NCAA suspends Maason Smith for season opener vs. Florida State after receiving improper benefit

LSU defensive tackle Maason Smith has reportedly been suspended for the season opener against Florida State. The NCAA suspended Smith after finding he received an “improper benefit.”

Although he’ll miss the first game, Smith will be able to return in Week 2 against Grambling State. He cooperated with the investigation, The Advocate’s Wilson Alexander reported, but will ultimately miss out on LSU’s first matchup of the 2023 season.

Smith only appeared in one game a year ago after tearing his ACL on opening night against FSU. He’s looking to be a key player for LSU on defense this year after totaling 19 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks as a freshman in 2021.

Smith has been limited during training camp with a sprained ankle, Brian Kelly said earlier this month. He was taking things slow, but Kelly sounded optimistic about his chances to get on the field.

“He’s been banged up a little bit,” Kelly said. “Nothing that, you know, I don’t think we’re overly concerned with, there’s no structural damage to any joints or things of that nature. But look, he’s been out for a year. Everything hurts a little bit more after coming back into it.”

As he gets back up to speed, though, Kelly urged caution to make sure he doesn’t aggravate any injuries.

“We’ve got to be careful with him,” Kelly said. “But, again, I think (head athletic trainer) Owen Stanley and Maason have a really good relationship in terms of what can I do and what I can’t do. He had an ankle sprain, nothing that we were really too concerned with. But we’re concerned with everything when you have a player of his caliber. So we’re going to be careful with him.”

The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman: Maason Smith makes ‘Freaks List’ as he anchors LSU defense

Smith made an appearance on The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman’s “Freaks List” as one of the best “Freaks” in the country. Feldman explained why on Andy Staples On3 with On3’s Andy Staples and pointed to the number she turns in during workouts.

“He had a really good freshman year, then he kind of flashed and was very disruptive. … The numbers, at 6-foot-6, 315 [pounds] and over 19 MPH on the GPS, and just the length and everything else,” Feldman said. “He is 15 pounds bigger than he was last year. I would expect that this is a very dominant defensive line because there were two other guys that could have been on the freaks list as well in that group.”