Sav'ell Smalls staying in Pac-12, commits to transfer from Washington to Colorado
Sav’ell Smalls has committed to play for Deion Sanders at Colorado. Add another 5-star to the collection of talent flocking to Boulder.
The 6-foot-4, 244-pound edge defender spent three seasons at Washington where he played often but largely in a backup role. A Seattle native, Smalls was a 5-star prospect who signed with his hometown Huskies out of the 2020 class. Now, he’ll have three years to play two at Colorado.
Let’s rock 🎸 @CUBuffsFootball pic.twitter.com/AbjNJH8rl6
— Sav’ell Smalls 🧬 (@SavvySmalls_9) May 2, 2023
Smalls entered the transfer portal on April 17. He played in every game during his three-year stint with the Huskies — a total of 29 appearances — but was seemingly ready for a larger role. With Bralen Trice and Zion Tupuola-Fetui returning for another year, Smalls was likely headed for a fourth consecutive year in a reduced role. He departs UW with 32 career tackles and one tackle for loss.
At Colorado, he’ll have a chance to earn a significant role right away on the edge of the defensive line. CU exited the spring with major holes to fill on the defensive front. Though the production wasn’t there at UW, Smalls is a massive get for Sanders and his staff.
He was ranked as the No. 30 overall prospect in the 2020 class and the No. 3 weakside end.
CU shows no signs of slowing down in the portal, with Sanders still possessing double-digit open scholarships. The Buffs have seen an unprecedented roster churn this offseason, with 38 scholarship players committing to transfer to CU so far and a total of 52 scholarship players — including a few of the 38 newcomers — leaving the program since Sanders was introduced as the head coach.
Smalls will soon join a group of edge newcomers that also includes Derrick McLendon (Florida State), Deeve Harris (Minnesota/Old Dominion), Jordan Domineck (Arkansas), and Jeremiah Brown (Jackson State).