott Kellar (20). His FBS leading 14 quarterback sacks broke the single season sack record (12), previously held by Scott Kellar (1984) and Larry English (2006). Smith was a finalist for the 2017 Ted Hendricks Award as the nation's best defensive end.[17] The Maxwell Football Club named Smith a semi-finalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award, the nation's Most Outstanding Defensive Player of the Year.[18]

In his red-shirt junior season, Smith led the nation in tackles for loss (27) and was third in the nation in sacks (15).[19] Smith helped lead the 2018 NIU Huskies to a MAC West Division championship as well as a 30-29 win over Buffalo in the 2018 Marathon MAC Championship Game.[20] Following the game, Smith was named the game's Most Valuable Defensive player.[21] For a second consecutive year, Smith was named a First-Team All-American,[22] including first-team selections by the Associated Press,[23] ESPN,[24] SI.com,[25] CollegeFootballNews.com[26] and USA Today.[27] Smith was a second-team selection by The Walter Camp Football Association,[28] American Football Coaches Association (AFCA),[29] PFF,[30] and the Football Writers Association of America.[31] Smith was also a finalist for the 2018 Ted Hendricks Award[32] as the nation's best defensive end. PFF ranked Smith 24th on their list of the best 101 college football players in America.[33] The Mid-American Conference named Smith a First-Team Defensive End and MAC Defensive Player of the Year.[34] Smith also won the Vern Smith Leadership Award which is the football MVP award for the Mid-American Conference.[35] Sutton Smith is only the third defensive player in the history of the Mid-American Conference to win the Vern Smith MVP honor, joining Central Michigan linebacker Ray Bentley (1982) and NIU defensive end Larry English (2008).[36]

On December 20, 2018, Smith announced that he would forgo his final year of eligibility to declare for the 2019 NFL Draft.[37]

During his collegiate career, Smith was a 2-time First-Team All-American, a 2-time First-Team Mid-American Conference Defensive End, and 2-Time Mid-American Conference Defensive Player of the Year.[38] He is the only player in NIU school history to achieve these honors in back-to-back seasons and is the most decorated defensive player in NIU football history.[39][40] In 2019, both Northern Illinois Football and the College Football Hall of Fame named Smith to their All-Decade Teams.[41][42]

• Northern Illinois Huskies bio