Brian Kelly says Maason Smith would have been questionable for opener if not for suspension

LSU is going to be without a huge start on Sunday against Florida State. Defensive lineman Maason Smith will not be on the field in Orlando, serving a one-game suspension. But as it turns out, Smith may have not even played if there was no suspension to serve.

Had Smith been available in just under a week’s time, head coach Brian Kelly says he would have been “questionable.” Smith is not practicing at a high level at the moment and is completely unrelated to the suspension. There is an injury Smith is dealing with heading into the 2023 season.

“He probably would have been in that range,” Kelly said. “And we weren’t really sure. Probably one of the reasons why you didn’t hear from us because we weren’t really sure where he was. He’s still not practicing at the level that he needs to be practicing.

“If I was in front of you today, he would probably be questionable for this weekend.”

Of course, the last time we saw Smith on a football field was in last year’s game against Florida State in New Orleans. When celebrating a play early in the game, Smith injured himself and was out for the rest of the season.

Smith was voted a preseason first-team All-SEC player by the media in Nashville. The former five-star prospect, to this point, has not made too much of a contribution in Baton Rouge. However, everyone knows the potential Smith possesses and there has been a ton of anticipation surrounding his return to the field.

Week 2 against Grambling State should be when Smith is back when just considering the suspension. If the injury continues to linger past the Florida State game, every LSU fan could have an extended period of waiting. SEC play does begin on Sept. 16 with an 11 a.m. matchup in Starkville against Mississippi State.

One thing is for sure — Smith will not be playing against Florida State. Undoubtedly a huge loss for LSU and there is now a question mark surrounding the middle of the defensive line. Kelly will need to find a suitable replacement for the season opener.

He will just be hoping there are no more replacements past Week 1. In order to meet the expectations of winning the SEC West again and potentially competing for a spot in the College Football Playoff, Smith is going to need to be healthy.