When asked why he picked Elizabeth City State, Nigel Rios gives an infectious smile and shakes his head.

“Actually, it’s a long road,” Rios said.

Rios, a 5-foot-9, 170-pound sophomore cornerback, has indeed been through a lot to get to where he is right now.

He attended four different high schools — finding himself embroiled in an eligibility scandal at one — and a prep school before arriving at ECSU.

But through it all, Rios maintained a positive attitude and that huge smile.

“Now, when situations come up that people may think are tough, I take it in stride,” Rios said. “I’m happy it happened to me because it made me who I am today. If it didn’t happen, I probably would not be right here talking to you.”

Rios started his high school career at Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Greenbelt, Md. He was part of a highly touted freshman class that had the school, already ranked among the nation’s elite high school football teams, thinking dynasty. Players from that class now play at schools like Penn State, Maryland and West Virginia.

But Rios was breaking the

rules, and he knew it. He did not live in the district, instead listing a teammate’s address so he could play at the same high school his brother starred at years before.

“You have to go to your boundary school and unfortunately I was out of my boundary,” Rios said.

He was a part-time player on the varsity as a freshmen, then started at receiver as a sophomore and he began getting recruiting letters — Nebraska, Rutgers, West Virginia, Illinois and South Florida among them.

Following his sophomore season, Rios made a difficult decision. His brother was hired as an assistant coach a few miles away at Oxon Hill High School and Rios wanted to play for him. However, during the transfer process, Rios’ eligibility came into question and the ordeal drew the attention of the local media, which ultimately discovered that more than half the players on the roster at Roosevelt were not actually residents of the school district.

Roosevelt ended up forfeiting victories from the 2005 and 2006 seasons and several coaches, including the head coach, were suspended for a season for recruiting violations.

Rios never made it to his brother’s school, instead heading to C.H. Flowers High School, where he was only eligible for two games his junior year as part of the fallout from the scandal at Roosevelt.

Rios was then mostly known as a punt returner and receiver and Flowers ran a Wing-T, so he moved on to H.D. Woodson High School in Washington, D.C., for his senior year. There, he played both ways as well as serving as the team’s long snapper.

“Everything went uphill from there,” Rios said.

By the time he graduated in 2009, college offers had dried up and his high school credits were off because of all the moving around. With college likely out of the question, he chose to attend North Carolina Tech, a prep school in Charlotte. That is where the ECSU coaches first discovered him.

“Coach (Alvin) Parker (ECSU offensive coordinator) was real persistent,” Rios said. “He stayed on top of me and made an offer. I really didn’t want to talk about it to anyone, because everyone would have tried to talk me out of the DII situation because they thought I should be DI. But I said, ‘You know what, I’m going to stick with my gut.’ The coaches, they didn’t act like they needed me, they acted like they wanted me.”

Rios admits he had already decided to come to ECSU, but said the final selling point was that the No. 1 jersey was available.

“I asked, ‘What numbers do you have? If you have No. 1, I’m there,’” Rios laughed. “That put the icing on the cake.”

After arriving at ECSU last season, his career took another twist. He was brought in as a receiver, but the Vikings were deep at that position. However, the team was thin at cornerback, so Rios stepped in.

“He’s come in and stepped right in,” ECSU coach Waverly Tillar said. “That’s where he found his niche and we’re happy that he did. We knew he was skilled and quick as a cat. He has a tenacity about the game and that comes because he has a passion for it.”

Now in his second season with the Vikings, Rios is feeling much more at ease.

“Last year, the coaches knew I could play and I knew I could play, but it was still that college experience of you had to wait your turn,” Rios said. “I had a chip on my shoulder. There were a lot of things I felt I could do to help the team, but I didn’t get the chance. This year, I have my chance and I want to take advantage of it.”

And he is. Through five games, Rios has already matched or exceeded nearly all his numbers from his freshman season. He has 15 total tackles with two interceptions, four pass break-ups and six passes defensed. The only number he has not matched is blocked kicks. He had two last season and one this year.

“I think that is one of my gifts on the field, I have a knack for the ball,” Rios said. “I like to make big plays and I like to win. If there is anything I can do to win, if it’s making a big play or taking a step back to let someone else make a big play, then I’m all for it.”

His play has been a big part of ECSU’s defensive resurgence. The Vikings are ranked 17th in NCAA Division II in total defense and 15th in pass defense.

“That’s the type of defense our coaches expect us to play,” Rios said.

Rios is majoring in business law and carries a 3.2 GPA. He plans on graduating early, but intends to play football at ECSU for four years. After that, he has his sights set on the NFL.

“Everyone talks about the NFL, but I think I have a really good shot,” Rios said. “If it’s for you, then it’s for you. I’m a strong believer and I don’t think, I know, it’s for me.”