LITTLE ROCK — When Kiero Small left his home in Baltimore, bound for a small junior college on the west coast, the move wasn’t based on much more than reputation.
“When I started thinking about going to junior college,” he said, “everybody that I knew went out to California.”
Now as an incoming fullback for the Arkansas Razorbacks, Small credits the slower pace and unfamiliar atmosphere of Salinas, Calif., for getting him to where he wanted to be all along: At a major college program.
Small, who at 22 is the second-oldest member of Arkansas’ incoming class, said he ignored his studies at Baltimore Cardinal Gibbons High School and spent one year after graduation at Valley Forge Military Academy in Pennsylvania. He then took a year off from school before enrolling with a few hometown friends at Hartnell Community College in Salinas.
For two years he visited home only two or three times each year, choosing to spend most of his time improving his grades while playing fullback and linebacker for Hartnell.
In February, the long move paid off when he signed with the Razorbacks.
“I think it helped me focus more as far as school,” Small said. “Being that far away from home, it really forces you to grow up.”
In Salinas, Small was far from home and far from Fayetteville, which is why he was a bit surprised when Arkansas Coach Bobby Petrino called his coach in January.
Small wanted to land at a school in a major conference, and it didn’t matter where. After he spoke with Arkansas’ coaches, though, it didn’t take long to sell him on Arkansas, especially with the Razorbacks’ loss to Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl fresh on his mind.
“I was home. My coach was calling all around, trying to get in contact,” Small said. “When I checked back, Coach Petrino had called. I knew who he was. I had just watched the Sugar Bowl.”
So Small signed with the Razorbacks, and he is expected to compete for playing time with four other fullbacks after ditching his role as linebacker.
“It’s still chasing people and hitting them,” he said. “Not too much of a difference.”
Small, 5-10, 255 pounds, arrived at Arkansas after earning junior college All-America honors last year when he rushed for one touchdown, caught another and led Hartnell with 120 tackles, 21 for losses. In 2009, he scored five rushing touchdowns and led the team with 109 tackles.
Petrino said Small, who has been timed at 4.7 seconds in the 40-yard dash, has the type of athleticism he and his staff have been looking for in a fullback since arriving at Arkansas in 2008.
“We’ve basically been searching for three years for a fullback,” Petrino said. “When you watch his high school video, it’s pretty amazing watching a big guy that can really run and change directions like that.
“We feel like he’ll be a guy who can come in and be real physical and help our run game.”
It may have taken Small a bit longer than he liked to fill that role, but he doesn’t mind anymore. Now he’s just focused on proving he’s worthy.
“Once I signed, at first it was, ‘Yeah, I signed. I’m going to Arkansas,’ ” Small said. “It’s a grind now.”At a glance
KIERO SMALL
CLASS Junior POSITION Fullback HEIGHT 5-10 WEIGHT 255 pounds HOMETOWN Baltimore LAST STOP Hartnell Community College (Salinas, Calif.) NOTEWORTHY Led Hartnell in tackles during his two years in Salinas, Calif., where he played linebacker and fullback. ... Had 120 tackles in 2010 and 109 tackles in 2009. ... Spent one season at Valley Forge Military Academy in Pennsylvania after high school and took a year off from school before enrolling at Hartnell. ... Named All-Coast Conference both years and was named as an All-American by the California Community College Football Coaches Association in 2010.
Arkansas schedule DATE OPPONENT TIME/TV Sept. 3 Missouri St. 6 p.m. PPV Sept. 10 N. Mexico% 6 p.m. ESPNU Sept. 17 Troy 6:30 p.m. CSS Sept. 24 at Alabama* TBA Oct. 1 Texas A&M# TBA Oct. 8 Auburn* TBA Oct. 22 at Mississippi TBA Oct. 29 at Vanderbilt TBA Nov. 5 South Carolina TBA Nov. 12 Tennessee TBA Nov. 19 Miss. State% TBA Nov. 25 at LSU 1:30 p.m. CBS SEC game #at Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas %at War Memorial Stadium, Little Rock
Sports, Pages 21 on 08/06/2011