It would have made sense if Smith Snowden chose to play college football at BYU out of high school.
Snowden’s dad, Will, was a BYU running back from 1997-2000, playing on the same teams as current BYU head coach Kalani Sitake, offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick, cornerbacks coach Jernaro Gilford and linebackers coach Justin Ena, among others.
The 2022 Deseret News Mr. Football winner starred at Skyridge High, not far up the road from Provo, and Gilford, who would have been Snowden’s position coach at BYU, is a close family friend.
BYU had just accepted an invite to the Big 12 Conference in 2021 and would start play in the Power Four conference in 2023. Because Snowden is not a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and would not be serving a two-year church mission, he would have been able to play for the Cougars in their first-ever Big 12 season.
During an excellent career at Skyridge, where he totaled 83 tackles, 16 interceptions and four defensive touchdowns, Snowden started drawing recruiting interest early on, and his stock only went up during his senior year in 2022.
That season, Snowden was a key part of leading the Falcons to their first-ever state football championship. The cornerback had 28 tackles, six interceptions, and scored two defensive touchdowns. He also also added two kick return touchdowns.
His sack on fourth down in the 6A championship game sealed Skyridge’s championship win over Corner Canyon, and he also had a key pick-six in the semifinal win over Bingham.
He was named Utah’s Gatorade Football Player of the Year.
Snowden’s success at the high school level came as no surprise to his family, who were expecting great things from him.
“I mean, the expectation kind of in our family is that you will be a college player because everyone is,” Will Snowden said. “So I think we knew probably as soon as he was 12 years old that he was going to be pretty special and probably be the best Snowden to do it. Probably about 12 years old, we knew that he would be the best Snowden.”
Football DNA
Snowden grew up in a football family. His dad, of course, played running back for the Cougars when LaVell Edwards was roaming the sidelines. Smith’s grandfather, Charles, played at New Mexico State and his uncle, Chuck, played running back at Colorado, winning a national championship there in 1990.
Smith’s brothers, Dre (Utah State and Weber State) and Christian (Snow College) both played college football.
“I always like to say I come from a football family. My uncle, my grandpa, my brothers, they all played ball, so it was kind of easy to transition into being a football player and doing what I do,” Smith said.
It’s somewhat commonplace for high school players to play both offense and defense, but Snowden knew early on that he wanted to solely focus on becoming the best cornerback that he could be.
“He really, really focused and put his time and energy into being the best cover corner that you could find. It worked out well for him with him being able to win the Gatorade Player of the Year,” Will said.
Dre, who played cornerback for Jay Hill at Weber State and now trains cornerbacks as part of his dad’s recruiting service, Alpha Recruits, was Smith’s main mentor.
“Dredan trains DBs, so he’s really been training Smith since he was 12 years old, really focusing on defense and making him as good of a defensive back as you can find in the country,” Will said.
“So both my sons did the majority of the training with him. I did a lot of coaching, but I wanted to be more hands-off and help him build that relationship with his brother. So he did all of his training with his brothers, primarily Dre.”
Smith obviously had the athletic and physical traits of a four-star recruit, but it was his technique and understanding of the game that made him a priority recruit for a number of schools.
A scholar and an athlete
Snowden excelled academically in high school and had offers from a number of prestigious schools, including Northwestern, Stanford, Penn and Yale, along with Utah, BYU, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Arizona, Arizona State and Colorado.
“We were just beaming with joy and just really proud of him, but not proud just because (he was) playing football, more proud of who he is as a human, who he is in the community, really what he stands for. That’s where the joy comes.”
— Will Snowden on watching his son Smith play for the Utes
Originally, Will thought that Smith would be going out of state for his college football career.
“I always thought he’d be at Stanford or Northwestern. He was always a high academic kid, focused on those types of goals. So I figured he would go to Stanford as soon as Stanford offered him. I was like, well, the recruiting’s over,” Will said.
But BYU and Utah kept up their recruitment, and eventually, Snowden had a decision to make between the two rival schools separated by less than 50 miles.
Utah, which was coming off two straight Pac-12 championships at the time and sent cornerback Clark Phillips III to the NFL in the 2023 draft, had the upper hand in the high-profile recruiting battle for the local four-star prospect.
“Utah just did an exceptional job recruiting him. When you look at number one, Kyle Whittingham, he’s one of the most respected coaches in the country,” Will said. “And then you have Morgan Scalley, the defensive coordinator, who’s one of the most respected coaches in the country, plus his coach Sharrieff Shah, who was probably the best corner coach in the country, in my opinion. It was kind of an easy decision for him.”
Smith called Shah one of the main reasons for his commitment in 2022, and his coaching has helped turn him into the star he is now.
