As the Elizabeth City State football team’s season opener approaches, Brandon Smith may be the most grateful player on the Vikings’ squad. Smith has not played football in two years and it was not long ago that he thought his career might be over.

“I really do appreciate it more,” said Smith, who will play his first game in a Vikings uniform on Saturday at Delta State. “I mean, I waited two years to play one year, not knowing what could happen after this year. I just wanted to fulfill my whole college term of playing football.”

Smith, a senior, was a star at Virginia Union. The 6-foot, 235-pound outside linebacker was an All-Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association rookie team pick in 2006 and followed that up with back-to-back All-CIAA selections. In three seasons with the Panthers, he recorded 180 total tackles and 27 sacks, including 13 in 2007, which ranks second best on the school’s single-season list.

All accolades came to a halt when Smith made an error in judgement and got himself caught in some legal trouble. Smith declined to reveal exactly what happened, but the end result was he was kicked out of school.

“I put myself in a bad predicament,” Smith said. “I can’t blame anyone else. I take full responsibility. It felt like everyone turned their backs on me, thinking that with everything I had been through, I wasn’t going to get back on the right track.”

Smith left Virginia Union and went home to work for his father’s landscaping company and take comfort with his family

“I had my parents and my whole family behind me telling me I could do it,” Smith said. “I felt determined.”

After a year away, he began looking for a new school. He checked out several, including Shaw, Bowie State and Virginia State. He chose ECSU because of the coaching staff and the proximity to his home in Virginia Beach. But the transition back to college was not so smooth.

His first application to ECSU was rejected, giving him thoughts that maybe his dream was over.

“When I got denied the first time, I was like, ‘Wow, they’re not going to let me back into school,’” Smith said.

After discussing the situation with the ECSU coaching staff, Smith decided to appeal.

“The coaches said, ‘Appeal it, go as far as you can with it. Then you can’t say you held anything back,’ ” Smith said.

He won his appeal and enrolled at ECSU in 2009. However, because he was transferring within the CIAA, league rules said he had to sit out two seasons. So he waited.

“It was a long two years,” Smith said. “I only went to one game last year and I only stayed until halftime. Watching it in person, it hurt so bad to watch and not being able to play.”

Now, Smith finally gets his chance to play. ECSU coach Waverly Tillar has Smith set to start at one outside linebacker position. Tillar has never been shy about giving players with troubled pasts a second chance and players like Smith have thrived at ECSU.

“Sometimes a kids comes through that was just in the wrong place at the wrong time or had a bad twist of fate, but genuinely deep down, they are good kids that just need a little bit more direction,” Tillar said.

As for Smith, Tillar says that he has been the model player and teammate.

“Having the chance to watch him play against us while at Virginia Union, he was a player then,” Tillar said. “Having the opportunity to watch him up close and personal every day, it shows he can be an impact player for us. I’ve never had to go back and remind him of the conversation we had (when he got here) and what he agreed to. He’s holding up his end of the bargain and doing well in the classroom and on the field. He’s matured well and the kids respect him.”

Now with the 2011 season upon him, Smith is eager to get back out on the field.

“It feels good. I can’t wait,” he said. “You always can give yourself another opportunity. Never give up on yourself after you make one mistake. You can always turn it around, turn something bad into something positive. You have to work for it, it’s not easy.”