Arizona State Loses Cameron Smith for 2015 Season

Simply put, the Arizona State  Sun Devils have not had the start they had hoped for for the 2015 season.  After losing leading wide out Jaelen Strong to the NFL Draft and transfer Davon Durant to suspension, head coach Todd Graham was looking for any players to step into the void left behind.

One of those players was expected to be leading returning receiver Cameron Smith.  Smith, a junior to be, had 41 receptions for 596 yards and six touchdowns while becoming an integral part of Graham’s high octane offense.

Still, the shifty wide receiver sustained a knee injury late in the 2014 campaign, and the team had hoped that a lengthy off-season would provide him the necessary time to recover.  This was not the case as discomfort in the knee continued, leading to the announcement that Smith will miss the entire 2015 season due to knee surgery.  Graham announced the decision following Tuesday’s practice, just the second practice this spring.

“Obviously, that’s a big blow for us,” Graham said. “It’s one of those things that he tried to work through it. It’s something he dealt with all year long. He got two or three different opinions and we just thought the best interest for him in the long-term was to have surgery and to get it finished. It’s kind of a lengthy, seven-to eight month recovery.”

Smith will now redshirt this season leaving him with two years of eligibility remaining.   The loss robs the Sun Devils of their top deep threat, but coach Graham should have plenty of options in a deep receiver corps.

*Section Photo credit to Matt York, AP Photo; Featured Photo (above) credit to Natalia Dorantes

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