Mike Howells / The Collegian

From learning how to play safety at the college level to moving away from home, freshman Derron Smith has had a lot of adjustments to make.

As a senior last year at Banning High School in Banning, Calif., Smith played quarterback, safety and punter.

He finished the year with 109 tackles, six interceptions, broke up 12 passes and recovered three fumbles, one in which he returned 94 yards for a touchdown.

After a senior season in which Smith was named Defensive MVP of the Mountain Pass League, he had to decide where to play college football. Many schools showed interest in Smith, but he decided to commit to Fresno State.

“I took trips to other schools and when I came up here I just felt real comfortable with the coaches,” Smith said. “I like the atmosphere and I like the way they schedule.”

One coach in particular played the biggest role of all.

“It’s great, [playing for] coach Hill, he’s one of the best coaches I’ve ever played for,” Smith said of Fresno State’s 14-year head coach Pat Hill.

Smith’s opportunities for playing time have increased since the beginning days of fall camp.

Because of the injuries the Bulldogs have endured at the safety positions, Smith has been thrown into the defensive backfield as a contributing player.

“We have some injuries from some other guys which hurt, not just Zak [Hill],” defensive backs coach Micah Alba said.

Starting strong safety Phillip Thomas missed last Saturday’s game against New Mexico State with a separated shoulder.

With Thomas out with an injury, Smith was slotted in the lineup as the replacement.

“I [am] just blessed with the opportunity to play as a true freshman, so I’m just doing whatever I can to help the team out, whether its special teams or on defense or anyway the coaches ask of me,” Smith said.

Alba has seen Smith take advantage of his opportunities.

“What he did was separate himself by making plays on the field,” Alba said. “By doing that he was able to step in and [have] a role.”

The Banning High graduate found a role against the Aggies in Thomas’ absence last Saturday when he recorded seven tackles, one for a loss, in his first start of the season.

Alba is not the only person who has taken notice of Smith’s rise as a true freshman. Senior safety Lorne Bell has also been impressed by Smith’s on-field performance.

“Derron [has] come in here, during camp and showed himself a lot by making some plays with interceptions and strips,” Bell said. “He’s shown he has a knack for the ball.”

Bell also has seen Smith improve since the start of fall camp in August.

“He definitely has [progressed],” Bell said. “You know, coming in as a freshman and playing safety is a tough thing to do because you pretty much are the quarterback of the defense. It’s a lot to learn, but he has taken the right attitude towards it. He is trying to learn as much as possible and ask questions. He really has the right mindset toward learning and to get better.”

As expected, this progression from fall camp to now has helped Smith make the transition from practice to live-game situations. In six games this season, Smith has recorded 19 tackles which is 10th-best on the team.

And if his hard work continues to pay off, the sky is the limit for Smith to achieve the goals that Bell has set for the true freshman.

“[He needs to] just get better, get more comfortable making calls so next year he can come in during spring ball and really elevate his game” Bell said.