“Coach Shah’s the man. I really love Coach Shah,” Smith said last week. “He expects perfection and as we all know, perfection is a really hard thing to be met, but he holds you to a standard and if you’re not playing by that standard, then he’s going to coach you up and really just get you right, get you right, because his résumé speaks for itself.”
Patience
With Phillips, who was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons, gone, Smith knew there was a path for him to become Utah’s premier cornerback, but he’d have to wait his turn.
JaTravis Broughton and Zemaiah Vaughn were the starting outside cornerbacks in 2023, with Tao Johnson at nickel, but Snowden played 118 snaps in 2023 as he bided his time for a starting spot.
His Ute debut on defense came in Week 10 against Arizona State in 2023, fulfilling a lifelong dream.
“As a parent, it’s quite surreal. This is something that doesn’t happen to too many families. I mean, seeing your son at this level of football,” Will said. “So just a lot, we were just beaming with joy and just really proud of him, but not proud just because he was playing football, more proud of who he is as a human, who he is in the community, really what he stands for. That’s where the joy comes.”
Smith would get some playing time in his true freshman season, playing in six games on defense and 11 games on special teams, and learned lots of valuable lessons during his 118 snaps in 2023. Over the course of that season, the speed of the college game began slowing down for him and he became a lot more comfortable at the higher level.
“I think all freshmen know, you come in as a freshman thinking you’re the next best thing and you kind of get there and you get humbled,” Smith said. “So being here and learning and there’s a lot of veterans that helped me get to where I am today.”
Getting physical
The biggest growth that Will has seen in his son’s game during his college career is his physicality.
“He played as a freshman, but they kind of brought him along slowly. And I think a lot of that was to slow the game down a little bit for him, but also to help him identify how physical you have to be to play, particularly the position he’s playing, which is nickel,” Will said.
“Which is a cover inside guy ... but also basically an extra (line)backer. You’ve got to fill gaps, you’ve got to play downhill, be willing to play physical or you’re just not going to be able to get on the field. So that’s been the biggest growth, really, the physicality, how physical he is.”
After a season learning the ropes, Smith was ready to take the next step into the starting role.
“It is just a blessing. You come to college wanting to be that guy and be a starter, so it was a lot of work to get here, but I’m just grateful,” he said.
The former Skyridge star started at nickelback in 2024, and though it was a down year for Utah on the field (the Utes finished with a a 5-7 record), it was a successful year personally for Smith.
“I think I had a good season last year, but you can always improve, always get better, make more tackles, get more interceptions, all that type of stuff. So we’re still trying to do that,” he said.
Smith totaled 48 tackles with two interceptions (including a pick-six), broke up 10 passes and had a forced fumble. He held opposing receivers to just 41.5% completion in 65 targets, emerging as the best cover cornerback on the team.
He also grew mentally during that tough period for the team.
“I think he was challenged mentally quite a bit to stay positive. But the biggest growth I would still say was his ability to shed blocks, be really physical at the point of attack because his cover skills have always been elite in my opinion,” Will said.
Player of interest
During the winter and spring transfer windows, there were plenty of teams with their eye on Smith Snowden, wondering if he’d leave. As fellow defensive players like cornerbacks Cam Calhoun (Alabama), Kenan Johnson (Virginia) and defensive tackle Keanu Tanuvasa (BYU) left Utah, Smith stayed put.
In fact, Smith never entered his name into the two transfer portal windows over the offseason, but that didn’t stop agents from reaching out to him and trying to get him to leave.
In a video published by the Daily Universe’s Sam Foster at Big 12 media days in July, Smith replied to a question about if BYU reached out to him this offseason.
“It wasn’t directly to me, you know what I’m saying. I know Lander (Barton) dealt with similar things, whether it was BYU or not,” Smith said. “BYU wasn’t the only school, you know what I’m saying? It’s kind of what the name of the game is right, with the transfer portal. I wouldn’t say that it was any tampering type thing, it was more of agents and all that type of stuff.”
Will Snowden, who manages Smith’s career, told the Deseret News that there were multiple schools that contacted him about Smith.
“The reality is we were probably contacted by more than 10 schools who were trying to lure him to their school with large amounts of money,” Will said. “We talked about it quite a bit, and it was a very hard decision, I mean, to stay when you have these type of opportunities out there.”
This situation wasn’t unique to Smith, it’s one that’s happening all over the country.
“I feel like a lot of players dealt with similar stuff, so just me knowing that I wanted to be here and knowing how special this team was, is the reason that I’m here today,” Smith said.
‘A loyal kid’
Smith Snowden and his family felt like Utah was the best fit for him and his NFL aspirations, and he wanted to stay loyal to the school he started at.
