Smalls Goes Smaller with Husky Jersey Number
It popped up on the Husky football website without fanfare or explanation. Sav'ell Smalls, the University of Washington sophomore edge rusher, will answer to a new number this season — 0.
Sometimes players do this sort of thing to change their luck if their careers haven't gone the way they'd hoped.
Or they change jerseys like they would their hair color or style, strictly on a whim.
Either way, it's a new you.
Originally No. 17 for the Huskies, Smalls will wear a digit that wasn't permitted in college football until 2020. He'll share it with an offensive teammate, wide receiver Giles Jackson, who initially wore that jersey at Michigan in 2020 before transferring. Jackson wore No. 0 last season, switched to 8 when spring practice began and backtracked and reclaimed 0 once more.
The 6-foot-3, 265-pound Smalls enters his third Husky season looking for a breakout performance.
He came to the UW as a 5-star recruit, leading everyone to think he would dominate from the outset at this level.
Yet it hasn't happened for him.
As a true freshman, Smalls started his fourth game against Stanford, which was promising enough, though he was called on as a COVID replacement. He's appeared in all 16 games held during his time in Montlake, again another good sign.
Yet he's collected just 18 tackles, or a little more than one per game, and he has no tackles for loss or sacks.
Maybe zero will get him going, with the lowest Husky number possible making him a big deal.
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