LOS ANGELES — Oh, the places Roquan Smith wanted to go.
On a warm winter day in Southern California, the best defensive player in the country vividly recalled what it was like to be an elementary school student in rural Georgia, flipping through his social studies book to stare at the endlessly fascinating maps.
Living in Marshallville, a town with no traffic lights, Smith memorized the cities and states and countries he wanted to visit, and wondered what he was missing.
“I used to always pull it out and look at places on the map and be like, ‘I want to go there, I want to go there,’ and I started learning the map,” Smith said. “[To find] Marshallville, you’ll have to zoom in a whole lot more. I guess that’s just a part of it, [being a] small-town boy.”
After beginning his lifelong pursuit with trips to Central America and South America, and all across the U.S., Smith finally arrives to face Oklahoma on Monday in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Rose Bowl — where the Bulldogs linebacker once thought he would play all of his home games.
It was just under three years ago that Smith appeared on national TV, announcing he would play at UCLA. But before he signed a letter of intent, Smith learned that the Bruins assistant who recruited him, Jeff Ulbrich, was taking a job with the Atlanta Falcons, and decided to go to school back in his home state.
“I try not to play the ‘what if’ game,” Smith said. “What if I signed that? What if I was in L.A.? I can’t really say. I don’t know how my life would have turned out.
“As I think about it now, the years I’ve had at Georgia, I can’t really envision myself anywhere else.”
It’s easy for everyone else.
Just envision Georgia not having a chance to win its first national championship since 1980. Go ahead and erase the Bulldogs’ first SEC title in 12 years.
Smith, the Butkus Award winner as the nation’s top linebacker, recorded 113 tackles this season, with 10.5 tackles for a loss and 5.5 sacks, while headlining a defense which allowed the third-fewest points in country.
“Roquan is unique to me,” Georgia defensive coordinator Mel Tucker said. “I’ve seen a lot of linebackers over the years that are really good players. Spending 10 years in the NFL, you see all types of guys.
“He has the unique combination of speed, football IQ, and physical play, and he loves the game. I think what makes him really special is that he is very, very coachable and he’s a great teammate.”
On film, the small-town kid monopolizes the spotlight, recognized as the defender most capable of creating havoc for Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield, and a Sooners offense which averages nearly 45 points per game.
“Their defense obviously is really good, but definitely [No.] 3 is a hell of a player,” Oklahoma fullback Dimitri Flowers said. “He’s a rare mix of speed and physicality. That’s not something you see a lot.”
It is why Smith will be a first round pick in the NFL, and potentially a top 10 selection this spring, though the junior hasn’t decided whether he will leave school after this season.
Oklahoma is enough to satisfy his curiosity for now.
“I haven’t played an offense like this with the weapons they have and whatnot,” Smith said. “It’ll be a little different, something we haven’t seen all year, and I’m sure it’s something they haven’t seen, as well.
“We know it’ll be a grind, but we’re looking forward to it. We wouldn’t [want] it to be any other way.”
Oh, the places he still may go.