MSU's Blue Adams on Armorion Smith Dealing With Loss of His Mother: 'I Coach Football, He's Living Life'

Michigan State secondary coach Blue Adams has found safety Armorion Smith's response to losing his mother to be "inspiring."

Michigan State's Armorion Smith runs a drill during camp on Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, at the indoor practice facility in East Lansing. / Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

There is much excitement surrounding the Michigan State community as the football team gears up for its season opener against Florida Atlantic at Spartan Stadium on Friday.

Unfortunately, as he prepares for his first game of the 2024 campaign, one of the Spartans' own, safety Armorion Smith, is facing one of the toughest times he will ever endure in his life.

Smith recently lost his mother, Gala Gilliam, to breast cancer. His team and the Spartan community have rallied around the redshirt junior, and while any support helps, a tragedy such as the one Smith has had to face is one that leaves a wound that often takes years to heal.

The second-year Michigan State defensive back, however, has responded in an "inspiring" manner, according to Spartans secondary coach Blue Adams.

"You want to talk about inspiring; for him [Smith] to have gone through what he's gone through, and he shows up and he works," Adams told reporters on Thursday. " ... I coach football. He's living life. So, it's an inspiration to see that young man work."

For an athlete, their respective sport can serve as a sanctuary when they're going through hard times. Smith loves the game, and he gives it everything he has.

"He's a football player," Adams said. "It means something to him. He leaves his heart and soul out there every time. I think he's a great leader, he'll reach back for the young dudes. I can't say enough about this man here and what he has gone through and what he's still giving us even now. Like I said, I coach football, he's living life. And the cards that he's been dealt, I've seen a lot of people not play those cards. And he's doing a really good job. And it's going to be a battle for a long time for him. I just hope I'm there to support him in every way I can."

Smith joined the Spartans in 2023 after spending two years at Cincinnati, having been part of a Bearcats roster that reached the 2021 College Football Playoff in his freshman season.

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