Shaky Smithson feels as if he's been switching positions since he arrived at Utah.

Receiver to running back, then back to receiver and sometimes quarterback, Smithson has lined up wherever the Utes needed him. The biggest switch of all has been at home, where Smithson has gone from big brother to legal guardian of Anthony Smithson, his 15-year-old brother.

"It's just a situation that had to happen," he said. "I had to get my brother."

Shaky wanted to spare his younger sibling from having to deal with the dangers and difficulties of growing up in one of Baltimore's toughest neighborhoods.

It wasn't that Anthony was a bad kid destined for trouble. He's actually been following in his older brother's footsteps for much of his 15 years. But there was an inherent danger in the old neighborhood and Shaky wanted to do what he could to keep Anthony from having to face the same temptations that he had seen claim so many others.

"It's a tough environment for kids at the age between 12 and 21 because you're still trying to find your way. There's a lot of things that you can get caught up in," he said. "A lot of people just make the wrong decisions. I had a lot of friends that made the wrong decisions. I've still got a lot of friends that's doing the right thing too."

Shaky, whose actual name is Antoine, was one of the kids who made the right decisions, keeping himself out of trouble by playing every sport he could and excelling in football, baseball and basketball. He also helped his mother, Lori, raise his six younger siblings.

"She played a big role in this," Smithson said. "It took a lot for her to allow her son to come out here."

Shaky left home for East Los Angeles College, where he played football for two years and earned his associate's degree before transferring to Utah last winter. Smithson enrolled in time to practice during spring drills and informed his new coaches of his plans for a roommate.

"It was obviously a huge responsibility," Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. "He's a very conscientious kid. Not just any Division I player could take that on, but he's a special guy that has the makeup to be able to handle something like that."

Shaky had to get an NCAA waiver so he could receive financial support from churches and other groups to support himself and Anthony. He also had to get permission from his mother, a hotel housekeeper who agreed Salt Lake City was a better environment for Anthony to spend his high school years.

"He's always taken care of all my brothers and sisters," Anthony said.