Maason Smith talks about ACL injury, suspension and returning

Maason Smith has been through a lot in the year since his ACL tear in LSU's 2022 season opener against Florida State. He had to miss the entirety of his sophomore season, rehab a torn ACL and when he finally was healthy again, he was suspended one game due to receiving improper benefits. After what's seemed like forever, LSU will finally get their star defensive tackle back on the field this Saturday vs. Grambling.

On Wednesday, Maason Smith was made available to the media for player interviews. During this time, he answered a bunch of questions about his knee, suspension and his excitement to get back out on the field.

ACL injury

Last year's season opener was an emotional roller coaster for Smith. After an incredible freshman season, Smith was named to the preseason All-SEC team and was ready to take the next step for the Tigers. Unfortunately for Smith, his season was cut short after he tore his ACL.

"I really remember everything. I remember walking off the field, walking to the locker room, and she told me she thought I tore my ACL. I remember just the anger, I don't even know how to explain it. I was real mad and disappointed. You go from being up here to being down here in a blink of an eye."

Maason Smith

After tearing his ACL, Smith had a long and painful road to recovery ahead of him. A torn ACL can do horrible things to both your body and mind when you're a professional athlete. You're not only missing the rest of the season, but you aren't able to do much of anything for months. Smith spoke about how he was on bedrest for multiple days, but his family, friends and the coaching staff were able to help him through those tough times.

"I was on bedrest for a couple of days because I was in so much pain. Through the support system that I had, my mother, my father, my stepmother, my brothers and sisters, my friends, they all had my back and were there to help me, so I never had to go through that by myself. The support staff on the team, the medical trainers, they always checked up on me. It was easy, well, it wasn't easy, but it was easier than what I expected."

Maason Smith

Micki Collins is Director of Sports Medicine at LSU. Smith constantly praised her and talked about how much she helped him out, not just medically, but also mentally through his recovery.

"[Micki Collins] was the biggest part of it. Coming in here, sitting with her every single day. Her being able to motivate me through this long process and having my back. I remember, PFF posted a 'Top 10 returning defensive tackles', I didn't even see it, but she printed it out and put it in my folder just to motivate me to get back to where I was."

Maason Smith

370 days later, Smith feels he's back to where he was, and he'll get the chance to showcase that on Saturday.

His suspension

A couple weeks before the season opener against Florida State, Smith was suspended by the NCAA for receiving improper benefits during his freshman year. The suspension stemmed from an autograph signing his freshman season before NIL took over the college sports world.

People had mixed opinions about the suspension. Some felt it was justified, and some thought he shouldn't have been suspended because of the rules in place now about NIL. Smith cooperated fully with the NCAA's investigation into the matter, and after it was all said and done, he was handed a one game suspension for the 2023 season opener.

"I made a decision with a couple of my former teammates. Looking back on it, I didn't really know that was a thing. That's not what I was thinking about when I did it. I was thinking that it was good. Looking back I just wish I had more knowledge on the NIL space."

Maason Smith

The thing is, I don't think anybody has a full grasp on the NIL space. Since it's inception, the entire world of NIL has been a work in progress. Laws can vary state-by-state and change at every school in the nation. I don't believe there is anyone out there that fully understands all the rules of NIL, and it has become a huge issue for both players and universities.

Smith said he's known for a while the possibility of the suspension, but wasn't aware it had officially been passed down until a few weeks ago. Smith also said that if he wasn't injured in Week one, the suspension most likely would've been carried out last season.

"For sure, I have known for probably a couple of weeks. I always knew about the possibility, but I just never really thought about it. I was so focused on playing [Florida State] and getting my revenge. I wasn't really worried about it, but it had been a possibility for some time."

Maason Smith

His excitement to get back on the field

Smith started playing football when he was six years old. He played for a rec team called the Demons in Houma, Lousiana. Since then, Smith has never gone over a year without playing football. By the time he suits up to play Grambling, it will have been one year and five days since he suffered his ACL injury, and let's just say, he's excited to get back on the field with his teammates.

"I think about it every single morning. I'm just ready to get out there, there aren't really words to explain how I feel. I've been waiting so long, I'm just ready to get out there."

Maason Smith

Smith had been waiting for a long time to get back on the field, but when the time was almost there to suit up against Florida State, the suspension brought him back down to earth. He was disappointed that he wasn't able to play against the Seminoles, but he believes God had his reasons for not allowing him to play.

"I had visions about playing against Florida State. I had visions about playing against Alabama and all these teams cause unfortunately I didn't get to play them last year. I just had visions of me dominating and doing my thing, just playing ball...At the end of the day, I'm a firm believer of fate and God. I just let him take care of everything going on. I've been through a lot of stuff in the last year of my life, but I just always had faith in him. If God didn't want me to play in that game, then there's a reason for that."

Maason Smith

Finally, the Tigers get their star back. Nobody is more ready to see No. 0 on the field than himself. He may be on a snap count, but he's going to make every single one count.