Arizona State receiver Cameron Smith, who was in line to replace departed star Jaelen Strong, had knee surgery and will miss the 2015 season.
Smith had 41 catches for 596 yards and six touchdowns as a sophomore last season, which ranked third on the team. He will redshirt and have two years of eligibility remaining.
This is a big blow to the Sun Devils’ receiving corps because Smith was the one proven commodity on the depth chart. Smith filled in admirably last season when Strong missed time with a head injury and had a career-high six catches for 131 yards and two touchdowns against Washington State.
However, Smith had been dealing with the knee injury during much of the second half of the 2014 season and it caused him to miss the Sun Bowl in December.
Coach Todd Graham did not say what kind of knee injury Smith had sustained, but said it was “unusual” and that it was not an ACL tear.
Despite the loss of Smith, Graham said he had high hopes for the other players at the wide receiver position.
“At the end of the day, you have to do what’s in the best interest of the kid,” he said. “What was best for (Smith) and his future is to go ahead and get that fixed, and take some time.
“We’re going have the best football team we’ve ever had, period. I can guarantee you that. I’ve never had a higher belief in a group of young men than I do in these guys.”
For more Arizona State news, visit ASUDevils.com.
Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday
And don’t forget to keep up with all of Graham’s thoughts, witty comments and college football discussions on Facebook
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - ASU WR Cameron Smith has knee surgery, out for 2015
No comments:
Post a Comment