Injuries are inevitable in football, but Maason Smith wasn’t the first and won’t be the last to get injured in this bizarre fashion. After an LSU stop against Florida State on Sunday night, Smith leaped into the air to celebrate. What goes up must come down of course, and when he did, his ACL went pop.
Maason Smith was a 4-star recruit out of Louisiana and he stayed closed to home to attend LSU. After racking up 4 sacks in 7 games last year, he seemed primed for a big sophomore season. The 6’6″, 300lb defensive lineman was expected to be one of the centerpieces of the defense this year. Unfortunately, after not even one quarter of the new season, his year was done. Smith ran over to celebrate with his teammate and on the landing from his leap towards him, his ACL tore.
LSU DT Maason Smith appeared to have suffered an injury after celebrating this play. pic.twitter.com/SJDBAoJUA5
— ESPN (@espn) September 5, 2022
Smith hit the medical tent immediately after this, then looked deflated as he headed down the tunnel. On his reemergence, he was on crutches. LSU coach and newly-southern, Brian Kelly said,
“We are crushed for him. He was celebrating for a teammate on the play. Any time you suffer an injury under those circumstances, it’s extremely disappointing. He’s a great player.”
Ready Made Replacement
With Maason Smith done for the year, Missouri transfer, Mekhi Wingo will likely replace him. True sophomore, Wingo recorded two tackles for a loss, one sack and an interception in nine games at Missouri last season. Wingo won the ‘Iron Tiger Award’ in LSU training camp, which was handed out to the most consistent performer. He was already pushing hard for playing time coming out of camp. However, he didn’t have to wait long for his chance. Whether he will make the most of it remains to be seen, but all the signs seem to be pointing in the right direction for him.
LSU host Southern University this coming Saturday at Tiger Stadium in what should be a rather one-sided affair.
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