SMALLING THINKING BIG
Brother Rice graduate believes the best yet to come at Illinois
Ricky Smalling trusts the process.
Learn. Grow. Develop. Of course, as the ultimate competitor, hewould have preferred to make a bigger splash last season at Illinois.
But the 6-foot-1, 205-pound sophomore wide receiver has no doubt the best is yet to come for him and coach Lovie Smith’s football program.
Just you wait.
“You have to keep pushing and do everything right,” Smalling said. “Take the next step and keep getting better.”
You hear the determination, the quiet confidence, in his every word.
Smalling finished with 31 catches for 501 yards and two touchdowns last season.
Those totals pale in comparison to his accomplishments at Brother Rice, where he earned 2016Daily Southtown Football Player of the Year honors as a senior. Smalling had 80 catches for 1,336 yards and 18 TDs in 12 games.
Hewas a showstopper.
But therewas something beyond those physical skills that allowed Smalling to dominate the competition.
I can confirm few were better at piling up yards after the catch and turning the ordinary into the extraordinary than Smalling.
That takes more than Godgiven talent, folks. To exploit a weakness demands preparation — to knowwhen to zig when the defender is going to zag.
“Iwatched a lot of film on opponents,” Smalling said. “I consider myself a student of the game. In high school, I got away withmy athleticism a lot.
“When I go back and look at my highlights in high school, I see the improvement inmy game right now. I’m much stronger.”
Still, this is Big Ten football. The step up in competition to the college level provides a great challenge, even for a game-breaking talent such as Smalling.
“It’s a big difference,” Smalling said. “What Iwant to see this season is growth, a better season than last year, as a team and individually. Iwant to go out and make plays. I’m a playmaker.”
One of the best playmakers in Southland history.
After catching three passes for 70 yards during a come-frombehind win over Kent State, Smalling sat out a Week 2 win over Western Illinois with a leg injury.
Whether or not he plays Saturday against South Florida, Smalling believes Illinois is ready to push forward.
“Players have to step up and do their jobs,” Smalling said. “I think we can do it.”
No one will be asked to step up more than Smalling. The loss of fellow receiver Mike Dudek to another season-ending injury in Week 1 puts more of the spotlight and attention on Smalling. He’s fine with that. Dudek’s injury, however,
means more than an increased workload. It has led to reflection.
After his latest injury, Dudek tweeted, “You can’t allow adversity to define your life. You must take the good with the bad and continue to move forward. I am forever grateful for all the support I have received these past five years. #NoBadDays.”
An amazing message. Dudek could have thrown himself a pity party, and no one would have questioned him. Instead, he offered inspiration. That’s a leader, ladies and gentlemen.
Smalling took those words to heart. “Mike’s a great role model for everybody,” Smalling said. “You see what he’s gone through, and it makes you cherish every time you’re on the field. Give it your all because you never knowwhen it’s going to be your last play.”
Smalling is hoping his last play in college leads to a career in the NFL.
And he thinks that Smith, who once coached the Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, can facilitate the transition.
“Coach knows what to look for and what NFL talent looks like,” Smalling said.
“He can help you get to that level. Playing college football is a dream. It brings me one step closer tomy goal, which is the NFL.”