“He’s a loyal kid, he’s a hundred percent loyal to his school, to Utah and to his coaching staff and his teammates, and he felt like the best thing was to stay there and finish what he started,” Will said.
“He’s also committed to graduating. He’s on track to graduate in three years. So he wanted to stay the course there, and most importantly, he wanted to be an example to other players across the country that you don’t have to move from school to school to have success.”
Another factor in Smith’s decision to stay in Salt Lake City was the responsibility he felt to his teammates.
“I love my teammates. I think that’s what it came down to the most,” Smith said. “I love my teammates, I love my coaches, and I felt like there was a lot of unfinished business and there still is a lot of unfinished business.”
Prior to the 2025 season, Smith was recognized with the “22 Forever” scholarship, which honors Ty Jordan and Aaron Lowe, who died in 2020 and 2021. That scholarship is awarded annually to a “student-athlete in the football program who exemplifies the inspiring qualities that Ty and Aaron demonstrated,” the school says.
“It was seriously just a blessing,” Smith said. “I only ever heard good things about Ty and ALowe and just being able to represent them for who they were as people, not even as football players, but the people they were, it just means a lot to me.”
Both sides of the ball
This year, Snowden has done everything he can to help his team win, including playing on both sides of the ball.
“When they came with that opportunity, he was willing to do it, but that’s not something he was chasing at all,” Will said.
When Smith was approached with the idea of helping the Utes out on that side of the ball, he talked with his dad, the former BYU running back, to get some tips. He also trained this offseason with a couple former BYU receivers turned wide receiver trainers — Margin Hooks and Ross Apo.
In addition to playing high school football, Smith also competed in track, winning the 6A state 100-meter finals with a 10.59-second time his senior year.
Smith has continued his track training in college with his uncle Chuck, and his dad credits that training for his endurance and fitness during this season.
In his first season playing both ways, Smith has enjoyed success on the offensive side of the ball, starting with the opener against UCLA, where he had three carries for 15 yards and a touchdown, plus six receptions for 51 yards.
As the Utes got into conference play, however, Smith has focused almost exclusively on the defensive side of the ball. He played just 13 offensive snaps against Texas Tech, catching three balls for 5 yards and one carry for 3 yards. Against West Virginia and Arizona State, Smith had no touches on the offensive side.
“I love my teammates. I think that’s what it came down to the most. I love my teammates, I love my coaches, and I felt like there was a lot of unfinished business and there still is a lot of unfinished business.”
— Smith Snowden on why he chose to stay at Utah
“We’re getting a little bit thin on defense in some spots, so that’s part of it. The emergence of (running back) Daniel Bray, he’s given us a lot of the same type of play that we get from Smith Snowden. And so with him coming along and with us getting just a little bit of thinness in the secondary, that is what’s precipitated the change,” Whittingham said, noting that Smith will still play some offense.
On the defensive side of the ball, Smith has been as solid as ever.
Against Arizona State, he drew the assignment of guarding one of the best receivers in the country, Jordyn Tyson, who entered the game averaging 96.6 receiving yards per game. Smith was matched up against Tyson for the majority of the game, defending 10 passes thrown Tyson’s way.
Smith limited Tyson to five catches, and importantly, just 26 yards on those five receptions, a noticeable decrease from the 12.5 yards per reception he was averaging heading into the game.
Tyson finished with a total of eight receptions for 40 yards.
“It was obviously a focal point and Smith Snowden did an outstanding job on him,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. “He shadowed him a lot of the night, not completely, but a lot of the time, and to hold a talent like that to just 40 yards is a credit again to the secondary and the way they played tonight. He’s a heck of a player.”
This week, Smith will likely defend either Chase Roberts (420 yards on 22 receptions) or Parker Kingston (333 yards on 23 receptions), who are the Cougars’ top receivers.
Smith Snowden has continued to be Utah’s best coverage corner, and one of its best coverage players, period. He has limited opposing receivers to just 50% completion percentage and has broken up five passes.
Whittingham and the Utes are certainly glad that he remained loyal despite offers to leave.
“Lots of people had the opportunity to leave, Smith one of them and that’s pretty much standard in the industry now. But Smith is a big part of our program. He played maybe his best football on Saturday night,” Whittingham said this week.
“We’re elated that he’s with us still and how close he was to leaving that may be overblown a little bit, but he’s a very good player for us and we’re, like I said, glad he’s on our football team and does a lot of good things for us.”
With each passing game, Smith Snowden’s legacy at Utah continues to grow, and validates his decision to stay.
“It means everything,” he said. “I love it here. I’m a Utah Man through and through.”
