Brian Kelly details plan for Maason Smith's usage in Week 2

LSU was missing a critical piece up the middle on Sunday night against Florida State. Maason Smith could not play in Orlando due to a suspension but was dealing with an injury as well. A huge loss for head coach Brian Kelly considering how the second half went on the line of scrimmage.

Smith is now set to make his return to the field against Grambling State. Kelly is pumping the brakes on the number of snaps the defensive lineman is going to play, though. The last time Smith played in a competitive football game was in the 2022 opener against Florida State.

Getting back to 100% speed throughout the duration of the game is going to take time.

“I think that we have the be realistic,” Kelly said on Wednesday during the SEC Coaches Teleconference. “When you haven’t played in over a year, he’s not going to be able to play the duration of the game. If we can get somewhere near 30 snaps, we’d be really excited about that. Again, he’s practicing for us but it’s going to take a little bit of time. Hopefully, we can get somewhere in that range of quality snaps from him and give him the chance to impact the game.”

The anticipation of Smith’s return has been building for some time. Most expect him to hit the ground running once he returns to the lineup. Smith was voted a preseason All-SEC first-team member by the media coming out of SEC Media Days in Nashville. His presence up the middle is going to be huge for LSU.

Thankfully, whether or not Smith plays against Grambling State should make too much of a difference. LSU is going to win whether Smith plays one snap or gets to the 30 Kelly has in mind. The talent discrepancy is too big on the field.

If anything, LSU is going to need Smith to step up in a big way in Week 3. Their SEC opener is going to come on the road, traveling to Starkville for a matchup against Mississippi State. Expectations may not be high in Year One of Zach Arnett but it’s still a difficult place to play.

Getting Smith ready to play the snaps a starter would will be crucial for Kelly. Everyone saw how badly the LSU secondary struggled against Florida State. Giving an experienced quarterback such as Will Rogers could hurt. Smith’s presence on the defensive line is needed.