Ron Smith Season 2018

Final Bio

* 2018 Google Cloud Academic All-District 8 Football Team .
* Three-time MW Scholar-Athlete (2016-18)
* Three-time Mountain West Fall All-Academic Team (2016-18)
* 2018 President’s Award for High Athletic and Academic Excellence
* 2016 Associated Press All-Bowl Team
* 2016 Athlon Sports All-Bowl Team

Entered 2018 as the most experienced Aztec cornerback, having learned from two-time MW Defensive Player of the Year Damontae Kazee (2015-16) and all-MW first-team pick Kameron Kelly (2017) ... Was thrown into a starting position nine games into the season in 2016 and started the final six across from Kazee ... Then started all 26 games over his final two seasons ... Also excelled on special teams ... Started his final 32 games, the longest streak on either side of the ball.

JUNIOR SEASON (2018)
Was a Wuerffel Trophy nominee, which goes out to FBS players that best combine exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement ... Also was named to the 2018 Google Cloud Academic All-District 8 Football Team ... At the team’s end of the year banquet, earned the President’s Award for High Athletic and Academic Excellence ... Was a preseason second-team all-Mountain West selection by Athlon Sports and a fourth-team pick by Phil Steele Magazine ... Started the team’s 13 games on the season ... Had 44 tackles (25 solo), a tackle for loss and seven pass breakups ... Led the team with 28 stops on passing plays ... Started the opener, his 20th straight start, at No. 13/13 Stanford, registering four tackles ... Followed that up with six stops (three solo) vs. Sacramento State in another start ... Had a season-high seven tackles (five solo) against No. 23/25 Arizona State, including 0.5 tackles for loss, and a pass breakup ... Recorded two solo tackles in another start vs. Eastern Michigan ... Had three tackles (two solo) in a start at rv/No. 24 Boise State ... Came up with six tackles (three solo) vs. Air Force ... Made a solo stop in a start against San José State ... Had a good game in a start at Nevada en route to making the Pro Football Focus Mountain West Team of the Week, making four tackles (two solo) and a career-high-tying three pass breakups ... Had only one PBU all season prior to the Nevada game ... Had two assisted tackles with 0.5 TFL in a start at New Mexico ... Had a solo tackle and a pass breakup in a start against UNLV ... Had three stops (two solo) and a pass breakup in a start at Fresno State ... Started against Hawai’i, making one solo tackle ... Had four tackles (one solo) and a pass breakup in his final collegiate game vs. Ohio in the DXL Frisco Bowl.

SOPHOMORE SEASON (2017)
Was named a preseason second-team all-Mountain West selection by Athlon Sports ... Had 62 tackles (46 solo), two interceptions for 27 yards, two tackles for loss, 16 pass breakups and a forced fumble on the season ... The 16 PBUs ranked second in SDSU single-season history (Marlon Andrews, 1990) ... His 1.38 pass deflections per game (PBU + INT) ranked 13th in the country ... Started for the seventh straight game in the opener against UC Davis, finishing with four tackles (all solo stops) and a 5-yard interception ... The interception was the fourth of his career and fourth in the last seven games ... The interception led to a touchdown pass from Christian Chapman to Kahale Warring ... Had six tackles (all solo) and a pass breakup at Arizona State in another start ... Had a team-high seven tackles (four solo), a 22-yard interception and a pass breakup in a start against No. 19/19 Stanford ... Came up with two tackles (one solo) in a start at Air Force ... Had a busy night with seven tackles (five solo) and a career-high three pass breakups in a start vs. Northern Illinois ... Had three tackles (two solo) and tied a career high with three PBUs for a second straight game at UNLV ... Was named to the MW Pro Football Focus Team of the Week for his play against the Rebels ... Came up with five tackles (all solo), including a 3-yard tackle for loss, and a pass breakup in a start against Boise State ... Had two tackles (one solo) and a pass breakup in a start vs. Fresno State ... Had two solo stops and two pass breakups at Hawai'i ... Tied a team high with eight tackles (four solo), while adding a pass breakup ... Registered three tackles (one solo) with two pass breakups against Nevada ... Made four tackles (three solo) with two pass breakups in a start vs. New Mexico ... Had a season-high nine tackles (eight solo) vs. Army West Point in the Armed Forces Bowl.

