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Sav'ell Smalls might as well have worn a big S across his chest.
Make that two S's.
Emerging from suburban Seattle Kennedy Catholic High School, the outside linebacker was the prize of the University of Washington's 2020 recruiting class, the proverbial 5-star prospect desired by everyone, a Superman per se.
He was a player named Smalls who was a big deal.
On his first play of his first college football game against Oregon State, he noticeably beat the man blocking him, rumbled into the backfield and just missed dropping the quarterback.
It was a memorable debut that seemingly was the movie trailer for much more to come.
In his third outing, Smalls logged what remains a career-best 5 tackles against Utah when the Huskies overcame a woeful 21-0 halftime deficit and pulled out a last-second 24-21 victory.
In his fourth UW appearance, he was a true freshman starter against Stanford.
Smalls seemed to fulfill all that was forecast for him early on, close to becoming a bookend playmaker opposite emergent edge rusher Zion Tupuola-Fetui.
Instead, he discovered why ZTF needed a couple of seasons to find his way with the Huskies, that nothing comes easy for anyone in Power 5 football, that there is some truth to the concept of a sophomore slump.
A month and a half until spring practice, we're offering intel and observations gathered on the UW football personnel in a series of stories on every scholarship player from No. 0 to 99. We'll review each Husky's previous starting experience, if applicable, and determine what comes next under first-year coach Kalen DeBoer.
As is the case with any coaching change, it's a new football beginning for everyone, including the Huskies' No. 17 on defense.
In his second season, Smalls picked up 11 tackles in a dozen games, just four more than he had in only four contests the year before.
Five different players started for the Huskies last fall at the outside linebacker spots, but Smalls was not one of them.
It was a learning year for the supposedly can't-miss player, a situation that took a little shine off him.
"He's really doing the little details that as a freshman I think he probably overlooked, with the success he had in high school and how much more talented he was," former Huskies OLB coach Ikaika Malloe, now at UCLA, said at midseason. "Now he understands that technique is going to get him into position to be successful at this level. At this level, talent alone won't allow you to win."
People forget the 6-foot-3, 250-pound defender is just a sophomore. These early dues-paying experiences combined with guidance from a new coaching staff could be all he needs to become the player he's been projected.
One of the great accomplishments for DeBoer and his staff in their first season in Seattle will be if they can turn Smalls loose and reap all of the benefits of his pedigree.
UW Starter or Not: A healthy ZTF will occupy one of the starting outside linebacker spots and that's a given. From the season-ending Apple Cup, Bralen Trice and Jeremiah Martin were the Husky starters coming off the edge because ZTF was injured and Smalls remained a backup. While he faces plenty of competition, Smalls could be ready to make a move and move up. He has career start with more to come. Even Superman in the comic books had to learn how to deal with his weaknesses.
Go to si.com/college/washington to read the latest Husky Maven stories as soon as they’re published.
Not all stories are posted on the fan sites.
More must-reads:
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