FRESHMAN SEASON (2016)
Recorded 57 tackles (30 solo), three interceptions for 77 yards and two touchdowns, three pass breakups, a forced fumble and 0.5 tackles for loss, despite only starting the final six games of the season ... The two interceptions returned for a touchdown tied a SDSU single-season record and ranked as the third most in the country, while his 77 interception return yards ranked 46th ... Played in all 14 games ... Led the team with 13 tackles on special teams and 12 on the kick return unit ... Had two assisted tackles in his first career game on special teams vs. New Hampshire ... Logged statless time on special teams against California ... Made a solo stop on special teams at Northern Illinois ... Had another solo tackle on special teams at South Alabama .... Made a solo tackle on special teams against UNLV ... Had two tackles at Fresno State ... Did not record a stat in playing time against San Jose State ... Had a then career-high four tackles and his first two career pass breakups at Utah State in his most extensive action at cornerback of the season ... Had a then career-high seven tackles (four solo), a 14-yard interception return for a touchdown and two pass breakups in his first career start against Hawai'i ... The interception and touchdown were each the first of his career ... The touchdown put SDSU up, 21-0, early in the second quarter ... Matched his then career high with seven tackles at Nevada and had an interception for the second straight game ... The interception went for nine yards ... Also had his first career forced fumble ... Made seven tackles (third straight game with exactly seven stops) and 0.5 tackles for loss in a third straight start at Wyoming ... Had a then career-high nine tackles in a start vs. Colorado State ... Led the team in tackles for the first time of his career ... Registered five tackles (three solo) with a pass breakup at Wyoming in the 2016 MW Championship game ... Had a career-high 10 tackles (seven solo) and a 54-yard interception return for a touchdown in the Las Vegas Bowl against Houston ... Recorded his first career game with double-digits in tackles ... The interception was his third of the season, while the interception return for a score was his second ... Was named to the 2016-17 Associated Press and Athlon Sports all-bowl teams for his play in the Las Vegas Bowl.

REDSHIRT SEASON (2015)
Utilized his redshirt season at SDSU.

HIGH SCHOOL
Helped St. Mary's High go 21-6 (.778) over his final two years, including a 11-2 mark in 2014 ... Recorded a team-high 69 total tackles with two interceptions as a senior at St. Mary's High, according to MaxPreps ... Also added two interceptions for 117 yards, three pass deflections and a forced fumble ... Added team highs of 175 kick return yards (21.9 avg.) and 81 punt return yards (9.0 avg.) ... Helped lead the Panthers to an 11-2 overall record and an appearance in the CIF North Coast Division 4 championship game in 2014 ... Had a bigger year in 2013, recording a team-best 135 tackles (125 solo), two interceptions for 65 yards, six forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and two pass deflections ... A three-star recruit by Rivals, Scout, 247sports and ESPN ... Received a scout grade of 86 by 247sports and a 75 by ESPN.

PERSONAL
Ron Angelo William Smith was born Nov. 18, 1997, in Oakland, Calif. ... Son of Ron Smith and Mary Holly ... Picked San Diego State over offers from Air Force, Fresno State, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, UTEP, Washington State and Wyoming, according to Rivals ... Was majoring in psychology.

SINGLE-GAME BESTS
Tackles: 10 vs. Houston (12/17/16)
Tackles For Loss: 1.0 vs. Boise State (10/14/17), at Arizona State (9/9/17)
Interceptions: 1, five times
Pass Breakups: 3 at Nevada (10/27/18), at UNLV (10/7/17), vs. Northern Illinois (9/30/17)
Forced Fumbles: 1 at San José State (11/4/17), at Nevada (11/12/16)
Defensive Touchdowns: 1 vs. Houston (12/17/16), vs. Hawai’i (11/5/16)